Merv

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2:26

Merv

2025

1h 45m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world's most awkward co-parenting arrangement. Hoping to shake Merv out of his funk, Russ takes him to Florida for a much-needed getaway--only for Anna to show up unexpectedly. As Merv slowly gets his groove back, turns out fixing their dog's broken heart may lead to a few sparks of their own.

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Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

5d

1.5/4

Much could have been saved if Deschanel and Coz had authentic chemistry.

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Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

5d

Merv proves less a character than a catalyst in a film that’s content to have its treat and eat it, too.

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Adrian Horton

Guardian

6d

3/5

As it is, Merv is slight and sweet and entirely to expectations. Making a movie about co-parenting a dog is not a bad idea -- though I wouldn’t say it’s a great one, either.

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Shawn Edwards

Fox 4 Kansas City

9h

1/5

The only people happy about this film are the lead actor's realestate agents.

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Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

2d

The dogs are cute and actors have good chemistry and that's enough for me with a rom-com

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

2d

1.5/4.0

Who doesn't like a sweetly funny rom-com centered around a personable pooch during the holiday season? I guess that's me. I'm that person. I don't.

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Connor D

@ConnorJuggles 3h

Honestly, I enjoyed it. A cheesy movie about love and a dog, at least no one died and the dog survived throughout the movie. It’s a rare treat for a dog movie and a comedy to actually make me laugh and not cry. It’s a nice change that we can call it a Christmas movie without too much holiday fluff. Overall pretty decent film.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone 4h

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Frans B

@FransB 14h

Good writing and nicely brought to screen. Great cinematography and visually appealing. Cast not really convincing in character, don't know why, but it seems something is missing. In the saturated genre this does not stand out, but it's entertaining and easy to watch

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Stephanie H

@Stephanie65 15h

Some really harsh reviews for Merv I feel. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the film. I'm a big fan of Charlie Cox and he can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. He's an excellent actor and does good things with the script he's given. So natural and convincing. And he can dance ! To be honest not that well acquainted with Zooeys work, but I thought they played well together. Gus/Merv the dog was adorable. A pleasant little movie for the holiday season. It made me smile and I felt it was a couple of hours well spent.

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Tom L

1d

Little to no chemistry between the leads and the dog Merv, being the title characater, served as just a magufin rather than actually adding anything to the story or really being invovled

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L. V

1d

I’m glad I didn’t check reviews before watching because I could have possibly missed this delightful movie. I completely disagree with the negative reviews. It’s one of the first new holiday films that actually held my attention, and I could definitely watch it again. It’s charming and heartfelt without being overly sentimental. If you want to watch a wholesome and sweet Christmas movie, this is for you.

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Jessica Swale

Director

Zooey Deschanel

Actor

Charlie Cox

Actor

Chris Redd

Actor

Patricia Heaton

Actor

David Hunt

Actor

Merv: Exclusive Movie Clip - What's Wrong With Him?

0:54

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Merv: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world's most awkward co-parenting arrangement. Hoping to shake Merv out of his funk, Russ takes him to Florida for a much-needed getaway--only for Anna to show up unexpectedly. As Merv slowly gets his groove back, turns out fixing their dog's broken heart may lead to a few sparks of their own.

Director: Jessica Swale
Producer: Matthew Baer, Roma Downey
Screenwriter: Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart
Distributor: Prime Video
Production Co: Hurwitz Creative, Amazon MGM Studios, Catchlight Studios
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2025
Runtime: 1h 45m

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