Director: Elizabeth Banks

Writer: Jimmy Warden

Starring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklyn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta

Rating: ★★★

Comedy horror Cocaine Bear is based very loosely on a true story from 1985 where a bear that ate a ton of cocaine that had been dumped from a plane and died. This film is a ‘what-if’ story about if the bear hadn’t died but instead went on a rampage killing people who just happened to be nearby while hunting for more cocaine.

Basically there’s a bunch of characters in the forest while the bear is getting high and killing almost everyone it encounters. Drug lord Syd (Ray Liotta) sends Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and his son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) to find the drugs that were dropped from the plane. At the same time, Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) and Henry (Christian Convery) skip school to head out into the forest. There’s also a detective, Dee Dee’s mother, a gang of thugs, a ranger. You get the picture. There’s a lot of characters so the bear can kill as many people as possible. Some of the characters, such as Eddie and Daveed, are really great, while other characters are forgettable even when you’re halfway through it.

Considering the film is about a bear high on cocaine, it does seem quite tame compared to what you’d expect. It’s never quite lives up to the craziness of the premise. There’s a fair bit of gruesome moments, but nothing too extreme. It keeps things a light as possible, with a lot of cartoonish violence. There are a few moments where it’s really great, and very funny, but there’s also a lot of bits with uninteresting characters and it really drags. The bear is always fun when it’s on screen though, which is the main thing.  

Cocaine Bear isn’t as crazy as it could have been or live up to the trailer, but it’s still fun while it’s on. Watchable and entertaining, but definitely works better as a trailer than a full film.

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