Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel Share the Rom-Coms They Swear By

With Merv landing on Prime Video for the holidays, Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel dish on the rom-coms that shaped them—from screwball classics to modern favorites—and reveal the picks they still can’t quit.

Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel are in full holiday rom-com mode with their new Prime Video movie, Merv. While doing press, they also took a quick victory lap through the rom-coms that shaped their taste, and talked about why this project was the one that got them to say yes.

The rom-coms that stuck with them

Deschanel, 45, leans classic. She considers When Harry Met Sally (1989) a foundational pick, and she has a real soft spot for those old-school screwball films that basically built the genre: It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, and The Philadelphia Story. Cox, 43, goes a little more modern. His sentimental favorite is America's Sweethearts (2001), and there is a good reason it imprinted on him.

"My very first trip to America, when I was 17, I went to an American movie theater and saw that film, and it's kind of a core memory for me."

So why Merv?

Deschanel says rom-coms have gotten weirdly scarce in recent years, so the chance to make one that actually gives its characters layers felt like a layup. The setup is simple and charming: a recently separated couple takes their dog on a holiday trip to cheer the dog up. It aims for a mix of romance and playful, slightly goofy humor — the good stuff this genre has been missing.

Cox had another big reason: he has been a fan of Deschanel for basically his entire career, and he has not really dipped into this genre before. If he was going to learn how to do a rom-com, he figured he might as well do it opposite someone who has the instincts baked in.

What they named

• Zooey Deschanel: When Harry Met Sally (1989), plus screwball staples It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, The Philadelphia Story
• Charlie Cox: America's Sweethearts (2001), tied to his first-ever trip to the U.S. at age 17

Short version: if you have been missing actual, unapologetic rom-coms, Merv sounds like it is trying to bring that back — with a dog, holiday vibes, and Cox learning the game from Deschanel in real time.