Acme is finally in theaters and delighting audiences of all ages with its irresistible blend of slapstick humor, pointed satire, and even a warm fuzzy here and there. We’re happy to report that the film was worth the wait. (Some spoilers below but no major reveals.) The film is based on a well-known satirical piece by Ian Frazier (also titled “Coyote vs. Acme”) published in The New Yorker in 1990.
Development of a film version didn’t start until 2018, but some pretty talented people worked on the script, including James Gunn. Small wonder that Warner Bros.’ bizarre 2023 decision to shelve the film in order to take a tax write-off sparked outrage both within the industry and among fans online. The concept alone is sheer brilliance: Wile E.
Coyote, after decades of ACME equipment failing him in his efforts to catch that darned Road Runner, decides to sue the corporation. He chooses Albuquerque personal injury lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to represent him against Acme’s hotshot corporate lawyers, led by Buddy Crane (John Cena)—who just happens to be an old law school buddy of Kevin’s. Kevin has made a number of personal injury claims against Acme over the years on behalf of his cartoon clients, usually settling out of court for small sums.
That’s what he expects will happen with Wile E.’s case—until a clerical error results in filing a massive lawsuit against every Acme product. Acme unexpectedly (and suspiciously) offers a very generous settlement. But the coyote has other plans and rips it up, forcing the matter to trial.
The problem is that Kevin is not a trial lawyer and only has his intern niece Paige (Lana Condor) and partners Sal Maltese (Tone Bell) and Dottie Jones (Martha Kelly) to assist him. The Road Runner is the only eyewitness to Wile E.’s many Acme-related mishaps and unlikely to show up in court, given that it is well-nigh impossible to catch. Acme also has a deep, dark secret related to something called “Project Sisyphus” and the disappearance of an Acme product development scientist back in 1992.
And they will do anything to protect that secret.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
