#REVIEW: “COYOTE VS. ACME”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Wile E. Coyote has been trying to capture the Road Runner for decades. Despite all of his meticulous planning and egregious number of ACME product purchases, he has never succeeded and always ends up getting injured. Burnt out, he happens to see an ad for a law firm specializing in cases involving faulty ACME purchases. And it’s not long after Wile E.’s lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) files suit that they find out something more nefarious may be going on.

Three years after being completed and shelved as a so-called “tax write-off”, COYOTE VS. ACME is finally landing in theatres this weekend. But were all the shenanigans and outcries that have ensued since worth it in the end?

If the reaction of a packed house of hardened film critics is any indication, the answer is a resounding YES!

Whether you are a fan of the Looney Tunes or not, there is still a lot to love throughout COYOTE VS. ACME. Director Dave Green and Writer Samy Burch (who was nominated for an Oscar for the absolutely wild May December) have composed a film that pays homage to the characters and situations we know and love, while also presenting a story about friendship, persistence and doing the right thing despite the insurmountable odds. The meta-ness that has developed as a result of the Film’s long road to release should not be lost on anyone, nor should the genuine emotionally charged inflection points sprinkled throughout the Film. When it was first made, the Film was about a notable mute cartoon character fighting back against corporate malfeasance in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (albeit, with substantially less deaths). And now, it is so much more than that and feels very much like a film that captures the modern zeitgeist in more ways than you might ever expect.

That may read like inflated hyperbole, so without digging too much deeper under the surface, I will just be curt and say, COYOTE VS. ACME might just be one of the most important and must-see films of the year.

And did I mention how funny it is? The jokes come fast, furious and every which way between. I nearly fell off my chair from laughing so hard when they reference the all but officially cancelled Pepé Le Pew, chortled at the creative way they censored the salty language in DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak”, and had a great time seeing how Green, Burch and the rest of the team integrated all of the Looney Tunes in a restrained way that let each one have a moment to shine and get a laugh from the audience. I think they could have done a bit more work with the inclusion of Peter Lorre and better finetuned the ending, but with how many jokes are packed into the frame here and how wildly entertaining the final product is, I can forgive these small qualms.

Forte, a long underappreciated character actor, is terrific as Kevin and is keenly-aware of how hard to lean into each moment. The lovely Lana Condor does well as his niece and intern Paige, and John Cena is aces as ACME’s top lawyer, Buddy Crane. Much like Forte, Cena knows and understands the assignment and adds another wonderfully over-the-top performance to his growing stable.

COYOTE VS. ACME is a labour of love that is a whole lot of fun from start to finish. It is not perfect, but I am still smiling ear to ear just thinking about it and tearing-up a bit remembering the moment in the credits where they thank everyone who fought to have this movie see the light of day. If you are anything like me, then you will be ever so glad they were successful.

VVS Films release COYOTE VS. ACME in theatres Friday, August 28, 2026.