Cocaine Bear

If you encounter a black bear in the wild, remember to stay still, and it should leave you alone. It hasn’t consumed countless bricks of high-grade cocaine, right?

It’s a ridiculous premise: a colossal haul of cocaine is inadvertently scattered all over a national park by an inept smuggler, is scoffed by a 500-pound bear and, as a result, fuels an unsightly killing spree. It must be said, though, it has worked rather well for Cocaine Bear. It’s essentially a slasher, but in lieu of the blade-wielding weirdo, there’s a massive bear that is high as a kite. Who’s going to meet a grizzly end next?

This bizarre, inane, but wonderful film from director Elizabeth Banks, claims to be based on the tale of an American black bear that quaffed a duffle bag of cocaine in 1985. It is utterly self-aware and takes itself zero percent seriously (Exhibit A: its entirely on-the-nose title), a welcome relief in today’s cinematic landscape where every release tries earnestly to pursue tugging at heartstrings or being hilarious or some other such goal. Beyond the novelty of the premise, Cocaine Bear is witty, has an appealing company of characters (they’re not deep but most of them get mauled by a bear before long anyway) and experiments intriguingly with audience sympathies. There’s a jolly, yellow “let’s go for a picnic” hue to the whole affair, which is comical given the sky-high character mortality rate. There’s also a real sense that everyone on-screen and in production had a great time working on this project.

It doesn’t make you think, it doesn’t put society in a new perspective, it somehow doesn’t even make you hate bears, it is just a straightforward, linear film about a bear that will go to any lengths to get more cocaine – precisely as pledged. Steer clear if you’re not one for gore, but Cocaine Bear is a superb way to spend a couple of hours in the company of those you love to laugh with.

Will Snell

Cocaine Bear is released nationwide on 24^th February 2023.

Watch the trailer for Cocaine Bear here: