Movie Review: What’s up, flop? The toon-human hybrid ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ should’ve stayed on shelf

While Hollywood often makes questionable choices, "Coyote vs. Acme" takes the concept of "logic-defying" to new heights. Based on a 1990 New Yorker parody that imagined Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over their faulty gadgets, the film has been in development for nearly three decades. Initially shelved by the studio, it was later deemed a tax write-off and made for about $70 million.

Set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where humans and cartoons coexist, the film features a wide array of Looney Tunes characters living alongside real humans.

The story follows Will Forte as a small-time personal injury attorney who takes on a mute coyote as a client. The coyote, fed up with Acme's defective products, wants to take down the massive corporation. However, his client is more interested in taking down the entire world. The plot involves a vast conspiracy at Acme, led by Foghorn Leghorn, and is supported by a combative chief legal counsel, played by John Cena.

The film attempts to present a larger struggle against corporate greed, but it ultimately fails due to its convoluted narrative and poor execution. The filmmakers try to draw comparisons to classics like "Chinatown," "A Few Good Men," and "Erin Brockovich," but the comparison only serves to highlight the film's shortcomings. The movie is filled with action scenes involving rocket skates, motorbikes, and refrigerated trucks, as well as a final character test involving a massive potential payoff in Washington, D.C., where Acme tries to assassinate the coyote before he testifies in front of Congress.

Despite the presence of Bugs Bunny, the character is only present for the last hour of the film, making the character's absence during the first part of the movie a significant oversight. The film also features Daffy Duck, who appears briefly as an inmate at St. Looney, but his role is limited. The screenplay by Samy Burch tries to balance an underdog story with corporate satire, but the result is a long, tedious film that only personal injury attorneys might enjoy.