Merv

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Humans' holiday love stories are dwindling, so they're desperately trying to find them in dogs; I remember Grant Gustin's earlier film, *The Love of a Dog*, was a similar "love story with a dog on a leash." The innovation here might be incorporating elements of "family of origin" (and emotional health) into Merv's character; his feelings and unhappiness mirror those of children facing parental divorce/separation, equally bewildered and helpless. Unfortunately, the perspective quickly shifts to the two protagonists' own tangled mess of contradictions—contradictions they could resolve but choose not to—making the story less endearing. Zooey and Charlie seem to be the most uniquely positioned actors in my memory (part two); while their pairing has some chemistry, it doesn't quite capture the essence of a barren story.

I personally enjoy movies and TV shows featuring pets and have seen quite a few excellent ones, but honestly, this one felt like a bait-and-switch. I initially thought the plot was about Merv trying to reconcile the male and female leads, using his intelligence to create some kind of situation to get them back together, with the interaction between humans and animals as the main storyline. However, Merv was just a catalyst from beginning to end… Please, please, stop using animal names as movie titles! It's lazy and lacks sincerity.

The dog is adorable; without it, the storyline is utterly unappealing. A cliché breakup due to a misunderstanding would be one thing, but this one, with the reason being the woman's miscarriage and inability to have children, followed by the boyfriend comforting her by saying it wasn't her fault—it's disgusting (I already criticized this once in The Pitt).

Christmas story. Cox and Summer (not really) go quite well together. Of course, a dog party is a bit far-fetched. For lovers, having something in common that they can't let go of is a blessing in itself. Not to mention the potential for a turning point that might come from that.

A Christmas dog beach advertisement. Zooey, long time no see, I miss you so much, but it's hard to believe you've started making such mediocre and boring online movies. Making a living must be tough. The only highlight of the whole thing is probably the Christmas dog theme song by eels.