Film Review: MERV (2025): Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox Star in a Cute Comedy Tailor-Made for Dog Lovers

Merv Review

Merv (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Jessica Swale, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and starring Zooey Deschanel, Charlie Cox, Ellyn Jameson, Patricia Heaton, David Hunt, Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, Victoria Blade, Wynn Everett, Jason Burkey, Jake Berne, Jordan Cox, Andrea Laing, Nancy Ticotin, Kelly Tippens, Joey Slotnick and Kevin Patrick Murphy.

Merv is a pleasant surprise from Amazon MGM that is tailor-made for dog lovers, but basically anyone can enjoy it on the most basic levels thanks to the charm of its stars, Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox. Though she’s had some bad luck along the way (see: her stint on the cute but poorly received TV show, The Celebrity Dating Game), Deschanel continues to display plenty of charm and comic timing in her work in this new picture which makes her chemistry with Cox feel all that more enjoyable to watch on-screen.

This movie opens with Merv, the dog, in place of the lion in the MGM logo which charmed me right from the get-go. There is one absolutely hysterical scene, though, that deserves to be mentioned first. It’s the one where Russ Owens (Cox) and Anna Finch (Deschanel), former lovers, do some salsa dancing together and Anna asks Russ to do the Dirty Dancing lift and lift her up. This pair of former romantic partners has stayed in contact to share custody of their dog, Merv; hence the film’s title. In the aforementioned dance scene, the former couple begins to recapture the romance that made them fall in love in the first place.

Anna has joined dating apps to find someone new, and at the movie’s beginning, we see her on a first date that goes badly with someone who is rather full of himself. Russ is a teacher who is kind of doing his own thing while he maintains visitation rights with their lovable pet, Merv who is loaded with canine personality. Anyone who can’t see where this story is headed hasn’t seen a romantic comedy before, but the movie quietly grows on the viewer the more it progresses.

Directed with plenty of heart by Jessica Swale, the movie has some nice supporting performances, including heartfelt turns by Patricia Heaton (always entertaining to watch) and David Hunt as Russ’s parents, MJ and Jack. At a dog birthday party, Russ and Anna meet an oddball woman named Gaia (Wynn Everett) who starts to make guesses about the couple’s past and future with humorous results.

Of course, the movie ups the odds against Russ and Anna getting back together with some fair competition, especially in the case of a potential love interest for Russ. However, this is a spin on The Parent Trap with dog parents and, as such, it’s a winner that will just charm the viewer’s socks off.

Charlie Cox is perfectly cast as Russ and his scenes opposite Deschanel have warmth and sincerity in them. There’s light dramatic tension interwoven in the plot as Merv gets lost and it seems like he’s the kind of animal who will bring his parents back together if he hopes enough that it could happen.

Deschanel is, quite simply, a gem to watch. Her bangs get compliments from Heaton’s character, and she definitely has an appealing presence that makes the movie oh so lovable. Cox and Deschanel, together, are the quintessential couple who fight, make up and learn to love again even under sometimes uncomfortable circumstances.

Merv has some minor pacing issues in the beginning. Those problems quickly subside as the movie digs deeper into the main couple’s connection together. We learn how their romance fell apart, how they coped with being apart from one another and how they seem destined to come back together to be with each other and with Merv.

While there are some tear-jerking elements in the film, Merv resonates with the viewer on more than just an emotional level. This is a funny picture with nice scenery in warm and cold destinations. There is a great deal of comedy to offset the sadness found in some of the key scenes that are found later in the movie.

There’s also some unpredictability in the movie’s concluding scenes in just how things will get resolved. It’s easy to keep guessing which way the plot will take the viewer, but eventually it’s hard not to be moved by this touching tale of true love between humans and the everlasting love the couple has for their dog, Merv, which is impossible to fade away.

Merv doesn’t offer a very complicated story line, but what it does offer is a lot of moving scenarios and a fun examination of what, exactly, makes soul mates click and stay together even when doing so seems like a lot of work. Without hard work, love can’t thrive and this movie teaches us that fact in a very pleasant manner that makes it undeniable fun. Also, the ending, in particular, is simply phenomenal. It will not disappoint romantic comedy fans.

Rating: 7/10

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