Coyote vs. Acme

Like the Muppets after Jim Henson's death, the Looney Tunes characters have struggled since well before the passing of their legendary directors, writers, and vocal talent to recapture the quality and relevance of their glory years. Space Jam, the 1996 feature that mixed live-action stars with the iconic animated characters, was the last major hit for the media franchise. Three attempts have been made since to reignite the comedic magic of the original Warner Brother cartoon shorts, each with disappointing results. This latest attempt, in the works since 2018, was completed in 2023, but Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav (the face of anti-creative, destructive, short-term, everything-but-the-shareholders-be-damned corporate greed and perfectly legal malfeasance) shelved it to claim a tax write-off. Public backlash eventually pushed the company to reverse its decision and let the filmmakers seek other distribution options.

Coyote vs. Acme is based on a 1990 New Yorker magazine article by Ian Frazier about Wile E. Coyote enlisting an ambulance-chasing personal injury lawyer to sue the huge Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him faulty products. It's the kind of witty humor that appeals especially to people who drive a Lexus. Developed by Troma filmmaker turned DC Universe honcho, James Gunn (director of Slither, The Suicide Squad, and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies), and comic book/video game/moster genre writer/producer Jeremy Slater; with a screenplay by Oscar-nominated writer Samy Burch (May December, Late Fame), the movie is a successful blend of live action and animation that tickles the funny bone just enough to land.

Saturday Night Live veteran Will Forte (star of films ranging from MacGruber to Nebraska) plays Kevin Avery, the senior partner in a personal injury law firm that Wile E. Coyote hires to take on the corporate giant. Now, the legal thriller doesn't provide as many opportunities for genre parody as, say, a historical film noir. That, and the fact that Forte isn't exactly a Bob Hoskins-level actor, are two reasons why a movie like this, made twenty-five years after Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, doesn't play nearly as well as that landmark picture. But Forte is still a funny guy, and director Dave Green (Earth to Echo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) and the screenwriters make many smart choices. First and foremost is the decision to concentrate the film on the franchise's non-verbal characters (opting for the mute, sign-holding Wile E. Coyote rather than the one Mel Blanc gave a refined mid-Atlantic voice in the few shorts in which he spoke or played the character of Ralph Wolf). Much of the rest of the Looney Tunes cast is made up of secondary and lesser-known, but still beloved, characters. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck just make cameo appearances.

This casting removes the uncanny sensation of hearing a slightly off voice emanating from a character you grew up with, which has hobbled many an attempt to reboot a beloved series long after the actors who gave it life have died. Of course, the past couple of generations didn't really grow up with Looney Tunes and have no connection to the characters. But movies like this are made for older fans as much as for family viewing. As one of those oldster fans, I found Coyote vs. Acme smart enough and amusing enough to be entertained. I can't imagine ever revisiting the movie, but I'm glad I didn't skip it.