By India McCarty
MERV’s stars and director are sharing the “madness” and hilarity that went on behind the scenes of this Christmas romcom.
“It’s hard work making a movie,” director Jessica Swale told Movieguide®. “It’s long hours and long days…but I think having the spontaneity of the animals on set, which is something you cannot predict, was something that always gave us a moment of…we had to stop shooting sometimes because we were laughing too hard.”
She shared a time when she and the rest of the cast and crew had to “embrace the madness” of making a movie with tons of dogs — a scene where people and dogs are doing yoga together.
Star Charlie Cox explained that each dog actor had its own trainer, which meant they all needed to be behind the camera talking to their dog, which got a little loud.
“When Zooey [Deschanel, his co-star] and I were doing our dialogue in that scene, I literally couldn’t hear her,” the DAREDEVIL star said, joking that he had to wait for Deschanel’s mouth to stop moving before he delivered his lines.
Deschanel added, “It was insane. You don’t see it, but it’s there.”
The NEW GIRL star spoke to People about what it was like having a four-legged co-star, sharing, “The dogs are very serious. It’s not like you’re getting to snuggle them. In fact, you’re not allowed to when they’re working. Yeah, it’s not what you think.”
“I will say that there are times when you’re like, okay, the scene has to work, but then they have to get the dog to do something, and the trainer is going like, ‘Go, go,’ and you’re trying to do the scene at the same time,” Deschanel continued. “It was another level of challenge, because the dog works very differently from a human.”
Producer Matt Baer spoke to Variety about the 11-year process of getting MERV made, saying he was “immediately attracted” to the story of a couple who break up but continue to share custody of their dog.
“I developed it for a couple of years,” he explained. “Then what happened was that [fellow producer] Roma Downey had her Lightworkers Company at MGM, where she was able to make films for under $15 million. She responded to the purity and the emotional uplift of the movie, so MGM bought the script and we continued to develop it.”
Amazon’s purchase of MGM meant more delays, but eventually, the streamer “officially decided to make the movie, [so] we were off,” Baer recalled.
According to the Movieguide® review:
MERV is fairly charming. The camerawork and editing are superb. The chemistry between Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox carries the entire picture. Both actors convey the main couple’s joy, guilt and positive transformation. However, the script lacks originality, and the ending isn’t as satisfying as it could have been. That said, Anna and Russ slowly mend their breakup by trying to help their pet battle depression. They openly care for their neighbors, visit their families during Christmas, and take their responsibility as dog owners seriously. Though not legally married, they express an interest in holy matrimony. However, MERV is marred by brief foul language, innuendo, drunkenness, and lying. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for mature viewers.
MERV is now available to watch on Amazon Prime.
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