“I tawt I taw…”
Coyote vs. Acme, the latest of the decade’s attempts to breathe new life into the Looney Tunes gang, is sure to be a winner with audiences both young and old. The movie boasts a fantastic early setup full of intrigue that its makers sustain perfectly throughout. Of course, given that the marketing for the film has been minimal, that isn’t so hard. If promotion for the film has been on the more reserved side, the headlines the movie has gotten have not, with its former studio Warner Bros. effectively shelving the film for tax write-off purposes, much to the chagrin of fans and even the film’s stars. Thank heaven for the folks over at Ketchup who have swooped in to save this movie that, while not reaching the same creative or emotional heights of former Looney Tunes outing, The Day the Earth Blew Up, still proves to be a perfectly entertaining piece of nostalgia.
In Coyote vs. Acme, Wile E. Coyote has grown frustrated with attempts to capture and destroy the Road Runner, which has included many years of sustaining a multitude of injuries from the countless Acme products he has used in trying to accomplish this. Having had enough, he decides to take his case to court, enlisting the help of low-level lawyer Kevin (Will Forte) and his intern/niece Paige (Lana Condor). However, winning justice for Coyote won’t be so easy thanks to Acme’s top attorney Buddy (John Cena). As Coyote, Kevin, and Paige get further into the case, they uncover a large-scale cover-up that’s bigger than any of them ever imagined.
This is a movie that knows the right steps to take and wastes no time making them. As soon as the prologue has concluded, we’re plunged right into a Coyote and Road Runner cartoon that’s sure to be a welcome home for many fans. Following this, we’re taken straight into Coyote’s world and his lair littered with an array of Acme products he’s bought over the many years he’s spent trying to take down his nemesis. This is perhaps the most time we’ve spent with this character in who knows how long, and he ends up managing to elicit sympathy while in this deflated, reflective state. It’s a great entrance into the rest of the movie with its seamless blend of animation, live action, and non-stop comedy. All three elements are integrated amazingly well. Highlights include a recurring gag of Kevin’s cars being totaled in cartoonish ways, and an early moment between him and Coyote when he asks if he can talk. Coyote holds up a sign with the word “no,” to which Kevin retorts: “Oh, but you have signs.” This prompts Coyote to hold up another one which says: “I have a limited number of signs.” The Road Runner himself also enjoys some fun live-action moments, including a scene when Kevin and his team try to serve him with a subpoena, which he speedily destroys, as well as Buddy’s attempt to catch him with a pond of glue and birdseed that goes hilariously awry.
While the many laughs (and there are more than a few) keep the entertainment factor high, the deeper plot mechanics also keep things engaging as the movie’s core mystery starts to unfold, involving corporate secrets that have been buried under money, power, and silencing those who are to speak out. This also includes Tweety Bird being forced to work for the bad guys against his will. There is a very John Grisham-like feeling to the plot about the little guy, the anti-hero, finding himself taking on large-scale corporate corruption. As a lawyer, Kevin has prided himself on taking the easy route, collecting these small wins and modest commissions as he coasts through his career. Yet Coyote’s persistence not only results in their case rising to the top, but it also garners a huge media spotlight. Despite the animated slapstick-flavored gags, the themes remain steadfast and credible, with Acme coming off as an Amazon-like behemoth that claims that all Coyote’s injuries are self-inflicted. Incidentally, Foghorn Leghorn makes for a very lively Jeff Bezos analog that illustrates the unstoppable arrogance and power of someone perched that high. If this may sound a bit too intense for a Looney Tunes madcap adventure, rest assured, it’s all handled with the right amount of pathos, earnestness, and laughter to make it palatable.
The voice performances all do their best to replicate the work of those who brought these iconic characters to life so many years ago, and largely succeed. The same can’t be said for all of the live-action performances. Forte manages to bring such great energy to the movies because of his SNL background. He and Coyote play off of each other so incredibly well that it’s hard to imagine the movie working at all had someone else been cast. Props should also go to Condor, who likewise brings a winning gusto to Paige. It’s also always fun to see Martha Kelly, who is excellent here as one of Kevin’s associates. Elsewhere, however, Luis Guzman is somewhat miscast as the judge hearing the case, and Cena is embarrassingly miscast as Buddy, bringing neither intimidation nor bravado to a role that is very much calling for it.
Despite the laughs to be had within the film, the hit-and-miss ratio for the jokes in Coyote vs. Acme is pretty even, with there being just as many jokes landing with a thud as there are ones that soar. Some of those include a lawyer friend of Kevin’s telling his mom he’s going to sue her, and the instantly forgettable intro title card that states that the film is based on a true story. Flat jokes aside, the pleasures are rich, from the many cameos by classic characters (Daffy Duck and Porky Pig chief among them) to a great tribute to classic actor Peter Lorre to a touching moment in the film’s climax. However, Coyote vs. Acme succeeds most by giving a fresh look to a legendary and beloved character; an image that’s far smarter, more determined, slightly darker, and far more empathetic than anyone ever expected him to be.
