Take 86: Coyote vs. Acme
After decades of being burned, anviled, flattened, and blown up, Wile E. Coyote sees an attoney’s ad and decides to sue the bane of his existence— no, it’s not the Roadrunner (although there is plenty there), it is the Acme Corporation. This hybrid live action/animated film, based on a true story as this movie would have the audience believe, follows the Coyote’s pursuit for justice. For his legal team, Wile hires Kevin Avery (Will Forte), a billboard personal injury attorney and his optimistic niece Paige. For the defense, we have Buddy Crane (John Cena), a slick lawyer with ties to Acme’s shadowy CEO who I will just say is another Looney Toon character and a bit of a surprise, but then, not really. So it’s a courtroom battle, Coyote vs. Acme.
Since you have no doubt been keeping up on all of my previous entries, it is no surprise that I have a soft spot for the bureaucracy of it all which is kind of ironic given I am not a all a business person whatsoever. Here it works. How many times had we seen Wile E. get his ACME delivery without given it a second thought? And how many times did we see said delivery often literally blow up in his face? That stuff was coming from somewhere so it was kinda interesting peeling back a few layers to explore from where it originated.
It’s also fun to get some insight into these larger than life characters we grew up that fleshes them out. Whereas the relationship between Wile E. and his lifelong nemesis The Roadrunner, has always seem very black and white, we learn here that there is some nuance there. I also love the fact that this Looney Tunes universe is all connected. There are plenty of cameos and there are some guest stars that provide important components to the larger narrative. Possibly my favorite story beat comes from Granny of all people. Although she and the Wile E. have never had any kind of connection that I am aware of, she gets a really nice subplot that is something we never really got before regarding the character, nd it plays out nicely and it’s really nice to see that sweet old lady get a really happy moment.
Aside from that, it was a fun, cute movie. It was fun to look in at these old friends from my childhood. I will say it’s a bit odd to hear the voices. Mel Blanc has been gone a longtime at this point, but he will always be the voice I hear and expect. The current voice anctors are close, but you can definitely hear the difference. It’s just off enough. It’s even crazier to think that for so many later generations, the current voices ARE the genuine artifact for them, but us old heads know better. I guess that is as close to a gripe I can find for this movie. It’s light. It’s fun. It’s a good time.
My score: 8
Is that all folks, or do you have something for the comments? Let me know what you thought and until next time…
