Loosely based on a true story of a bear who ingested millions of dollars of cocaine in a Georgia forest, Cocaine Bear manages to clash gore, comedy, and the realism of a CGI bear for a wacky adventure reliant on cast performances and a chaotic plot.
★★★✰✰
Cocaine Bear is in a genre all of its own. Following the results of a bear’s accidental consumption of huge amounts of cocaine, Cocaine Bear trails an ensemble of characters: the owners of the cocaine (and those tasked with retrieving it), families, a solo park ranger, and the police all converge on a Georgia park—some for less morally upstanding reasons than others.
Inspired by an American black bear who ingested around 34 kilograms of cocaine in 1985, the film commences with a somewhat truthful version of events. The ’80s setting is established by grainy archival footage, and a thick moustache upon the short-lived drug-runner Thornton (Matthew Rhys). The era and national park setting (although filmed in County Wicklow, Ireland) lend Cocaine Bear‘s chaos some sense of realism—after all, if there were no mobile phones to call for help, and no cameras to capture the events, then there are any number of possibilities as to what could have happened.
For fans of horror comedies like The Final Girls and Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse, Cocaine Bear manages to fulfil both sides of the hybrid genre. Although the relatively simple premise and the on-the-nose title suggest a lot of potential, the basic script leaves Cocaine Bear relegated to the outpost of horror comedies. Yet, there was always a sense of anticipation of the bear’s next movements, the cocaine’s whereabouts, and where the characters will intersect, and the cast performances only heightened the eagerness to keep on watching.
The titular character is depicted as a cross between a hound dog that’s caught a scent and the Jekyll and Hyde-type bear that dominates Disney’s Brave, and manages to surprise the audience time and time again. Despite the wacky, comic aim of the film, the combined realism and, as director Elizabeth Banks commented, “sense of personality in thee bear” (like he’s “on a bender”), makes the film visually appealing, chaotic, and entertaining. Banks’ aim to capitalise on both the foreign and the familiar, “stretching the truth” of the cocaine bear story yet rooting its actions in real animalistic behaviour, works well. Allan Harry, the performer behind the bear’s movement, truly brings the animal to life.
Taking the helm of comedies like Pitch Perfect 2 and the action-comedy reboot of Charlie’s Angels, Banks is known for her comedic take and ensemble casts. Her style is characterised by dry and overtly physical comedy, and Cocaine Bear is no exception. But regardless of Bank’s comedic timing and expert directing, the script lacks the intensity to make Cocaine Bear as shocking and diverting as both the trailer and the title suggest. The bear itself and certain characters’ more developed storylines are appealing, but the film falters in its overall execution.
The sheer number of characters makes for consistently diverting scenes on screen, yet this also means that investment in any character’s story is low. However, the overall narrative arc keeps Cocaine Bear running at a steady pace.
The intersecting stories are engaging, with the ensemble cast catching the audience’s attention and maintaining a narrative thread throughout the film. Larger parts like Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale), Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich), Dentwood (Ray Liotta), and Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) prove just as entertaining as more minor characters, like Scott Seiss’ EMT, who sweep in and out of the narrative quickly. A stellar performance from Christian Convery (known for Sweet Tooth) makes for laugh-out-loud moments. Managing to embody Russell from UP, his ventures with cocaine provide the funniest sequences and are perhaps the most consistent source of humour throughout.
The Verdict
Hardly laugh-out-loud funny, Cocaine Bear manages to be appealing thanks to its wacky, gore-ridden, escapism venture. Yet, the admirable performances and CGI elements cannot redeem the poor screenplay and minimal creativity taken with the plot and dialogue—perhaps the straight-forward title should have been a warning sign. Regardless, the film capitalises on what Banks does best: making fun, action sequences with plenty of cast members to make it work. Cocaine Bear proves that out-of-this-world ventures don’t have to be saved for the fantasy and sci-fi genres.
Words by Annabel Smith
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