REVIEW: ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is a brilliant, hilarious, nostalgic treat for families 

Wile E. Coyote is a determined predator with a seemingly endless string of bad luck.

First, he tried detonating a pile of TNT to catch his nemesis – the Road Runner – only to have the detonator blow up in his face. Then he tried using magnetized gloves paired with metal pellets – only to end up, somehow, stuck to a military jet. Then he turned to an Acme catapult, hoping to splatter the elusive bird, only to become the one who went flying.

It seems Wile E. Coyote will always get the short end of the stick.

But then he sees a commercial that offers hope. It’s from a plainspoken, tie-wearing attorney who tells Coyote he isn’t the only one who has encountered problems with Acme products. The lawyer mentions the TNT detonator and the catapult – as well as another device that also malfunctioned.

“Have you ever pulled the ripcord of your parachute, and only a bunch of silverware comes out?” the attorney asks.

“It’s not your fault. There’s probably someone to blame.”

Coyote has found his man – and he’s going to court.

The new family movie Coyote vs. Acme (PG) follows Looney Tunes’ most hilarious predator as he travels to the big city of Albuquerque to meet with the man in that TV ad – attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) – but is subsequently told that a $300 settlement is as good as he can expect.

Undeterred, Coyote then goes off-script by filing his own lawsuit against Acme while using Avery’s law firm as the address of record.

“We won’t beat Acme,” Avery tells him. “Nobody ever has, and nobody ever will.”

Coyote vs. Acme is a blend of animation and live action (think Space Jam) and stars John Cena as Acme’s cocky attorney Buddy Crane, who – as he won’t let anyone forget – went to law school with Avery and ended up in a far better spot. That history intimidates Avery, although he eventually comes around to Coyote’s side and decides to take the David-vs.-Goliath case.

It’s a brilliant plot filled with plenty of smart comedy and tons of nostalgia. Bugs Bunny makes a cameo, but so does Foghorn Leghorn (he’s the Acme CEO), Elmer Fudd (he’s now a senator), Tweety (he’s working with Acme, sadly), the Tasmanian Devil (he’s in Acme PR) and Daffy Duck (he’s a painter). And Coyote, if you’re curious, never talks, instead using signs – just like in the classics.

The backdrop to the plot is a mysterious whistleblower who was booted from Acme back in 1992 with damaging information about the company’s products and shouted to anyone who would listen: “Someday, the truth will be known.”

The final half of the film includes a pair of courtroom dramas as well as powerful lessons on perseverance (Coyote embodies that, after all), integrity and principle (Avery is offered $1 million to settle the case – and must make a choice).

This family film, though, isn’t perfect. It includes mild language (details below), a pixelated scene involving a rude gesture, and a “cleaned-up” version of an explicit hip-hop song – one that, if Googled afterward, will leave parents wondering why it was included in the first place.

Still, Coyote vs. Acme is miles ahead of what too often passes for “family” fare nowadays. It brings together parents and children to appreciate a classic character – and, perhaps, may even inspire those same kids to watch the old Looney Tunes cartoons with Mom and Dad when they get home.

Rated PG for cartoon violence and some language. Language details: d–n (2), pi-s (1), OMG (3), single misuse of “God” (1), h-ll (1).

Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

(Image credit: Ketchup Entertainment)