Wile E. Coyote has been through a lot, but he’s never been more egregiously treated than by the folks at Warner Bros., who nearly let his big-screen starring vehicle be thrown away and turned into a tax loss.

Unlike in his skirmishes with the Road Runner, however, Wile comes out a winner now that Coyote vs. Acme has been rescued by Ketchup Entertainment (which performed a similar invaluable rescue with The Day the Earth Blew Up) and is being given a proper theatrical release. It’s a pleasure to report that the film is a hilarious delight, one of the best live-action/animation films ever, and will be treasured by Looney Tunes fans (and who isn’t one?) who will be thrilled seeing their favorite cartoon characters return to the big screen.

The sophistication of the film’s imaginative premise is indicated by its origin, namely a satirical New Yorker article by humorist Ian Frazier. The idea — “based on a true story,” according to the opening credits — is that Wile has gotten thoroughly fed up with his constant physical abuse at the hands of the Acme Corporation, whose products repeatedly blow up in his face or worse. So when he spots a billboard asking “Been in a Cartoon Accident?” and advertising the services of Albuquerque law firm “Avery, Jones & Maltese” (if you don’t get the joke, you’re clearly not a Looney Tunes fanatic), he enlists the services of hapless lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), who specializes in settling out-of-court for token amounts for his cartoon clients.

Unfortunately for Kevin, Wile turns out to be an uncooperative client, even when Acme’s smarmy lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena), with whom Kevin has history, offers an eye-popping $50,000. Kevin is reluctantly forced to go to trial, facing such logistical obstacles as the difficulty of serving Road Runner a subpoena. He soon uncovers a corporate conspiracy involving Acme scientist Dr. Lorre (looking and sounding exactly like his Maltese Falcon actor namesake) and a plethora of Looney Tunes characters including whistleblower Bugs Bunny, P.R. rep Tasmanian Devil, Acme CEO Foghorn Leghorn, and Senate investigative head Elmer Fudd.

Filled with so many in-jokes and Looney Tunes references that even hardcore fans will be hard-pressed to keep up, Coyote vs. Acme proves consistently funny in its intermingling of human and classic cartoon characters. Cena leans into his over-the-top character with his trademark gusto, especially in the scene in which he threateningly interrogates a terrified Tweety Bird. Seemingly dozens of other Looney Tunes characters make brief appearances, most of them hilariously voiced by the company’s veteran performer Eric Bauza.

Forte, largely playing straight man to the silent but very expressive Wile, does great deadpan comic work, as do a variety of supporting players including Luis Guzman as a judge who uses a cartoon gavel when it’s appropriate. The screenplay by Samy Burch (Oscar-nominated for May December) features one clever gag after another, such as Road Runner, making a surprise appearance in the courtroom, delivering his testimony via beeps.

More surprisingly, the film directed by Dave Green (Earth to Echo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) proves emotionally resonant as well, with Wile and Kevin eventually forming a surprising emotional bond, albeit not a particularly verbal one. And for those of you who’ve spent many happy hours laughing at the Road Runner getting the better of his fanatical pursuer, you’ll be touched to discover that the two have a mutual respect and are even, gasp, friends. It’s the cartoon bromance we’ve been hungering for.    

Steven Spielberg will soon have a special night at the museum.

The icon has been chosen as the honoree for the Museum of Modern Art‘s Film Benefit presented by Chanel. The gala will take place at the New York institution on Nov. 12. As part of the honoree spotlight, MoMA will present a screening series toasting Spielberg in the Roy and Niuta Titus theaters. Eight Spielberg films are in MoMA’s collection: 1974’s The Sugarland Express, 1975’s Jaws, 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1985’s The Color Purple and 1987’s Empire of the Sun.

News of the honor comes on the heels of the EGOT winner’s most recent film, Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell. He comes to the shine after receiving a dozens of accolades like a Kennedy Center honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, a National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden, and three Oscars from a record nine nominations for best director and the most best picture nominations as a producer with 14.

“MoMA’s support of Steven Spielberg extends back over a half-century, beginning when we helped introduce him to audiences as part of New Directors/New Films in 1974,” said Rajendra Roy, MoMA’s Celeste Bartos chief curator of film. “Since then, he has repeatedly demonstrated that being an artist and an entertainer can be simultaneous aspirations, though few have mastered the combination as expertly as he has. His global influence is unparalleled, and his dedication to film preservation is inspiring and completely aligned with the Museum’s mission to save and celebrate film history.”

Chanel, a longtime champion of the cinematic arts, has been a sponsor of MoMA’s annual Film Benefit since 2011 and has served as the lead sponsor of film at MoMA since 2021. Spielberg will follow in the footsteps of previous honorees like last year’s, Sofia Coppola, and Samuel L. Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Penélope Cruz, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Martin Scorsese, Julianne Moore, Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Alfonso Cuarón, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Kathryn Bigelow, Tim Burton and Baz Luhrmann.

MoMA’s Department of Film cares for more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills. The fundraiser supports the continued maintenance and growth of the collection in addition to virtual programming and a schedule of film series, premieres, festivals and retrospectives.