‘Coyote’ makes the case for nostalgic fun

     It’s good to be the Road Runner. He’s had a car named after him, even has his own theme song. Not so for his rival, Wile E. Coyote, the Captain Ahab of cartoonville. He has been, excuse the expression, dogged in his pursuit of the bird bearing the Latin moniker of fastas hellus, but has yet to lay a paw on him. What’s a hungrious carnivorus to do? Sue! That’s what.

       The defendant? None other than the powerful Acme Corp., the No. 1 supplier of weaponry in the animated world, and its foul CEO, Mr. Foghorn Leghorn. It’s Mr. Coyote’s contention that Acme has knowingly been selling defective products for decades, causing him great bodily harm as well as an empty stomach. And here to chronicle this jaunty jurisprudence are the makers of “Coyote vs. Acme,” a highly clever bunch who’ve managed to incorporate dozens of Looney Tunes characters into the human world, à la “Space Jam.”

     Tha, tha, tha, that’s not all, folks. We also get the pleasure of watching a couple of legal eagles in Will Forte’s Kevin Avery for the plaintiff and John Cena as Acme’s imposing head of legal, Buddy Crane. Physically and financially, it’s a total mismatch, but don’t underestimate Mr. Avery (the moniker a salute to famed animator Tex Avery) and his ability to equivocate as well as that other shifty billboard lawyer from Albuquerque, Sal Goodman.

    Avery and Goodman not only look alike but also share a lack of ethics and a questionable clientele, including Wile E., who is suing with the sole intent of luring Road Runner – his case’s star witness – into the courtroom where the flightless bird will be a sitting duck for capture. Well, not a duck, but you know what I mean. For how it turns out, you’ll have to see for yourself. But I can assure you a good time will be had by all, especially boomers and Gen Xers who grew up watching those terrific Looney Tunes shorts every Saturday morning. It’s like seeing old friends at a reunion. Except none of them have changed, unless you count the voice work, which can’t quite equal that of the late, great Mel Blanc.

      That’s not a problem for the voiceless Coyote, who communicates via placards, or Road Runner, whose only utterances are his signature “beep, beeps.” But these critters don’t need to talk, not when the animators have rendered them so charmingly expressive. Coyote, especially. The way he conveys his emotions simply by contorting his muzzle and eyes is jaw-dropping, sometimes literally. No longer the villain, but the hero, Coyote elicits legit sympathy, so much so that you almost root for him to finally land his Moby Dick.

    I also love how scripter Samy Burch (“May December”), inspired by a satirical essay in The New Yorker, incorporates the legend of Sisyphus, using him as a metaphor for Wile E., who repeats his futile quest, always expecting a different result. Although Sisyphus appears here in name only, as the nickname for Acme’s top-secret program to knowingly sell products guaranteed to malfunction, the presence of the mythological Greek king can be felt viscerally.

    Abetted by director David Green, Burch integrates inventive ways for Bugs, Elmer, Sylvester, Daffy, Tweedy and all the other Looney Tuners to drop in for hilarious cameos. Even Peter Lorre, in cartoon form, lives again, playing a central figure in Acme’s fiendish plot. Accordingly, the toons generate much warmth as well as the biggest laughs.

   Not so for the humans. Neither Forte nor Cena prove a consistent source for guffaws, albeit not for lack of trying. Part of that can be blamed on how they, pun intended, are drawn, broad and thin, playing slight variations on roles they’ve performed many times before.

    Their cartoon counterparts are the opposite. You marvel at how seamlessly they’ve been edited into each frame. It’s a technical marvel. But what makes “Coyote vs. Acme” so endearing is the amount of heart and feeling it generates, particularly through Wile E., who discovers there’s more to his existence than perpetually chasing Road Runner. It makes for a final scene that’s more explosive than a crate of Acme TNT. Was that a tear in my eye?

    Yes, “Coyote vs. Acme” is that good. But oddly, Warner Brothers did not agree, content to ditch the movie three years ago because the suits, in their infinite wisdom, determined it was cheaper to write it off than release it. Thankfully, the indie startup, Ketchup Entertainment, rushed to the rescue, sharing this joyous wonder with the world. And in the wake of this turbulent summer, boy, can we use it.

    Not only is it laugh-out-loud funny, but it also offers a fabulous moral highlighting the many facets of friendship. Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote will never be besties, but in myriad ways they complete one another. Road Runner knows that, and flat-out steals the movie when, under oath, he movingly communicates this existential fact. And although it once again enables him to one-up his nemesis, Wile E. can at least take solace knowing this time it’s not the Road Runner’s name up on the marquee. It’s his. And for once in his life, making him – and his movie – a surefire winner.

Movie review

Coyote v. Acme

Rated: PG for cartoon violence and some language

Cast: Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor

Director: Dave Green

Writer: Samy Burch

Runtime: 101 minutes

Where: In theaters Aug. 28

Grade: A-