Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild thriller finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.
What We Thought:
When I say the words Cocaine Bear do you think “oh hell’s yeah”? Well then Cocaine Bear is for you. If your response is “absolutely not”, well then go ahead and skip it. I had a lot of fun with it because my sense of humor has been the same since my teen years.
In real life a bear ate a bunch of cocaine in the 1980s. The filmmakers took that idea and decided to make a horror comedy out of it. If there were people around, what would a bear high on cocaine do to them is pretty much the concept. The film has more to it than I expected though. There are kids and gangsters, a park ranger trying to get herself a little something something, cops and others. Yes, Cocaine Bear tries to have a plot. It’s not really needed, but kudos for the attempt.
Now I called it a horror comedy because it’s definitely a comedy more than horror flick. It has blood and violence, but there are way more laughs than gore. I’m fine with that because I did enjoy the film, but to quote a friend, it definitely needed more bear. It’s called Cocaine Bear, it should be about the bear and not subplots with humans. The humans should be meat for the bear, not the focus. The violence is pretty great, I just wish there was more with the bear all coked up and causing total carnage.
I dug Cocaine Bear. It’s a movie I would watch again and own on home video. It has a great 80s soundtrack and the violence (when it’s there) is solid. The kids steal the show and have some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Margo Martindale is always great and Alden Ehrenreich makes a nice comeback after playing Han Solo. And it may be a movie about a bear doing cocaine, but it was nice seeing Ray Liotta one last time. I was worried the trailer gave away too much, but it really didn’t so that’s a plus as well. If you are thinking it’ll be too dumb like Sharknado, it’s not. Just go have yourself a good time, we all could use some laughs.
Recommended If You Like:
- Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
- Violent Night
- The idea of a bear doing cocaine!
Cast: Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Kahyun Kim, Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince, Scott Seiss
Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
Screenplay by: Jimmy Warden
Producers: Phil Lord & Chris Miller, Aditya Sood, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Brian Duffield
Executive Producer: Robin Fisichella
Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | #CocaineBear
The Nerds Templar 