Cocaine Bear is a 2023 black comedy thriller film directed and co-produced by Elizabeth Banks, from a screenplay by Jimmy Warden. 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.

The film stars Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Rhys, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince, Margo Martindale, and the legendary Ray Liotta in his final performance.

Cocaine Bear made its debut in theaters on February 24th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

THE GOOD

Let’s be honest, when they initially announced Cocaine Bear I was sure it had to be some sort of a spoof. But when the first trailer released it was clear that this was in fact a legit movie, as crazy as it seemed. Add in the fact that it is based on a true story and I was counting the days waiting for the release. Luckily the stars aligned and this movie was given a wide release, and you know damn well my ass was firmly planted in that comfy theater seat on opening day. I held off on reading too much about the true story just to keep the mystery of the story in tact for the sake of my enjoyment. So, was Cocaine Bear the wild and hilarious ride the trailer made it out to be or just another example of a project that bites off more than it can chew? Keep reading to find out!

I’ll cut to the chase, Cocaine Bear was everything I needed it to be. The 80’s feel and the tone of the film was made abundantly clear within the first 5-minutes, and I knew right away I was going to enjoy this movie. Not only does it refuse to take itself too seriously and remain entertaining throughout, but we are also spoiled with a great cast that delivers above average acting. In many ways Cocaine Bear reminds me of the 2010 horror comedy Piranha 3D in terms of how the kills are equally hilarious and gruesome, and often more of the latter.

Not a spoiler but one particular scene during the final act of the film involving an ambulance had me laughing my ass off. The film isn’t shy with the gore, but it never feels like too much which speaks to the balance it has. The movie is hilarious and had me laughing out loud a ton, and I liked all of the characters who all seemed to serve a purpose. Even though Cocaine Bear is just loosely based on true events, just the fact that a bear ingested a ton of cocaine back in the mid 80’s is enough of a reason for viewers to buy into this bonkers story and see this movie. Kudos to writer Jimmy Warden for putting together a great screenplay that fully utilized the talented cast.

Cocaine Bear probably could’ve gotten away with a cast of mostly unknowns, but instead they brought in some legit acting talent. The film does a great job spreading the wealth in terms of screen-time making it so the movie really is a collection of characters without any real leads necessarily. To be honest I thought everyone was great and made sure this movie hit as hard as possible. Veteran actress Keri Russell is great as usual. Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is basically unrecognizable and was hilarious in his role, and it was nice seeing Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. on the big-screen again as he has been MIA for a bit since the underrated 2018 action thriller Den of Thieves (our review here).

I’m having a hard time choosing but I think Margo Martindale honestly may have been my favorite character in her role as the horned up Ranger Liz who had the hots for Ferguson’s character. Martindale is a ridiculously talented and versatile actress, although some of her best roles were in television including the FX series Justified and the HBO drama The Leftovers. It is certainly bittersweet seeing my guy Ray Liotta in his final farewell as he has since departed this cruel world just last year at the young age of 67, but man can you think of a guy who played a dirty cop better? Seriously, I loved him in every role he played, and one of my favorites in the last decade or so would probably be The Place Beyond the Pines alongside Bradley Cooper. He was also in the recently released Apple TV drama series Black Bird (preview and trailer here), which is absolutely worth a watch. He will be missed. So yeah, as far as the cast everyone delivered the goods.

Aside from having a superbly talented cast who clearly had a blast making this movie, the bread and butter of Cocaine Bear is the VFX and use of CGI. More specifically the creativity by which several unfortunate souls meet their demise during the film. Let’s just say quite a few body parts end up in the lost and found. From the opening scene it is clear that this is going to be a blood-soaked roller coaster packed to the brim with R-rated humor, gore, and drugs for days, and it was glorious. A giant bear that ingested an insane amount of cocaine does exactly what you would expect it to do, a bunch of absolutely ridiculous and bizarre shit.

I personally thought the bear looked fantastic, and come to find out Peter Jackson’s company Weta FX, which was also used in Avatar: The Way of Water (our review here), was the reason why. Needless to say the majority of the films budget was a check cut to Jackson’s company, but it was well worth every penny. I was curious about how they planned to go about making sure the centerpiece of the film kept viewers engaged for the hour and 30 minute runtime, and this bear looked great and was so much fun to watch. Forget what you learned about bear survival because Cocaine Bear is a rare breed. Just try and imagine Usain Bolt and Lawrence Taylor had a baby, and that baby went on a cocaine-fueled rampage.

Now I have to talk about actress-turned-director Elizabeth Banks and the job she did here. The Massachusetts native made her big-screen debut in the directors chair back in 2015 with Pitch Perfect 2, and followed that up with the Charlie’s Angels spinoff film in 2019 which sadly was a disaster. Banks invested a ton in that film and shouldered the majority of the blame for its downfall but she kept her head high waiting for her next opportunity. Cocaine Bear is clearly quite different from her first two films, and in an interview with Variety Banks talks about how much of a risk it was for her to take on this project after Charlie’s Angels.

She bought in to the insanity of the premise, and was determined to ensure this genre film gave audiences what they were hoping to see. I personally thought she did a fantastic job here, crafting a film that could easily have felt like a jumbled mess, but instead each and every scene felt intentional and necessary and I also loved the creative camera work. My hope is that Cocaine Bear dominates the box office, not only for her sake, but also so we continue to get more movies like this. So yeah, head to the theater and support this movie!

THE BAD

Alright listen, the movie is called Cocaine Bear and is based on true events, exaggerated no doubt, but still. Can we really sit here and pick it apart? I mean sure, the CGI can be a little much at times and 90% of what happens in the movie is far-fetched and physically impossible even on a ton of quality cocaine, but so what?! With a movie like this you simply need to embrace the ridiculous premise, turn your brain off, grab a few pitchers of your favorite adult beverage, and enjoy. Movies like Cocaine Bear should honestly have their own rating scale for the simple fact that being ridiculous and campy is a good thing.

The more I think about it the more I am reminded that my list of good and bad is far outweighed by the good. The movie is hilarious, the kills are super creative and just the right amount of gory, and the cast is fantastic. The story plays out exactly how I would imagine someone high as a kite on cocaine would tell the true story of Cocaine Bear, who has since been been stuffed, given the nickname Pablo Escobear, and now resides in a Kentucky mall. I mean, the movie basically wrote itself. With that being said, if you’re looking for an elaborate story or any semblance of substance, you should probably look elsewhere.

THE VERDICT

A delightfully gory and hilariously satisfying over-the-top horror comedy with the intoxicating 80’s vibe I just can’t get enough of, Cocaine Bear is an unapologetic drug-infused adventure that lives up to its name. I had a lot of fun with this movie, and I’m sure it will get even better with repeat viewings. Elizabeth Banks was due for a resurgence after the Charlie’s Angels Box Office blunder, and she deserves all the credit in the world for going all in on such a crazy concept. To say the 80’s were wild would be an understatement, I’m just glad Hollywood is finally willing to share some of these legendary stories with the rest of the world. Dig into those couch cushions and show Cocaine Bear your support because we need more movies like this. Last but certainly not least, RIP Ray Liotta. An absolute legend in the film industry.