“Coyote vs. Acme” and People Power

To Kill a Mockingbird.  12 Angry Men.  The Paper Chase.  And now, Coyote vs. Acme is the latest in the line of films you must see if you want to be a lawyer. 

The most well-known, but also most amazing thing about Coyote vs. Acme is that we are incredibly lucky to even have the option to watch this movie.  Like Batgirl before it, this movie was originally designated to be deleted, trashed for the sake of a $30 million tax write off, probably after another Looney Tunes project, The Day the Earth Blew Up, made only $15.5 million dollars at the international box office.  But Ketchup Entertainment swooped in after a public uproar to save this movie, and we are so fortunate that they did so.  That is a testament to what a group of dedicated fans can do. 

The Looney Tunes (yes, by the way, it is spelled like that) have a long line of feature films, from Back in Action to Space Jam, and just like Space Jam, this one is based on a true story.  It even says so in the opening of the movie.  But where Coyote vs. Acme separates itself from Space Jam is quality. No offense to the Michael Jordan-lead basketball epic, but this movie just blows it out of the water.  This movie is extremely funny, surprisingly heartfelt, and displays an infinite amount of time and effort needed to pull this off. 

When talking about films that blend animation with live-action, the first movie that obviously comes to mind is Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Numerous yarns have been spun about how that movie was an absolute miracle to bring to life.  While John Cena and Wile E. Coyote is not quite as ambitious of a crossover as Disney and Warner Bros., the effect is much the same.  Live-action humans interact with their animated costars almost flawlessly.  This does not feel like people interacting with a greenscreen or with a mocap artist.  This feels like a lawyer talking to a cartoon coyote. 

These days, even a Looney Tunes movie is more likely to feature diverse representation. With half the cast being cartoons (the most well-represented minority), there is limited opportunity to depict other underprivileged groups, especially in a way that is appropriate.  The Looney Tunes have a sordid history on that front.  This movie’s representation is positive, but it falls into the trap of having the women and racial minorities play supporting roles to the white men.  No doubt that Will Forte and John Cena do a fantastic job as hero and villain respectively, but I can easily imagine a movie where Vietnamese-American actress Lana Condor’s role is as the main character instead, rather than as Will Forte’s niece.  She is not the only minority in the film, but those other roles tend to be pretty minor.  This movie is good for representation, just not superb. 

That’s about the only flaw in the film.  This movie stays true to the elements that made Looney Tunes classic throughout almost a century, while also not feeling outdated at all.  There’s even a joke involving a certain male skunk that feels so keenly aware of the public discourse, acknowledging it without feeling the urge to combat it.  On that note, if this review was to be much longer, it would probably just descend into a recitation of the various jokes, gags, and character moments that make this movie special.  

Movies like The Invite and The Drama are incredible, but they are pretty exclusively aimed at adults and are incredibly stressful.  Coyote vs. Acme is just as funny as those movies but accessible to all ages and makes you nothing but happy.  Even if story beats are super predictable, they’re exactly what we need at this moment in time.  We are incredibly blessed that this movie is available for us to see, and we should take advantage of the opportunity we’ve been given.