If anything is certain it’s that the creators of Cocaine Bear definitely hit the nail on the head when naming this movie.
Cocaine Bear- surprise, surprise- is about a bear who does cocaine and goes on a rampage and the majority of the film’s scenes contain that exact content.
There was no deceptive advertising at all. In the first ten minutes, before even the title screen, we see a bear on cocaine maul someone to death. This happens sporadically, perhaps every fifteen minutes or so, until the film’s culmination, in which the same bear, on more cocaine, mauls someone to death.
It’s exactly what you want and expect from a movie titled Cocaine Bear.
How was it?
What the promotion didn’t allude to is that Cocaine Bear is actually truly funny. The gags weren’t just ‘ha-ha drug’ jokes, but hilariously witty gags. They didn’t solely rely on the concept of a bear being high on cocaine being enough to make people laugh. They invested time into developing this (loosely) true story into a brilliant comedy.
Not to mention how heartfelt the movie was. There were some mildly emotional moments that genuinely rendered a couple of ‘awwws’ from the audience. Although, those sounds quickly morphed into the uncomfortable hiss of sucking teeth as our favourite coke-addicted bear had another ‘snack’ on screen.
Speaking of which, the gore wasn’t overly intense either. It toed the fine line between bland and traumatising, allowing for some squealing at graphic wounds without causing mass queasiness. Cocaine Bear succesfully provided bountiful belly laughs rather than bokes by letting the gore aid the humour rather than distract from it.
The team behind Cocaine Bear seemingly invested their hearts and souls into this movie. It’s a well-produced, high-end piece of comedy that could’ve been made tacky and unimpressive. However, Cocaine Bear was shaped and developed with surprising tenderness, a clear passion project.
The only difficulty when watching was the sheer number of characters. Whilst you did get to learn who they were and how they were connected, it was a little while into the film before you wrapped your head around their importance and purpose in the story.
Upon saying that, the cast was flawlessly picked. Recognising one performance would prompt the urge to recognise them all. The entire cast was stellar and hilarious; it was their delivery that made the gags funny rather than just ridiculous. They committed to the bit, making their fear of the bear as understandable as it was comical.
In conclusion…
Cocaine Bear is a future cult classic. It’s not only a good laugh but is an honestly well thought-out and brilliantly executed story.
Director Elizabeth Banks has honestly struck a gold mine with this venture, and we all anticipate the next addition to the CCU (Cocaine Cinematic Universe).
Feature Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Journalism and English Studies student with an interest in film & tv, music, and politics.
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Twitter: @AlexPaterson01
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