Review by Alex Moore
Man versus animal…or woman, as well. Since, perhaps, the beginning of time, this clash has existed. Even though the experts repeatedly tell us, “These creatures what nothing to do with us,” sooner or later, the two sides mingle and if you have ever watched a movie where this takes place, it does not usually go over too well.
So, why have bears been a constant on the big screen? What, exactly, is the appeal? If I thought I knew, I would say it right here and now. I also wonder…was King Kong the character that started it all? Have we, simply put, just been obsessed with gargantuan animals due to their mythical allure? Well, I must say, I DID think of “King Kong” on a couple of different occasions while viewing: “Cocaine Bear.” Directing for the third time in the past eight years is Elizabeth Banks, but this project is unique, by comparison. For starters, it is not a sequel or a remake. Secondly, it is inspired by true events. About that…
Creative liberties, as per usual, were taken while making this film. In some instances, the alterations are pretty minor, but where the greatest change lies is in the main premise, itself. Yes, a bear from southeast Kentucky ingested large amounts of cocaine in 1985, but the results were, apparently, far less dramatic and I think the people of northwest Georgia are thankful for that. In there, should it really matter how much of this story is true? I think not!
We open with an unknown man in a cargo plane, dumping drugs before he jumps out, himself, but fails to land safely. This leaves the product unaccounted for. Then, we move to an overhead view of a strange, hiking couple, played by Kristofer Hivju and Hannah Hoekstra as Olaf and Elsa. As they discuss their future family plans, they, too, examine a wild bear from afar. Soon the bear approaches and appears to be deranged, but by then, it is virtually too late for the pair to react in an effective fashion. Common details are established pretty early: the bear prefers to bite off limbs, possesses heightened strength and is extra aggressive…oh, before I forget, again, the titular character is NOT the primary villain of this movie AND only the villains suffer the proper fate by the end of the story. For those of you out there who struggle to watch animals deal with humanistic plights and pitfalls, so to speak, the majority of the scenes involving any bears look to be CGI-generated. We shall see how good these effects still look within a handful of years, will we not?
As the story proceeds, we are introduced to the bulk of the main characters: Keri Russell (“Antlers”) as Sari; a nurse and a single mother, Brooklynn Prince (“Settlers”) as Dee Dee; Sari’s daughter, and Christian Convery (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid”) as Henry; Dee Dee’s friend. Consider this as one set of protagonists compared to the bear. Elsewhere: O’Shea Jackson Jr (“Just Mercy”) as Howard; a drug dealer, Alden Ehrenreich (“Solo: A Star Wars Story”) as Eddie; Howard’s friend and cohort, and Matthew Rhys (“Seal Team”) as Andrew C Thornton II; a member of a local gang. Consider this as another set of protagonists compared to the bear, but with different motives and circumstances. Additionally, there is: Margo Martindale (“Lazy Susan”) as Ranger Liz; a park ranger and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Ice Age: Collision Course”) as Peter; Ranger Liz’s romantic interest. These two team up with Sari to locate her daughter and friend while the bear is on the loose. The others, aforementioned, arrive later and go it on their own. They team up due to an overlap of interests in the missing cocaine.
Although the characters have their moments to draw us in with charming accounts and demeanors, it is the reactions to the wildlife that take us through most of the story. Think of it as an odd mix of “King Kong” and “Cujo.” It is pretty simple. The bear attacks the characters and they either escape or die, somehow. There really is not much more to it than that. What I found interesting, though, is that the attacks get zanier as the story goes along and with that it gets more violent. The more violent the film becomes, the more shocking it is for the audience and, therefore, more hilarious. In this case, it does not matter what I give away about the plot cause that is not what counts here. If I can sum it up, those whom you expect to die do and those whom you expect to not die do not, for the most part.
Sooner or later, the two most authoritative characters come looking for the drugs, too: Isiah Whitlock Jr as Bob and Ray Liotta as Syd. Bob is a kind, well-to-do officer, operating out of his jurisdiction and Syd is the boss when it comes to obtaining the drug product, in the end. He is the real villain in this outfit when it is all said and done. I should add, you never know what you will be last remembered for as an actor and I think Liotta, wherever he is now, probably finds it humorous that this would wind up being his last role.
“Cocaine Bear” is a movie that takes a lot of risks because it can and lands more often than it misses as an outrageous comedy. However, I am finding it difficult to say much else about it. There are minor plot details that do not even get wrapped up until a few moments are shown on screen during the end credits. I was entertained every bit as much as I was when I watched “Megan” just a few weeks ago, but despite what some of my fellow audience members had to say, I just cannot give “Cocaine Bear” any further credit cause that is about as far as it can go. Think of this as a mild recommendation; a film you can watch and enjoy at least once, but might not be in the mood to rewatch again until some time has passed and you are really bored. Just be prepared for extreme, comic book style gore and relax and enjoy it for what it is.
Review by Marcus Blake
A wild bear eating cocaine doesn’t seem like a true story, but then again stranger things have happened. While the real story is funny, turning it into a horror comedy film is even better. Cocaine Bear is not going to win any Awards, but it will entertain you. The ridiculousness of the story will keep you laughing all the way to the end and that’s the brilliance of this movie. A movie doesn’t have to be great to entertain you. But some of the best movies we watch over and over are not really that good in the grand scheme of filmmaking, but as long as the film entertains you then it’s worth watching. I can’t critique this film the same way I do serious dramas, but I will say that I very much enjoyed it and even though it’s probably just 6 or 7 the way we grade movies at That Nerd Show, it doesn’t matter because it was still worth seeing in the theater.
The real story is about a cocaine drop that went bad and some of the kilos got lost in a state park where a black bear, being curious, ate cocaine and went on a violent rampage. Yes, the film takes some liberties and gives moviegoers some glorious deaths, but it doesn’t have to be entirely factual for it to be a good movie. The movie opens up with a drug dealer dropping duffel bags of cocaine out of plain while high as a kite and then accidentally gets tossed from the plane, unconscious to where he can’t open up his parachute.
And that’s where all the cocaine gets lost. Now the adventure begins because it’s a race against time with the drug dealers trying to recover 14 million dollars worth of cocaine, a couple of kids who decided to skip school and get lost in the State Park, thieving teenagers who are up to no good, and a park ranger who does more harm with her gun than actually saving anybody. This film has some of the best deaths on the big screen, in some ways you actually root for the bear. Plus, this was one of Ray Liotta’s funniest performances. Sadly, it’s his last performance as he passed away last year, but he went out with a bang with this hilarious movie. Directed by Elizabeth Banks, she gives us a great B-style horror film that keeps us laughing with fantastic deaths.
Yes, it’s not Shakespeare, it’s not some inspiring drama or an allegory about the drug trade. It’s just a funny movie about a bunch of people trying to escape a bear high on cocaine against the backdrop of the 1980s War on Drugs. We don’t need to know the backstories of all the characters. There’s no great lesson to learn from this movie. It simply entertains and that’s all it needs to do. There are a lot of great horror comedies that keep us entertained from Shaun of the Dead to Cooties to the Evil Dead movies. I see Cocaine Bear becoming a cult classic. Maybe the movie really isn’t that good, but it’s funny as hell and I guarantee you’ll watch it again.
