1. Suburban neighborhood time-warp bubbled to prehistoric dinosaur age. The kind of premise so obviously genius that you can't believe it took this long for someone to develop it.
2. You really cannot go wrong with time-warp bubbles. Bonus points that the plot don't spend a lot of time trying to understand how or why happened, only that it did.
3. We also love that the movie takes full advantage of this crazy premise, especially as our hero family starts to figure out what's going on. This is a textbook example of the part of any movie that screenwriting guru Blake Snyder calls "fun and games."
4. We're still not 100% sold on Anne Hathaway. Is that terrible? She's solid no doubt, but she's also so often clearly "acting."
5. The movie is set in the 1980s and the production design is, of course, spot on. Like Netflix's "Stranger Things," it's also an homage to genre movies of that period as a family on the brink of separation and divorce come together to grapple with a supernatural adventure.
6. In fact there's a whole John Updike-style 1970s suburban malaise vibe (dad's a drinker, mom's writing a secret novel and dreaming of running away, nerdy sister is kind of an outcast, neighbor is a jerk) bubbling under the surface adds nice gravitas.
7. We know the characters had to get out of the house and into the neighborhood for there to be second act action, but there surely is a more plausible and understandable reason than the kids chasing after a dog that got out out of the yard and then parents chasing the kids.
8. Blink and you'll miss a throwaway moment showing why Anne's character is so good with a shotgun.
9. Yes, people do get eaten. Doesn't seem like a great way to go.
10. Weird that the neighbors don't join forces and share resources. Instead, it's very much every house for itself.
11. We're ashamed of ourselves for saying it, but we really disliked the little brother. What a mess.
12. The ending - and especially the tag - takes a pretty wild left turn via those time-warp bubbles. Very memorable, but also - the more you think about what Anne did to solve the problem - very dark. (Also, did she really have that much time to put her plan into motion?)
9.02.2026
Knee-jerk rewiew: "Coyote vs. Acme"
1. Most definitely clever.
2. Is it great? More like very good.
3. The Ninth Grade Fry definitely liked it, but we're not sure if she appreciated it as much as we did. It's definitely a love letter to Looney Tunes cartoons. The movie is layered with all kinds of obscure gags and references that reward nerds like us.
4. Let's put it this way: if you get the joke of setting the movie in Albuquerque, then you're our people.
5. The visuals are fantastic, definitely the best blending of live-action and animation since Who Framed Roger Rabbit? No expense has been spared.
6. Will Forte is doing his thing, and his character does fit his hangdog vibe. But we kept wondering what a more energetic and charismatic actor might have done.
7. Indeed, the big problem is the cast. They're just so forgettable and vanilla. Even Jon Cena is kind of lame. Maybe with the money they spent on the visual effects they decided to go cheap on the cast?
8. We're glad they didn't try to give the Coyote a voice. There are some cartoons where he talks.
9. Senator Elmer Fudd. How could they not?
10. Does anyone under the age of 60 even know who Peter Lorre is?
11. Every morning before elementary school (i.e., for years and years), the Cheese Fry would spend a good 20-30 minutes with a bowl of cereal watching Three Stooges shorts and Looney Tunes cartoons. Plus a solid sprinkling of Tom and Jerry. We've seen them all. Many times. Many.
12. Even as a kid, we never liked Tweety or Granny. Holds true today.
13. Same with Pepe Le Pew who's 100% not funny. How many different ways can a female black cat accidentally get a white stripe?
14. Bonus points for going with the more insane version of Daffy Duck.
15. Definitely some big themes here about corporate greed and immorality, which dovetails nicely with Warner Bros.' cold-hearted attempt to try kill this movie as a tax write-off.
16. Wile E. Coyote is kind of a jerk, isn't he?
17. If you're unfamiliar, check out Chuck Jones' rules for Roadrunner cartoons.
18. The emotional ending is a total surprise, but also totally plausible.
19. Meep meep.
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