Out this week in cinemas is a film that asks what happens when you mix cocaine with a bear? The simple answer is Cocaine Bear. Starring Kerri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich and Ray Liotta., Cocaine Bear follows a group of people in a park as they contend with a coke filed killer bear.
Cocaine Bear is a fascinating film. Its brilliance exists because of its simplicity. The film is about these fun characters trying to survive a bear that has become an even deadlier killing machine. Everyone is excellent in the film as every group within it has a fun rapport. Russell is searching for her missing child and teams up with several characters throughout the film, her almost constant companion is Henry, who is a friend of her daughter. Her back and forth with him is charming, and he brings a manic energy to the film.
Ehrenreich and Jackson Jr. have a decent relationship as two drug dealers trying to find the cocaine that is fueling the titular bear. They team up with a young hooligan named Stache and their adventure in the film is also quite funny. All these plots, including the ones I haven’t mentioned, work so well as vignettes because at a certain point this insane bear pops and causes absolute chaos.
The success of this film relied on the impact the bear had on the characters and in my opinion, they succeeded for the most part. I had two issues with the film, I wish they’d gone with an even more intense version of this story. Also, I believe that the number of subplots detracts from the main plot. Apart from these personal issues, I adored Cocaine Bear. Whenever the bear shows up, insanity and utter mayhem ensue and it never gets old. A personal favourite of mine is when an ambulance arrives to try and help the injured and they also come across the bear and her wrath.
Elizabeth Banks directs this film so well. She sets up the status quo, giving the characters interesting backstories as well as ensuring each of them has a distinct and quirky personality. The only character I found somewhat vanilla was Russell, she’s, unfortunately, the straight man to several jokers, so this is likely the reason why I didn’t connect with her.
Cocaine Bear is a lot of fun. Going out with friends and having some food and some alcohol will make this a great night out.
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