COYOTE VS. ACME – Review
The summer cinema season (un)officially ends this weekend, not with a whimper, but with a bang. And a boom. And a crash. And a “Meep, meep”. Yes, at last, it’s the movie that a certain studio (hint: rhymes with “Barner Wothers”) could not kill, though they really, “weallee twied…huhuhuh!”. Now, this was supposed to have been a release for the Summer of 2023, but a funny thing happened on the way to the multiplex (As Mr. Kimball would say on “Green Acres”, ” Not funny ha ha, but more funny-weird and sad”). So, did it take a wrong “toin” at Albuquerque? Nope, the studio “suits” didn’t think it had an audience, so it would have more value banished to a vault, never to see the light of day, as a “tax write-off”. Well, I’m hoping that fans of classic comedies and cartoons will prove them wrong and reward the fine folks at Ketchup Entertainment (who also saved THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE) by seeing, in a theatre, COYOTE VS. ACME (cue “The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, Mr. Stalling).
The story starts way back in 1992, late at night inside the massive Acme factory. One of its research and development scientists (a familiar face for Golden Age film fans) is trying to expose a nefarious scheme by his employers. Sadly, his cover is “blown”. Jump to now, where it’s (funny) business as usual on the almost-deserted desert roads in New Mexico. Wile E. Coyote is trying, and failing, to catch that lightning-fast Road Runner with gadgets from, yup, the Acme catalog. The battered and hungry critter retreats to his cave and tosses the new device onto a huge pile of useless products. As he concocts a new “bird trap”, something on TV captures Wile’s attention. It’s a commercial for the law firm of Avery, Jones, and Maltese (IYKYK), who specialize in cartoon-related mishaps, promising compensation for all manner of defective gizmos. The blueprint is shelved as Wile embarks on a journey to, of course, Albuquerque. There, Kevin Avery (Will Forte) shuffles into the law office, well past noon. His passion is gone, despite the prodding of his eager, ambitious intern/niece Page (Lana Condor). Their principal clientele is indeed cartoons that want compensation from Acme. But burnt-out Kev is a “settler”, preferring to settle for peanuts ($200 or so), rather than go to court. However, the Coyote strolls in and “upends” everything. He brings his magic “bottomless” bag full of hundreds of failed Acme stuff, and tricks one of the staffers into registering all of them in the lawsuit. Kevin is more than a bit annoyed, since the “swag” ups the suit to thousands of bucks. He’ll honor his “unhinged” client by heading to the Acme offices and asking for a bigger-than-usual payout. In the company’s conference room, Kevin’s rival, Acme’s hotshot “mouthpiece,” Buddy Crane (John Cena), presents a fairly generous settlement form. But instead of signing it and collecting a big check, Wile rips it to shreds. The trial is on. As Kevin and Paige prep for its start, they stumble upon a vast dark conspiracy, making them a target for the mega corporation’s CEO, Foghorn Leghorn, and his “fixers” (“wed” by a “widdle” “yewoah” birdie). And, “that’s not all folks!”…
Not to diminish the animated icons involved, but I’ll first discuss the flesh-and-blood acting ensemble. The heavy lifting is from SNL vet Forte, whose role may have the most interesting “arc”. His Kevin is just “going through the motions’ in his life, always opting for the less-challenging route. Forte’s almost a “humanized” yawn or a lurching hangover, But then he’s revived, much to his dismay, and jolted by this “desert mongrel”. This gives Forte a chance to shine, going from bewildered snark to a gradual quest for new purpose. This may be his best feature performance since NEBRASKA, though he was also terrific as TV’s “The Last Man on Earth”. Not having streamed any of her “To All the Boys..,” shows, I was unfamiliar with Ms. Condor, who is impressive as the naive go-getter Paige. She’s a terrific irritant to Forte’s Kevin, but we see that she’s not a “goody-two-shoes” when the threats from the Acme goons excite her (“a danger rush”). They’re an engaging team. After so many “nice guy” roles (well, the Peacemaker’s not that upstanding), it’s refreshing to see Cena as an all-out baddie. He makes Buddy the ultimate bolo-wearing, blustering fratboy bully (aw, don’t hoit da’ boid’!). He has an excellent toadie sidekick in P.J. Byrne (he’s almost part ‘toon as he just bounces back for more abuse). The best “deadpan” performances come from the near-stoic Martha Kelly as Kevin’s partner, the off-kilter Dottie, and Luis Guzmán as Judge Troppogrosso, who will not put up with any of these wacky shenanigans in his courtroom. As for the “non-fleshies”, the uber-talented Eric Bauza is a marvel as most of the Looney legends (check out the recent HBO shorts he voiced), while Candy Milo handles most of the lady Looneys and Jim Cummings provides great grunts and slobbers for a real “devilish” delight.
It appears that the third time feature-directing is the “charm” for David Green, who deftly navigates the chaos created from the script crafted by Samy Burch, Jeremy Slater, and James Gunn (yes, Mr. DC Studios) adapted from the 1990 New Yorker article by Ian Frazier. Happily, it is an adoring love letter to those geniuses who toiled away in the old “Termite Terrace” creating those enduring seven-minute masterpieces. Many scenes can barely contain the “eye candy” as so many supporting and “one-shot” characters dot about (blink, and you may miss a quickie cameo by an MGM star). Though I had lots of praise for 2022’s CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS satiric retooling, this film is even closer in spirit to the sublime WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (now 38 years old..”paleeze”). But this time around, the “toons” aren’t “second-class” citizens that must stay in the “Toontown ghetto”. They live and work right alongside us. As for their “look”, the animators have recreated and revived them with loving care, emulating all those classic creators (mostly Clampett and Jones homages). And unlike those SPACE JAM flicks, they’re not “over-rendered” with every strand of hair or fur delineated. It’s that classic 2-D “cell” outline with a subtle shadow overtone. The highlight being the lead toon, whose delightfully detailed body language (and a “limited number of signs”) evokes the classic silent film comedy stars. That “varmit” also creates a couple of wonderful “Rube Goldberg” inspired inventions (oh BTW, you really should check out the children’s book series inspired by Rube, lavishly illustrated by the award-winning Ed Steckley; we now return to our regularly scheduled review, already in progress…) We always know the moods of the “plantiff”. Still. I don’t wish to take away from the human cast who greatly aid in making the cartoon feel “real” (Bob Hoskins would be pleased). My only complaint is some listless CGI crowd characters (what’s with the lil’ brown duckie near the end) and the “vewy” mediocre rendition of one of the few human-like cartoon icons. Yes, the laughs are frequent, but though it might seem a cliché, this really has “heart” as Kevin learns to care and the whole WEC/RR dynamic is explored and almost explained (it’s a real relationship). Many moviegoers may go due to the whole “forbidden fruit” trope (“Nobody’s gonna’ say I can’t see somethin’!”), but they’ll also be rewarded by the surprising acting, artistry, and ideas that abound in the “escaped entertainment” of COYOTE VS. ACME. Court dismissed, or as a pantless pig would say, “That’s all folks!!”
3.5 Out of 4
COYOTE VS. ACME is now playing (finally) in theatres everywhere
