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It is a common warning for numerous people that jointly caring for a dog after a breakup is ill-advised. Most will argue such arrangements hinder individuals from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating across the board. Seemingly, and in a twist fit for a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to feel down.

While respecting the mental health of dogs – many owners speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need masterclass in dog sorrow, consider a past film. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable seems debatable at best.

Predictable Foundations

To its credit, Merv, crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than its premise. This is a Christmas movie from a corporate studio – the complexity remains surface-level. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think fake snow piled on lush pines as a summer location doubles as the Northeast.

The Dog's Domain

How these familiar elements coalesce into an entertaining watch rests upon the strength of the performances and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – the kind who browse regularly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The central draw is Merv himself, and while this leads to some awkward editing between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.

The Human Element

This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style shifts uneasily between emotional depth, zany antics, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward required by the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that supplies much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will click for some but not others. Her Anna comes across as a bit too dry, particularly when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself is convincing at acting depressed – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely an excellent dog.)

The story strives to provide depth to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, given that Merv is by far the cutest element of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for their separation might seem more grounded and mature with more screen time and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting all its marks. Crafting a story on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – but it's not exactly a stroke of genius.

• Merv premieres on Prime Video starting December 10.