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This is a common warning for numerous people that co-parenting a canine companion following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations impede ex-partners from healing, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and become annoying for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause the dogs themselves to become depressed.

Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. If you need prime example in canine melancholy, one need only look recent cinema. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult adjusting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a full holiday film around this situation works effectively is a questionable prospect.

A Familiar Formula

Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than what it is. We have here a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the depth are modest. Its storyline is destined to be uncomplicated: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, take a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will surely realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – including a group of comedic actors – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look carries the feel of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – think fake snow surrounding green trees as North Carolina stands in for the Northeast.

The Dog's Domain

If these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience rests upon the execution and one's taste for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – the kind who browse regularly for dog videos. Audiences receive a series of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is Merv himself, and even if it causes some stilted moments between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie does offer canine party antics, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.

The Two-Legged Cast

This level of success cannot be applied for the romantic plot. Its style wavers between emotional depth, zany antics, predictable love story, and physical comedy, failing to master a single genre. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is fully game the humiliating and funny demanded of the bizarre setting. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will either resonate with viewers. Her Anna seems a bit too dry, particularly when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – while no a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains an excellent dog.)

The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, given that the title character is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for their original breakup would feel more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, meeting every expected note. Creating a movie with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – though I wouldn't call it a great one either.

• Merv becomes available on Prime Video this December.