Movie Review: Looney Tunes - Back in Action

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Just about everything

Cons: None worth mentioning

The Bottom Line:

Surprisingly fun

For all fans of Looney Tunes

Even casual

Get Ready for a Looney Good Time

Looney Tunes - Back in Action is set in a world where humans and cartoon characters exist side by side. Instead of treating the Looney Tunes characters as characters like Space Jam did, this movie presents them as the actors who have played themselves over the years.

Daffy Duck has had it with constantly playing second fiddle and fall guy to Bugs Bunny. He demands to be featured in the next Looney Tunes movie, but new President of Warner Brothers Comedy, Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman), fires him instead. Daffy refuses to leave, and in the process gets security officer/stunt man DJ Drake (Brendan Fraser) fired as well. Much to DJ's dismay, Daffy follows him home. They arrive back at Drake's house, which he shares with his father Damien, only to find that the elder Drake (Timothy Dalton) has been kidnapped. Seems he was searching for the Blue Diamond, trying to keep it out of the hands of the evil ACME Corporation and their chairman (Steve Martin). Now, DJ has to find the diamond and rescue his father, with Daffy tagging along every step of the way.

Meanwhile, the executives aren't happy about Kate firing Daffy. She has the weekend to track down the duck or loose her job. So she teams up with Bugs Bunny and sets out to bring him back. Can they do it? Will DJ save his father? And just how many cameos can they fit in this movie?

This movie is absolutely hilarious. I'm not a Looney Tunes fanatic but have enjoyed them when I have seen them. Still, I found myself laughing the entire way through. While I caught many of the references, I'm sure there are lots more that die hard fans would love. Every Looney Tunes characters shows up at some point, adding to the fun. In addition to the Looney Tune references, there are great jabs at political correctness and movies today vs. older times. Adults will love the jabs Brendan Fraser takes at himself and the jokes about Area 51.

All the humor doesn't slow the plot down one bit. It moves along quickly with chase scenes and lots of action. The action is typical Looney Tunes slapstick, with silly chase scenes and explosions. The plot is fairly wacky. But it, like the movie, aren't to be taken too seriously. And, while the ultimate resolution to the plot is obvious, there are some fun twists along the way to

The movie takes itself seriously enough, but not too seriously. Steve Martin's Chairman is over the top, and his scenes are out there. Still, they work and create some great laughs. Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman take their roles more seriously, but still get in on the fun. The human actors do a great job of reacting to their cartoon counterparts, which makes the movie that much more believable. The animation is traditional two dimensional, which is a little surprising. Still, it fits beautifully and believably into the movie.

Looney Tunes - Back in Action is perfect for the young and young at heart who love to laugh at stuff that's completely off the wall. It entertains the entire way through, keeping the laughs flowing.