Cocaine Bear - A Movie Review

Beware the bear in the mountains. It’s been acting strange.

Prowling into theaters in 2023, Cocaine Bear is about a bear who consumes stolen bags of cocaine. Lost on the mountain, different groups of people encounter the ferocious bear. Fighting against the beast, it’s a miracle that anyone escapes in one piece.

Cocaine Bear is one wild movie. It’s about a bear who gets high and attacks people. What more can you say? Arguably, it’s a creature film we haven’t seen in a while. I had a lot of fun seeing this film in theaters. One moment you’re laughing until cringing at the extreme bloody violence.

Cocaine Bear utilizes a concept that is not recognized enough in movies now. There’s more than one storyline. Following a set of stories is more entertaining than one, especially in a film like this. With differing storylines, the characters come together because of the bear.

Several notable actors appear in Cocaine Bear, most of who have acquired a wide range of comedy and drama. There’s a variety of characters. Aside from the bloody violence, vulgar humor, and CGI bear, Cocaine Bear’s main essence are the characters.

Sari (Keri Russell) is a powerhouse in her scenario. Disobeying their parent's orders, Dee Dee and Henry (Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery) get attacked by the bear. Let this be a lesson never to ditch school. Trekking through the forest, Henry heckles Sari with a storm of questions and unrelated stories.

I laughed (briefly choking on my water) at Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and the late Ray Liotta’s scenes. In search of the drugs, they’re so desperate that they need help from a teenager (Aaron Holliday). Their comedic timing was spot on, throwing insults around and memorable one-liners.

Margo Martindale was a riot. I want to see her in more films like this. More credits include Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ayoola Smart, and more.

Every role stands out, no matter how small it is. Kahyum Kim and Scott Seiss were memorable in their one scene. It’s too bad they’re not in the movie more. I was surprised that I have not seen Seiss in more films because he was a natural at comedy.

One issue I had was that the funniest characters were killed too soon - in graphic kills. Cocaine Bear’s main ingredient is graphic and bloody violence. I knew it would be violent, but some scenes were explicit that I had to look away. It did not hold back.

Injuries are graphic. The bear mauls people, tossing severed body limbs. One character is projected out of an ambulance only to skid on the ground for a good chunk of it. And yes, chunks is the right word. It’s not a pretty site.

The CGI bear was distracting at times, however, it holds up with the comical atmosphere of the movie. Cocaine Bear is outrageous! Not in a bad way. This film knows what it’s doing. The ending becomes corny, wearing out its premise. The third act wasn’t a strong climax compared to the rest of the film.

Elizabeth Banks focused on the characters and their stories, letting them be as silly as they liked as long as the film made sense. There were times when the film held back a bit, maybe due to having too many characters. The comedy is all over the place never establishing its tone.

You’d better know what the premise is before watching Cocaine Bear. I had a blast. Go see it in theaters and laugh with an audience.