Will Forte and John Cena face off as a desperate lawyer and Acme’s slick attorney in this affectionate Looney Tunes romp.
By Bob Tremblay/Boston Movie News
If any company deserves to be sued, it’s the Acme Corporation, whose gadgets and devices have consistently failed over the years, causing serious harm to its animated purchasers.
No one has been victimized more by Acme products than Wile E. Coyote, the cartoon character whose repeated reliance on Acme products has resulted in injuries ranging from incredibly painful to fantastically fatal. Having a massive boulder land on you just has to hurt…
When his latest effort to catch his nemesis, the Road Runner, goes awry, again due to faulty Acme products, Wile E. has had enough. He decides to sue Acme. Considering his fruitless attempts began in 1949, he’s been more than patient.
Thus, we have the plot of “Coyote vs. Acme,” a wonderfully wacky mashup of live action and animation in the vein of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Based on the 1990 New Yorker magazine article by Ian Frazier, the film serves as a comical homage to Looney Tunes cartoons and its cast of characters while also putting corporate greed on a skewer.
Fans of irony might appreciate that Warner Bros. canceled the film’s 2023 release and instead used it as a tax write-off, only to reverse course and offer to sell the distribution rights. Ketchup Entertainment picked up the pieces. It seems vox populi raised a fuss.
That kind of David-and-Goliath battle unfolds in “Coyote vs Acme” as Wile E. enlists the services of the small law firm of Avery, Jones and Maltese in his suit against Acme. Kevin Avery (Will Forte) reluctantly takes on the case as he has no desire to wage legal war on Acme. He prefers to settle out of court, rewarding his injured clients with what amounts to chump change. When Acme’s lawyer Buddy Crane (played with maximum smarm by John Cena) makes an offer, Wile E. refuses to settle, setting up a trial that could not only deprive the coyote of justice but put Avery’s firm out of business.
By the way, can we assume the law firm’s name is a tribute to Looney Tunes founders Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese as well as Looney Tunes animator extraordinaire Tex Avery? One only wishes Mel Blanc, who provided the voices for so many Looney Tunes characters, were still alive—he died in 1989—to provide the voices here. Eric Bauza, Jim Cummings and Candi Milo do a fine job in his stead.
Looney Tunes aficionados should have a field day watching this film as it acts as a veritable Who’s Who of many of its characters, albeit in unusual roles. Here we get Foghorn Leghorn as Acme’s sleazy CEO, Tweety as a mercenary and Bugs Bunny as an informant. Yes, there’s also a mystery to unravel as the film opens with Acme scientist Dr. Peter Lorre (as a cartoon caricature) uncovering a conspiracy that puts him at odds with his employers. Parents, have your children watch “Casablanca” or “The Maltese Falcon” to see Lorre in human form. You might want to wait on showing them “M.”
Anyway, “Coyote vs. Acme” does go the formulaic route. There’s the apparent dissolution of the lawyer-client relationship, only to get resolved just in time while Avery and Wile E. do that character arc thing.
Forte is perfectly cast as a man whose moral compass has lost its needle. His niece Paige (Lana Candor) tries to inject some conscience in him. Good luck.
What’s interesting is that “Coyote vs. Acme” employs as its hero—or is he an anti-hero? —an animal whose goal is to capture, kill and eat a bird. The non-verbal Wile—he uses signs to communicate—isn’t exactly warm and cuddly, yet we end up rooting for him, not to catch the Road Runner (well, maybe some people do, tired of his cocky beep beep) but to stick it to big business, especially a corrupt one. Here, Wile is more than a voracious carnivore; he’s the underdog. Undercoyote?
Director Dave Green keeps the action fast-paced, and screenwriter Samy Burch gives emotional and humorous punch to both human and cartoon characters. Big-time kudos go to cinematographer Brandon Tost for blending the live-action and animation scenes so seamlessly. The interaction between humans and cartoon characters feels real.
“Coyote vs. Acme” is one of those films worth watching a few times to catch the jokes and sight gags you missed on first viewing. Sure, the movie has an anti-corporate message, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with a hammer. Well, in this case, it might use a wrecking ball. But it’s all in good fun, and th-th-th-th-that’s all, folks.
Bob Tremblay is the former film critic for the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass., and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics.
‘Coyote vs. Acme’
Rating: PG for cartoon violence and some language
Cast: Will Forte, Lana Candor and John Cena
Director: Dave Green
Writer: Samy Burch
Running time: 103 minutes
Where to watch: In theaters now
Grade: A-
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