The movie we were never meant to see, the movie that Foghorn Leghorn didn’t want you to see, the movie that Warner Brothers didn’t want you to see, is finally here and it is glorious in every conceivable way. What was once thought to be an unjust tax write off, destroying the legacy of the Looney Tunes was given second life (much like the lives of the dastardly Wile E Coyote) and delivers a live action Looney Tunes movie that not only works for every generation but reminds us just how far we are willing to go for those close to us – even if we may be positioned differently and how sometimes we just need a nudge to do the right thing. Now, whatever you do don’t put on your ACME gear but get to the theatre as fast as you can and beep beep your way into Coyote vs Acme.
Coyote vs Acme focuses on Wile E Coyote (Eric Bauza) finally having enough with getting screwed over by malfunctioning Acme products and not being able to catch his great nemesis the Road Runner (Tucker Hawkey). He’s concocting a new plan, again, until he hears a tv ad essentially saying if you’ve had a piano fall on you, ran into a painted wall, etc contact him, Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and he will get you a settlement! Wil E decides this is a good strategy, to sue Acme corporation for years of pain and suffering however, Kevin is hesitant as he normally does small claims against Acme for a few hundred dollars that settle and that’s that, but Wil E is smart and cunning and tricks him into taking the case, and along side Kevin is his niece, Paige (Lana Condor) whose one of his paralegals who help him take on Buddy Crane (John Cena), Longhorn Foghorn (Eric Bauza) and the rest of the Acme corporation.
The reason why Coyote vs Acme works and should be celebrated, is not because it was shelved and rescued by Ketchup Entertainment giving audiences a movie that truly is excellent (even if the movie was bad, shelving a movie for a tax break is inexcusable) but because the direction from Dave Green along with the screenplay by Samy Burch is just so well done that it brings to life the best live action demonstration of Looney Tunes, and that is coming from someone who genuinely likes Looney Tunes Back in Action. Coyote vs Acme is part court room drama, part family drama, part comedy, and part insane antics from the Looney Tunes, we’re focusing on the voiceless here in Wil E Coyote and his foe Roadrunner and the overarching evil that is the Acme corporation, but the main plot is focusing on Coyote and his systematic takedown of Acme corporation. There is a b-plot involving Dr. Lorre (Eric Bauza again) that helps round out the story, but truly the screenplay is tight and wonderfully crafted and the direction blending CGI and real life is done spectacularly.
Now, with all the human actors having to play presumably to mocap or nothing, there is a large daunting task in front of them. Thankfully this is maybe Will Forte’s best role to date (not a knock, he’s just genuinely that great in this), Lana Condor continues to make waves with her performance here, and John Cena continues time and time again to prove he’s got the chops to bring terror and entertainment to the forefront. For a movie about Looney Tunes, that doesn’t focus on Bugs or Daffy but rather Wil E Coyote, there’s going to be hesitation granted, but every single ingredient here makes a multi levelled cake, just rich in flavour and satisfaction that is going to have you bouncing off the walls going wahoo like Daffy.
Coyote vs Acme, the movie that the Warner Brothers corporation never wanted you to see is beaming into theatres, and is going to delight so many audiences and Looney Tunes fans that not even Buddy Crane, Longhorn Foghorn, or Steve Martin as Mr. Chairman from Looney Tunes Back in Action can stop. The movie is heartfelt delight from start to finish, and finding a genre blending, medium blending, soulful, delightful film that is better than Coyote vs Acme is going to be a near impossible task, so prepare to laugh harder than you’ve laughed before and enjoy the dramatic heartfelt hilarious antics and brilliance that is Coyote vs Acme.
