Coyote vs. Acme is the type of movie that isn’t easy to categorize despite its inspiration from the Warner Bros. cartoons featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Filmmaker Dave Green pulls out all the stops with this clever premise where Wile E. Coyote employs a lawyer named Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to take on the ACME corporation.
This manufacturing company has invented countless items that have failed our famous coyote in his attempts to capture the Road Runner. Kevin thinks he can win Wile E. a few hundred bucks, but, soon, a hotshot lawyer, Buddy Crane (John Cena), is offering $50,000 for the pair to just walk away.
Perhaps, the sky is the limit in this case if Wile E. and Kevin decide to put up a fight. They do.
Lana Condor serves as Paige Avery, Kevin’s intern from a very prestigious university. She helps steer the direction of the case as they all search for the Road Runner to become a key witness in the case.
This film is really intelligent even when it plays dumb. Wile E. Coyote can’t speak, so he uses signs to communicate, and he frequently uses a sign that reads that he’s limited on the number of signs he has.
There is a great supporting cast backing everyone up here, including Luis Guzman as the judge in the case and Martha Kelly as a woman named Dottie who works at Kevin’s firm.
Both of these performers excel in a limited amount of screen time, bringing some humor and some credibility to their characters in a movie where credibility would normally be the last thing on the audience’s minds.
Coyote vs. Acme is downright entertaining to behold. There is some tension found in the court case because we’re not always sure that Wile E. Coyote and his team actually have a fighting chance to win, given Buddy’s unethical approach to the case.
ACME is portrayed as a chop shop of sorts, and it’s easy to root against them for making faulty roller skates or faulty contraptions that fail Wile E. time and time again.
There have been some comparisons to Erin Brockovich, although that’s a far superior film. Both films are about little guys taking on the big guys, but Coyote vs. Acme is much more light-hearted, and the stakes feel a bit lower, even though the movie is quite fun and certainly moves at a fast clip.
Forte plays the part to perfection. Kevin has no faith in himself until Wile E. steers him in the right direction. Forte is enjoyable in the role and has a good time transforming from an insecure guy to a competent lawyer. We can see the actor working towards his goals as he makes the character a memorable one.
Additionally, Lana Condor is very well-cast in a part that uses her intelligence quite effectively. It’s a joy watching her and Forte play off each other like a well-oiled machine.
Condor has fun with the part, and she plays it with joy and a fair amount of seriousness thrown in, just for good measure.
Elmer Fudd even gets a cameo in the courtroom, making some remarks that could come back and make him look a bit ridiculous if Wile E. and Kevin manage to go all the way with their case and win.
There’s nothing better in this movie than watching John Cena and Tweety Bird together, sharing the screen.
Cena’s hard-nosed lawyer asks Tweety to clarify what he “taut” he saw in a hilarious moment in the picture. Cena nailed this role, for sure, and has a great time on-screen.
If anyone disappoints here, it’s the Road Runner who gets a few moments to sparkle, but never really gets to steal the show the way that humans like Cena do. Wile E. Coyote is much more distinct and has much more pizzazz as a character.
Coyote vs. Acme is a really enjoyable movie that one may forget the next day. That doesn’t mean it won’t be re-watchable if it shows up on streaming networks. There’s nothing better than a movie that goes down easy, and this film does just that.
Since it wasn’t even going to be released in theaters, one may want to support Coyote vs. Acme in the movie theater to prove we want more movies like this that are easy to enjoy and so immensely watchable.
Coyote vs. Acme opens Friday, August 28th only in theaters!
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.