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It is a widely held belief for numerous people that co-parenting a canine companion following a split is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such situations prevent former couples from finding closure, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to experience sadness.

While respecting the mental health of animals – many owners attest to their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, consider another performance. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adapting to split households. The idea of basing a full holiday film on such a setup holds water remains rather doubtful.

Standard Holiday Fare

To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and helmed by director Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than its premise. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the complexity is limited. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – think flurries piled on verdant foliage as a warm climate doubles as a wintery Boston.

Where the Film Shines

If these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch depends on the execution and an acceptance of easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The central draw is the dog, and though it results in some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing walking sequences, pet moping, and, ultimately, a tail-wagging resolution.

The Human Element

The same praise is not earned for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, broad humor, formulaic romance, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. No blame falls on Charlie Cox, who is fully game the humiliating and funny demanded of the unusual premise. He brings a likable self-deprecation that offers much of the film's charm for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a little too aloof, notably when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog succeeds in flopping and whining – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely an excellent dog.)

The story strives to give weight to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – a regrettable choice, considering the dog is undoubtedly the cutest element of this feel-good picture. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for the split could have been more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – but it's not exactly a great one either.

• Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.