Activist Film Critics Can’t Resist Using Upcoming Looney Tunes Movie Into an Excuse to Bash Trump

Ah, our nation’s film critics- how would we be able to operate without their cultural guidance?! Not to suggest there is no purpose to their vocation, but the high-minded nature of many of those who call themselves “cineastes” frequently sees them straining to be considered arbiters of a higher purpose. Given that they ply their trade in Hollywood, a particular uniform slant to their social commentary is evident.

With regularity, we see members of this group branching out into social commentary, and while this is frequently valid, with art often commenting on socio-political issues, the one-sided approach to issues by these critics can be amusing.

When the hit film Sound of Freedom came out a few summers ago, many critics labeled it as “a Q-Anon fantasy”, and similar caustic labels. It was clear the subject matter and the faith-based studio behind the release, were the focus of their scorn. They became trapped because it was clear how they had been ignoring the fact that the film was based on real-world events and centered on a genuine individual.

Now next weekend sees a new title arriving in theaters, and the film critics once again cannot help themselves from injecting their political views. The animated hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme is set to be released, and the curious history of this comedic romp dispels many of the attempts to explain how this is a commentary on our current political climate.

For those unfamiliar, the plot of this feature sees the titular canine from the old Warner Brothers’ Coyote & Roadrunner animated shorts taking a corporation to court. In this universe, animated characters intermingle with humans, and the Coyote is suing the Acme Corporation for the string of flawed products that usually – and literally – blow up in his face.

While a contemporary placement of many of the classic characters, the film is choked with references to the past, throwbacks to prior experiences, and Easter eggs in place for longtime fans. But in viewing the film in prerelease screenings, many critics are seeing elements that appear to be satirizing our current political landscape. Many are making lurches on par with the Coyote himself.

While President Trump is not always name-checked, the implications in the reviews are rather evident. At Screen Crush, Matt Singer explains, “It’s a call for ordinary people to shake off their learned helplessness and do something about the sorry state of the world.” At The Guardian, we are told the film is “aimed at America’s litigious culture, corporate arrogance and monopoly capitalism.”

Then there is Justin Chang, writing at The New Yorker, one reviewer who should have known better than any the folly of this comparison (More on this in a bit.) Chang references a third act set in the U.S. Senate and cannot help but draw parallels.

The movie’s final showdown takes place at a U.S. Senate hearing, presided over by none other than Elmer Fudd. I couldn’t help but think of the congressional proceedings that have already happened, and of the federal trial that looms, as Paramount Skydance—the bloated, Trump-aligned Acme of the media landscape—seeks to devour what remains of Warner.  

What needs to be pointed out at this point is how much of this contemporary referencing is pointless. It is all dismissed due to the realities regarding timing. The history of this release is somewhat infamous, as it was never set to be released. The original production studio, Warner Bros. Discovery, had a completed Coyote vs. Acme and decided instead to bury it. Instead of releasing the film, it was shelved, and the studio took a tax write-off on the losses.

If there is an overt social commentary, it would be in reference to our individual consumerism. In one scene, the lawyer for Wile E. Coyote (played by Will Forte, channeling a bit of Better Call Saul griminess) initially tries to dissuade his client. He explains that rather than pursuing this lone bird, he could take the settlement offer from the company and obtain as many birds as he wants. It is explained in testimony that he is a “high usage user”, as much a critique of consumers as it is an indictment of capitalism with this Acme-by-way-of-Amazon display.

Warner’s attempt to entomb this movie was a move that generated a public outcry and lobbying by many in the production, and after years of negative publicity, the studio buckled. Last spring the studio sold the distribution rights to Ketchup Entertainment. Ultimately that is a happy ending, but it also upsets these desires to say the film is some type of political commentary.

This title was parked three years ago, after filming took place in 2022, which precludes the second coming of President Trump. It is difficult to note real-time commentary in the narrative when they are blowing the dust off film canisters in a cloud replicating those seen on impact with the Coyote in the desert. Even the political elements in the film, both those overt and implied, are of a broad, generalized nature.

Elmer Fudd, by example, is positioned as a populist Republican Senator, but this is expected from a Hollywood studio production, regardless of who is in office. The likelihood of seeing a Democrat satirized in this fashion is always minuscule.

The Trump-free history of this production should be known to these cinematic experts, none more so than Justin Chang. That is because the source material for this script was a comedic feature written by humorist Ian Frazier, all the way back in 1990 – in The New Yorker!

In his review, Matt Singer describes Coyote vs. Acme as “Truly a movie of its moment.” That is a tough assessment to make of a movie over four years old, from a full administration away. Any relevance is purely coincidental and largely applies to the actions of the studio upon completion.

For any film critics to say the movie makes any kind of comment about today’s political environment is a stretch. It is more desperate than the blueprints Wile E. draws up in his quest for an avian dinner meal.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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