Courtney Howard // Film Critic
COYOTE VS. ACME
Rated PG, 1 hour and 41 minutes
Directed by: Dave Green
Starring: Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, P.J. Byrne, Martha Kelly, Tone Bell, Eric Bauza, Luis Guzmán
Not since Roger Rabbit stuttered his first hallmark “puh-puh-puh-please” to his acerbic, hot-tempered detective buddy, begging for his help in solving a criminal case in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT has there been an animated-live-action hybrid that took on an entire corporate system with such fire, frenzy and genuinely funny jokes than COYOTE VS. ACME. The film comes beep-beeping back to life, rescued and resurrected thanks to Ketchup Entertainment after Warner Brothers Discovery head David Zaslav sought to bin the hard work of the cast and crew for tax purposes. And thank the cinema gods the funeral screening would not be the last time anyone saw it.
Director David Green and writer Samy Burch’s hilariously deranged feature delivers unabashedly loony, inspired slapstick comedy and whip smart storytelling. Perfect for all ages, but very much appealing to adults who grew up on Looney Tunes shorts, it’s absurdist comedy for the masses. Jokes fire at a rapid pace, but so does “how’d they do that?” wonderment of the animation interacting with very real environments. It not only unwittingly stands as a deviously lunatic skewering of the corporate entity that eventually sought to silence its sentiments, but also a towering achievement in the world of animation as it brings back timeless old school humor and filmmaking techniques achingly missing in this current era.
Body injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) is barely breaking even each month at his tiny firm. Even his support staff – worried Sal Maltese (Tone Bell), upbeat intern/ niece Paige (Lana Condor) and dimwit administrative assistant Dottie Jones (Martha Kelly) – are feeling the anxiety. Kevin seems far too content with his mediocrity, settling cases with mega-conglomerate ACME Corporation concerning their defective goods meant to help their cartoon clientele for sums in the low hundreds. However, all that changes once a headstrong new client walks through his doors.
Animated laconic biped Wile E. Coyote is fed up with being the literal fall guy for ACME inventions that constantly cause his disastrous failures (chronicled in an uproarious greatest hits clip show montage), putting him in harm’s way while attempting to catch his spry nemesis Roadrunner. He wants to sue the ACME Corporation for pain and suffering due to a multitude of products. But what begins as a routine case for Wile, Kevin and eager Paige uncovers a corporate conspiracy that goes deep, involving Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird and Bugs Bunny (all voiced by Eric Bauza). Out to stop the ragtag bunch of underdogs are ruthless ACME lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena) and his assistant counsel Bill Pellicano (P.J. Byrne). They need to squash this lawsuit before it draws the attention of ACME CEO Foghorn Leghorn.
Every generation should have their own ROGER RABBIT film and this is it for our current one – and not by default because it’s one of a kind. It thoroughly earns its flowers through its exceptional craftsmanship from the plot and use of well-established character creations to the production design and special visual effects. The narrative is akin to a mix of the Robert Zemeckis classic and Michael Mann’s THE INSIDER. Green and Burch’s David-vs.-Goliath tale has a lot of heart. While no one asked for a Looney Tunes film to contain poignancy, nor deep thematic content, those things are surprisingly manifested, focused on tenacity, resilience, and confidence when facing bullies.
Setting our tale in Albuquerque (as in Bugs Bunny’s long running joke, “I knew I should’ve taken that left turn at Albuquerque,” from the shorts) feels like we’re already in on the first joke. Classic cartoon characters are used sparingly and never outstay their welcome. The filmmakers deploy a masterful IYKYK gag with Pepe Le Pew. Coyote packing a bindle akin to Mary Poppins’ endless-bottomed overnight bag is inherently funny. Gags like Porky Pig showing up to pants-less modeling in a mental asylum have long legs, causing us to continue to laugh weeks later. Casting Bugs Bunny as a DEEP THROAT whistleblower in that world is absolutely diabolical. Other characters exist on the periphery, like Speedy Gonzales being discussed on the news and Yosemite Sam being a proprietor of a taco restaurant. The 3rd act turning into a courtroom drama for kids is equally as silly. And yet, all this innovative outlandishness works to great effect.
The absolute lunacy extends to the visual effects (courtesy of Framestore and DNEG) and soundtrack. They’re over-the-top and fantastic. Action sequences like Kevin’s street pursuit, his motel-decimating exploits and the runaway train in the real world are top notch. The animated CG elements make their marks, divots and dents on real life items. DJ Shadow’s overplayed “Nobody Speak (ft. Run The Jewels)” gets a hysterical refresh with the addition of Roadrunner’s trademark “beep-beeps” over the bad words during one mid-movie montage.
Will Forte and John Cena are perfectly cast. Forte nails the wet doormat look and aura of an ambulance chasing lawyer. We can easily chart his character arc, as his frumpy and frazzled exterior inevitably changes to a tougher one later on (“You look like a stuntman,” someone utters at trial). Cena does a mean maniacal laugh that feels fitting for the heightened dramatics afoot. He plays this corporate thriller straight-faced, from lobbing menacing threats at Tweety Bird, mocking the big-eyed canary’s adorable voice, to putting on airs and plotting duplicity with his boss and right-hand-man. Once again this summer, Byrne understood the assignment, acting comedically broad without being cartoonish. Eric Bauza, who voices a litany of animated characters within, earns kudos too, delivering the iconic zest and zing we expect from the Tunes teams.
Grade: A
COYOTE VS. ACME will be in theaters on August 28.
