Director: Dave Green
Starring: Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzmán, P.J. Byrne, John Early, Nancy Linehan Charles, Kenneth Choi, Ernie Vigil
Running Time: 103 min.
Rating: PG
★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)
Sometimes an idea is so clever you wish you were in the room when they pitched it. Coyote vs. Acme has such a premise, putting a fresh spin on a property many have appreciated for decades, but with a surprisingly subversive and timely twist. And whether it's adults who grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings or kids first getting introduced to this wacky universe, the impact is the same, as director Dave Green delivers a moving and universally relatable underdog tale. But more importantly, it shines a new light on animation's most famous feud, resulting in a zany adventure, conspiracy thriller and uproarious courtroom drama all rolled into one. And now after after actually seeing it, Warner Bros.' decision to kill and bury their own film (before Ketchup Entertainment swooped in for the save) somehow seems even worse in retrospect.
By unintentionally creating a groundswell of support for a movie they sold off, Warner Bros. shot themselves in the foot, a cruel irony considering how its plot revolves around a greedy corporation obsessed with the bottom line. But as crazy as it sounds, the project's been kicking around since Ian Frazier 1990 New Yorker article first introduced the concept of Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation for damages. Since the 1940's, Wile E. and Road Runner's feud has been defined by a single reoccurring gag as the former constantly causes himself bodily harm in his many failed attempts to catch his nemesis. Now screenwriter Samy Burch brilliantly adapts Frazier's premise to paint on a larger canvas, pushing past an already successful formula and ensuring those classic cartoons will play even better than they did before.
It's 1992 when Acme Corporation scientist Dr. Lorre makes a shocking discovery about a company cover-up, leaking the covert information to an unknown source before being captured and disappeared by agents. Flash forward thirty years to Albuquerque, New Mexico and Wile E. Coyote is still trying to catch and eat the Road Runner when he sees a TV ad for Avery, Jones and Maltese, a personal injury law firm who specialize in cartoon injuries from Acme products. After meeting with senior partner Kevin Avery (Will Forte) Wile E. informs him he wants to sue the company for all the defective devices that foiled his attempts at capturing Road Runner over the years. Unfortunately, Kevin's penchant for settling every case that comes across his desk makes that proposal a tough sell.
While Kevin's niece and intern Paige (Lana Condor) tries convincing her uncle to overcome his fear of failure and go to trial, a paperwork snafu forces Kevin into a showdown with Acme's feared chief legal counsel and former Harvard Law School classmate Buddy Crane (John Cena). Though Buddy assumes his old pal will fold as usual, Wile E. has other plans, tricking Kevin into taking a case more important than any of them suspected. And after Kevin starts receiving tips from a mysterious whistleblower about Acme's crimes, both sides begin to realize Road Runner could be the most important witness of all. But only if they can somehow get him to testify.
Right away we're presented with the notion that Wile E. lives this lonely, miserable existence, a fact rarely touched upon or explored at length in the cartoons. And while "predator" is listed as his primary occupation, he certainly isn't an accomplished one, yet after experiencing Acme's latest product failure and seeing that commercial, he assumes his prayers have been answered. The only problem is an apathetic lawyer who's a lot less motivated than him, making for a mismatched, contentious pairing.
Despite his faults, no one ever accused the obsessively persistent Wile E. of being a quitter, which can't be said for the disheveled Kevin, who's just going through the motions, settling his cases much like he's settled at life. Though the idealistic Paige is understandably perturbed by her uncle's attitude, she hopes the suit will reignite a fire inside him and she'll gain some legal experience beyond pushing papers. But as Kevin's dragged kicking and screaming into this by the duplicitous Wile E., a David vs. Goliath dynamic develops when monopolistic behemoth Acme looks to crush him in court.
Forte's played goofy characters before, but putting aside his impressive feat of acting alongside an animated co-star in every scene, the role also works as a witty nod to Jimmy Stewart's title turn in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In other words, Kevin's in way over his head, but insulted enough by this injustice to put up a fight, recognizing the suit has consequences that extend farther than a single plaintiff, even one as desperate as Wile E.
As Kevin and Paige gradually uncover a giant conspiracy that could destroy Acme if exposed, Wile E. has his own plans for how things should go at trial. But he also doesn't speak, leading to some really funny, chaotic scenes of him trying to get his point across in a myriad of attention grabbing ways, with Forte displaying impressive physical comedy chops as his slapstick foil. And as the cool, confident Buddy Crane, Cena perfectly projects his character's arrogant aura with an imposing presence that nearly intimidates Kevin into quitting, especially when he sees how skillfully Buddy pours a glass of water.
The trailers have been coy about it, but nearly every Looney Tunes character imaginable appears, including Tweety, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tasmanian Devil, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, and the very memorable Bugs Bunny as a Deep Throat-inspired informant. But all of them meaningfully service the plot, especially a scene stealing Foghorn Leghorn as Acme's blowhard of a CEO.
It couldn't have been easy to come up with an explanation for why Acme's products have been failing for decades, but the filmmakers go a step further, taking the company's greed and negligence to a level that carries harsh echoes of current corporate malfeasance. But the most shocking part of the trial isn't what Acme's done, but how proud and willing they are to admit this in front of a self serving public who wildly applaud it. As long as they reap the benefits and someone else gets hurt then everything's fine, especially if a charismatic storyteller is there to tell them it's for the greater good.
The realization that no one gives a second thought about Wile E. makes the film's closing minutes hit that much harder. Should he testify, Road Runner is the only potential witness who knows what his predator's been through, making it understandable both legal teams would want him on the stand, albeit for completely different reasons. But what unfolds is a moment between the pair that audiences have waited over a half a century for, though few guessed it would happen in such a setting. When Wile E. discovers his arch nemesis has a far different perception of their relationship than he does, an unexpected legal outcome leads to the ending these two iconic characters deserve, reminding us how neither could exist without the other.
Beyond the chases, face flattening falls and crashes, this is the most development Wile E. and his adversary have ever gotten, using the cartoons as a launching pad into uncharted territory. It also repositions Looney Tunes' most deviously scheming villain as a victim of possible sabotage. And while that isn't something typically associated with the character, he still has his usual motives, providing the story valid enough reason to bring him and other major players into the "real world."
As the best live action/animation blend since Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this feels like the sequel we didn't get, putting a unique spin on many of the elements that made the 1988 classic such a groundbreaking achievement. Great ideas are a dime a dozen but successfully executing on them is rarer, as this sends these beloved characters on an entertaining adventure its opening title card humorously claims to be "based on a true story." And considering how the film's tumultuous road to the big screen so closely parallels its own themes, that notion may not be such a stretch after all.
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