Rating:  -
Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes were classic cartoons back in Hollywood's Golden Age of the '30s and '40s. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd blended humor with current events and even opera. "Looney Tunes-Back in Action" is an awful mess of cartoons with live action. Brendan Fraser heroically puts up with it, Steve Martin hams, and Jenna Elfman brings in her ditzy Dharma persona from "Dharma and Greg."
"Looney Tunes-Back in Action" is a comedy without humor. Granted, there's slapstick and visual tricks, but it lacks the humor that gave Looney Tunes their magic in the '40s. The plot (such as it is) is needlessly convoluted. Every single Warner Brothers cartoon character is dragged in. Brendan Fraser&Jenna Elfman wander aimlessly,going from a compound with space aliens to the desert. There are loveable cheesy movies-this isn't one of them. It's an unfunny trainwreck.
Rating:  -
They're back and they're Looney. But where Space Jam surprised everyone with just how fresh and silly Bugs and company still were, "Back In Action" just doesn't get inspiredly silly. My expectations were pretty high for this, and ultimately, unfulfilled.
That isn't to say there aren't some great moments here. Bugs, Daffy and Elmer's chase through the Louvre is brilliant, probably the best set piece in "Back In Action." The others come less from the plot (as much as there is one) than from the insider type jokes. Having Speedy Gonzales complain that he can't get work in these politically correct times is the most pointed and poignant moment here. The exchange between Matthew Lillard (live) and Shaggy with Scooby (animated) is a snort, too.
In fact, the live stars are second only to Porky Pig in Ham Factor. Brendon Fraser mugs for the camera as DJ Drake, a hapless stuntman whose best gig was doing stunts "in those Mummy movies." When it turns out his father, an action movie hero, turns out to be an actual spy, DJ and Daffy have to hit the road to rescue mankind and stop ACME from taking over the world. Both Timothy Dalton (channeling his 007 character to the smarmiest degree) and Steve Martin (doing an absurd Dr Strangelove) are so far over the top that they should have parachutes. Wrestler Bill Goldberg shows up as a baddy. Heather Locklear shows up as a Spy/Vegas Showgirl. (Which leads to another great set piece - the Dancing Yosemite Sams.) Joan Cusak scene steals as "Mother" in Area 52; not the Area 51 nonsense. Michael Jordan flashes back from "Space Jam" and Peter Graves makes a mission statement.
But the jokes are often in the background (like the board names of ACME VP's for Bad Ideas, Stating the Obvious, Nitpicking, Unfairly Promoted, Rhetorical Questions, Never Learning, Child Labor, Climbing to the Top) and the homages to past silliness. It adds up to plenty of fun moments without much of a movie to hang them on. Lest you think I hated "Back In Action," I really didn't. Joe Dante did a super job of catching the spirit of the old Looney Tunes, but did so without the essence. I enjoyed watching the DVD...but unlike "Space Jam," it didn't make me want to run back and watch the old cartoons again. It will please the kiddies for repeats, but probably not the adults.
PS: The new Roadrunner cartoon as a bonus alone is worth getting this DVD.
Rating:  -
All the toons can think of, the toons are in Vegas, plus Tim Daulton, Brendan Fraser,Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin.
Rating: -
Review:
Any Looney Tunes Fan that has yet to see: "Looney Tunes Back In Action The Movie" has indeed missed out on the latest genius of ... Mel Blanc and the award winning characters that are so famous for their well-crafted stupidity. It was the first movie I've ever seen where live acting was mixed with drawn-in characters. The funniest movie I've ever seen, came out years ago and I just haven't' had the chance to write a review for it. My mistake... Just 2 hours of pure Looney Tunes humor is engraved on back of you DVD with care. Watch it today, but first write down the # of your nearest therapist, for when you can't stop laughing!
What Makes A Movie Good: (1-10)
Violence=.5
Humor=10+
Romance=1
Action=3
Rating: -
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 (Jenna Elfman), fires him instead. Daffy attaches himself to security officer/stunt man DJ Drake (Brendan Fraser). 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).
Meanwhile, the executives aren't happy about Kate firing Daffy. She has the weekend to track down the duck. 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. The human actors do a great job of reacting to their cartoon counterparts, and the animation, while two dimensional, fits incredibly well in the real world.
This movie 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.
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