‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Review: Wile E. Coyote Stars in a Courtroom Comedy That Blends Cartoons and Live Action. But the Fizz of Anarchy Is Missing

Initially shelved by its studio, it's a nostalgic lark that deserves to be seen. But next to the cartoons it pays homage to, it feels presentable and tame.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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Hardly a day goes by without someone saying, in reference to an edgy piece of pop culture, “They could never make that today.” It almost seems as if some people like saying that too much — as if they secretly approve of the fact. But in certain cases, there’s simply no denying the truth of it. If someone at Nickelodeon today, or the Disney Channel or the Cartoon Network, tried to program a series of animated shorts as violent and anarchic and demented and sadomasochistic as the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons created and (mostly) directed by Chuck Jones, starting in 1949, that person might be called up on charges.

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