Merv (2025) Parents Guide

Merv is Rated PG by Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for some thematic elements, suggestive references and language.

Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, the duo behind “Suze,” a film I admired and happily praised on this site return as writers for “Merv.” And remembering what they achieved with Suze makes the disappointment sting a little. That earlier film floated on an admittedly contrived premise, yet the characters breathed, the relationships mattered, and the oddball quirks gave the whole thing an off-kilter charm. This time, working with director Jessica Swale, the magic slips through their fingers. Merv rests on a premise that could, in theory, be adorable: a dog spirals into canine heartbreak when his human “parents” split. Should they reunite for the sake of the creature who adores them both? It’s a cute idea no denying that but you can feel the movie straining, as though it’s dutifully marching through a checklist instead of discovering its own spark.

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Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and Russ (Charlie Cox) have recently ended things, though neither can bring themselves to give up Merv, the terrier played by Gus a dog whose face seems engineered for reaction shots. He rotates households weekly: seven days with Anna, then seven with Russ. And Merv absolutely hates it. He broods, he whimpers, he stares longingly… it’s all a little too recognizably human, and you can’t help but feel for the poor guy. But this arrangement locks Anna and Russ into a kind of emotional holding pattern, forced into constant contact at precisely the moment each should probably be starting over. She’s an optometrist, he teaches elementary school; both have best friends played by Chris Redd and Jasmine Mathews whose narrative function is almost comically singular: they exist solely to offer emotional support. They’re shoulders with legs. And that’s about it.

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Stories about couples tethered together by pets are hardly new. In fact, they’re practically a subgenre. And there’s no real reason Merv couldn’t have earned its place in that lineage. The gold standard, of course, is the 1937 screwball masterpiece “The Awful Truth.” Cary Grant and Irene Dunne squabble over their beloved dog with so much fiery affection that you can still feel the heat nearly a century later. Maybe it’s unfair to hold Merv up against one of the most perfect romantic comedies ever made but when the territory has been charted so brilliantly, you’d think the filmmakers might borrow at least a sliver of that playfulness. Again and again, Merv stumbles into moments that cry out for mischief: a little screwball chaos, some jealousy sparked by new romantic pursuits, maybe even some canine-driven plot turns. But the film keeps pulling back, refusing to be as bold or goofy or alive as its premise begs it to be.

What might have rescued things or at least grounded them is a believable emotional current between Deschanel and Cox. But that never arrives. The film withholds the reason for their breakup until late in the game, and even when it does surface, you realize the bigger problem: we never understood what glued these two together in the first place. Their dynamic is strangely inert. They give off the energy of pleasant acquaintances who once tried dating because all their friends assumed they should. No sensual spark, no lingering resentment, nothing simmering under the surface. Contrast that with Grant and Dunne clawing at each other, their bickering practically foreplay. With Anna and Russ, you sometimes forget they’re supposed to be broken up at all. They spend so much time together that the emotional stakes quietly evaporate.

You can sense that Merv wants to be heartwarming, and in a vague, theoretical way, it is. But the warmth it musters never rises above a gentle room temperature. It’s amiable, earnest, and oddly dutiful like a film that keeps promising it’ll wag its tail but mostly just lies there, waiting to be scratched behind the ears.

Parents Concerns

Violence & Intensity: Low: There is no physical violence beyond everyday mishaps.
What parents may want to note is the emotional distress projected onto the dog Merv’s sadness is played earnestly, and younger kids who are sensitive to unhappy animals might feel uneasy during certain scenes where he whimpers, hides, or acts out from loneliness.

Language: Mild: Expect a handful of soft profanities (“damn,” “hell,” maybe one slightly stronger word), generally used in moments of frustration.
No slurs, no aggressive tone, nothing that feels angry or mean-spirited.

Sexual Content / Nudity: Very Low: There’s no nudity, no explicit sexual content, and romance is kept extremely tame.
A few references to dating and breakups appear, but the film avoids innuendo or anything risqué.

Drugs, Alcohol & Smoking: Minimal: A couple of scenes feature adults having a drink — wine at dinner or a casual beer.
No drug use, no intoxication played for laughs.

Parental Concerns

A few things that might surprise parents:

The dog’s sadness is taken seriously the movie doesn’t treat his depression as a joke.

The tone is more soft melancholy than wacky comedy; families expecting a fizzy, screwball pet-custody adventure may feel thrown by the restraint.

Because Anna and Russ spend so much time together, kids might ask questions about why a couple breaks up even when they still act like friends.