The dialogue-free Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons are my favorite of the Looney Tunes.
No jokes centered around annoying accents or speech impediments, just pure physical comedy. Of course, the hapless carnivore never actually catches the flightless bird, thanks largely to his reliance on questionable devices from the unseen Acme Corporation.
New live-action/animation hybrid “Coyote vs. Acme” sees the coyote finally have enough of the technology giant’s faulty products. He enlists unambitious Albuquerque attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to sue the corporate behemoth for decades of defectiveness. Even with his loyal niece Paige (Lana Condor) supporting him as an intern, the deck is stacked against Avery. His accident-prone client is unsympathetic, Acme has a powerful legal team led by undefeated hotshot Buddy Crane (John Cena), and the key witness is going to have to be the Road Runner himself. How will Avery ever get the bird to testify on behalf of an enemy that has always tried — and is, in fact, still trying — to eat him?
“Coyote vs. Acme” is the best Looney Tunes-related output in decades. The classic physical comedy is so sharp, it’s like the characters spent every day since the last Chuck Jones-directed short in 1963 training for this movie. It also hits some surprisingly strong emotional beats about Coyote and Road Runner’s dynamic. I can’t say it always works as a legal thriller, and some of the logic gets murky as mediums are blurred, but overall this movie is as much fun as the first cartoon on a well-earned Saturday morning.
Grade: B
“Coyote vs. Acme” is rated PG for cartoon violence and some language. Its running time is 101 minutes.
Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.
