I Made a Left Turn at Albuquerque, and Found Joy in Chicago
I was beyond thrilled to see “Coyote vs. Acme.” Finally, something new in the theaters that I actually understand!
Anyone who knows me at all knows I’m a Looney Tunes fanatic. Have been since I was a child. Saturday mornings were sacrosanct, they were all I waited for the entire week. No school AND two solid hours with the funniest characters ever created? Yes, please!
Perhaps because mentally I’m still 14, my love for those classic toons has never waned. Sure, as a small kiddo it was all about the physical humor, the pratfalls and explosions. But as I grew older, I learned to appreciate the characters – well defined, nuanced, with distinct personalities that actually evolved over time, just as humans do.
And it was a lot more than just slapstick. Keep in mind, during what most people consider the “golden age” of Looney Tunes (roughly 1940-60), these shorts were shown, frequently with a newsreel, as attractions before the main feature. (Can you imagine not being bombarded by insipid commercials and obnoxious trailers??) So the humor had to appeal to adults, probably more so than the kids. They had to be intelligent and clever as well as entertaining.
True, many of these cartoons have NOT aged well. Misogyny, cruelty, homophobia, and outright racism was rampant then (as opposed to now??), and they’re not very hard to find here. Especially during wartime. Yikes.
But I can keep all that in mind and still appreciate them.
So, as high as my expectations were, “Coyote Vs. Acme,” exceeded them. And then some. LOL funny, probably the best animation/live action interaction I’ve seen since “Roger Rabbit,” and the characters, for the most part, stayed true to their histories.
And, for Looney Tunes freaks like me, it was stuffed (maybe overstuffed) with one-off character appearances and other easter eggs. It will definitely require multiple viewings, as I’m sure I missed some.
Best movie experience I’ve had in years. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time, I was actually giddy. My wife was very patient as I excitedly “mansplained” anything in the Looney Tunes universe that may have appeared in the film.
For the first time in who knows how long, I was brought back to the joy I felt as a kid on those Saturday mornings.
Seriously, even non-Looney Tunes nerds will have a ball. If you’re looking for something fun, go see this.
A couple of nights later, I was watching the Nebraska vs. Missouri women’s volleyball game, a special match played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 40,000.
It was a big deal, a showcase for how far women’s sports have come in this country in a fairly short time.
[An aside — Nebraska also played a game a few years ago at their home stadium, in front of an announced crowd of 92,003. A world record for any women’s sporting event.]
This match, however, was riddled with delays. The Chicago humidity wreaked havoc with the playing surface. Players kept slipping due to condensation, causing constant time-outs as attendants frantically wiped down the surface keep it playable.
During the continual down-time, the players jumped and stretched, doing their best to stay loose.
As the Wrigley house DJ kept the tunes going, the athletes turned it into a spontaneous dance party, inviting the crowd to sing along to each song. It eventually morphed into an impromptu dance-off between the clubs. Someone on one team would bust some moves, then someone across the court would try to top it. All broadcast on the jumbo screen to the delight of the fans.
As the delays dragged on, they even joined the crew to help dry the surface, taking turns on towel duty, smiling and laughing all the while. They even went so far as to help tear the logos off the court (sacrilege for a TV broadcast) to try to improve traction.
Unfortunately, nothing worked. For the safety of the athletes, the match was ultimately canceled. Though everyone was disappointed, the Nebraska players took the mic and expressed their genuine gratitude to the fans for showing up (it was a noticeably partisan Cornhusker crowd).
And as an encore, they joined the Missouri players for an on-the-spot a-cappella rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone,” everyone jumping and singing in unison. Smiles, laughs, and hugs all around.
Seeing the athletes turn what ultimately ended in disappointment into a spontaneous celebration and expression of gratitude, I again found myself back in that place of joy.
For a good part of my adult life, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever find that place again. Then I found it twice in one weekend. Taking that left turn at Albuquerque was exactly the right call, as it led me to a humid night at a ballpark that didn’t go as planned, but was triumphant anyway.
And to a reminder that, no matter how many times you fall off the cliff or lose your footing, you can either stay on the ground, or get up and try again. Dancing is optional.
