Product Info

Studio

Universal Pictures

Director

Elizabeth Banks

Genre

Comedy, Thriller

Rated

R

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Feb 24, 2023

Film Length

1hr 35min

Purchase From

Amazon

Best Buy

Comedy thriller film Cocaine Bear is exactly what you think it is: a black bear overdosed on drugs going crazy. The film is loosely inspired by a true story about a bear that ingested 75 pounds of lost cocaine in the 1980s. Directed by Elizabeth Banks, there’s an unexpected turn of events, plenty of gore, and many comical moments. It’s a worthy film to watch if the thought of a full-length feature about a drug-addicted bear is amusing.

For Real?

Yes, there is some truth about a black bear being overdosed on cocaine in 1985. The real story is actually less violent than the movie interpretation. In fact, the bear died of the overdose after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation discovered a batch of drugs found in the mountains of Fannin County, Ga., just south of the Tennessee border.

The official report also said the drugs were dropped from a plane piloted by a convicted drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton. In the beginning of Cocaine Bear, there’s a scene of Andrew throwing loads of duffle bags filled with cocaine. Like the official police report, Andrew did die after jumping out of the plane. However, in the official report, Andrew was “carrying too heavy a load while parachuting,” whereas in the film, he knocks himself unconscious on the doorframe, causing him to fall to his death.

Hats off to the team behind this film to find a low-key story and turn it into a full-length movie. You would think you saw it all, but here comes Hollywood with a solid film about a drug addict bear.

The High Moments

The film takes place in northwest Georgia in the area where the cocaine was thrown out. It’s also set in the 1980s. That’s right. The decor, payphones, clothes, and hairstyles are back, baby! Before getting into the main human cast, the audience does get a glimpse of the terror of the cocaine bear when a couple hikers stumble across it. At first, the bear appears to be fine, but it soon starts having issues, like banging its head on the tree constantly. After spotting the hikers, well, you know where this is going. Fast forwarding, the film introduces a group of characters that will all become entangled with cocaine bear. The cast includes a couple middle schoolers, a single mom, a detective from Tennessee, a forest ranger, a couple of drug dealers, and a trio of teenagers, to name a few. A few more humans make an appearance, but some take their leave in the worst way.

The film, while based on the bear, spends most of its time with the characters and their backgrounds. For example, the two middle schoolers decide to skip school to paint at the waterfall in the nearby forest, and the single mother sets out to find them. Elsewhere, the two drug dealers look to find the missing duffle bags of cocaine but come across the troublesome teenagers and the out-of-state detective.

One of the best scenes is the incident at the ranger’s office. The local medics arrive as a result of a call about a concussion but find out there is more to it. They quickly get out and drive off in their ambulance while the bear chases it down. Seeing the bear bounce off the shoulder to pick up speed, and then launch into the air to get into the back of the vehicle, along with hysterical dialogue, makes for one of the best scenes in the film. Being one of the best, many of these scenes were used in the official trailer. There are a few other parts, too, between the detective and drug dealers, but it’s best to let viewers watch them firsthand. The special effects certainly make the bear look real and violent. And although there are some scenes where the gore goes beyond what’s realistic, that’s the gag.

The Weird Moments

The film’s plot isn’t the strongest, but that’s to be expected for a film about a bear that’s addicted to cocaine. Still, while there are some weird moments that are meant to be comical, others don’t quite add up.

For starters, the ranger, one of the very few people with a weapon, doesn’t know how to handle her handgun and causes more problems than one would expect. Others with weapons seem to hold off shooting the bear or just can’t aim at a running target. It’s a comical scenario, sure, but it feels like people have a hard time using a weapon. Overall, no one is ready for a violent black bear to pounce.

Continuing on, the cocaine bear is shown to chase down moving things in a violent manner, especially if they have the scent of cocaine on them. Earlier in the film, the middle schoolers come across a package of unopened cocaine. After getting exposed to the drug, they find themselves running away from the bear. One student flees further into the woods and the other climbs up a tree. While it’s good to see that the kids don’t meet their end, it’s a bit confusing as to why the bear doesn’t keep chasing the other and instead stays in the area. Were the kids just running too fast? Did they throw the cocaine they found at the bear in order to flee? Instead of answers, the film makes a quick transition to other characters in the story. It’s odd, but then again, remember the type of movie you’re watching.

Here for My Close-Up

Camera shots were done mostly in third-person view in various angles. During the ambulance chase scene, the camera focuses on the running bear from the back of the vehicle’s open doors. In the next cut, you’ll see the bear jumping towards the back of the ambulance from the outside, so the audience can see the depth and how far the bear is jumping for the next attack. There’s also a scene prior to the incident where one of the staff members opens a door to a dark room storage. In the low light of the room, you see from a first-person view of the staff member the cocaine bear as it slowly comes out of the dark, head first. It’s pretty creepy and makes for an interesting scene. Unfortunately, the movie only has short, quick cuts to the bear’s own point of view. It could have used more of them, such as showing it preying upon its next target or doing a line of cocaine, and had longer shots. That would make it more of a wild ride.

The Last Sniff

Cocaine Bear does exactly what it sets out to do. It gives the audience an over-the-top, comical thriller about a bear that’s overdosed on drugs. High art it is not, or maybe it is. Either way, if the premise intrigues you, go watch it.