Movie Review: Cocaine Bear

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

While there is no mistaking this for a great movie, or even that good of a movie, there is no doubt that this is exactly the film, that those who see it want to watch. 

Before this movie was announced, I don't think anyone was excepting Elizeth Banks' next feature film to be this (it is not quite Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) or Charlie's Angels (2019)). This is inspired by a true story about a bear getting ahold of a lot of cocaine and ingesting it (country music legend Waylon Jennings may at one time owned the bear). That is where the similarities between the real story and this movie end. In real life, the bear died from an overdose (I can't believe I just typed that sentence) and in this film she goes on a very violent killing spree. 

The best thing about this movie is definitely its sense of humor. I actually laughed quite a bit watching this movie. It knows how it has a premise that no one can really take seriously. Because of this, the movie doesn't take itself seriously either. Because of this the film is just as much of a comedy as a suspense or horror movie. The humor is just as crazy as the premise and is often times of a very dark variety. While this type of humor may not appeal to everybody, it is quite funny. Just as much humor comes from the interactions between the human characters as it does with watching a bear snorting cocaine. Because of this there is even quite a bit of fun to be had in the scenes that don't feature the bear and the comedy only gets better when the bear is on screen. 

There are a lot of characters in this film and we follow too many for a movie with this short of a runtime (95 minutes). Because of this the characters can come off as hit or miss. The kids and the mom are quite likable. While there is not much depth to any of them, there is just enough for us to want all three to make it out safely. The main human villain is also (while one note) very easy to hate to the point, where he is quite a bit of fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the human characters are all bland and not as entertaining or likable as the should be. 

The suspense scenes with the bear fall a little flat for me. While they are extremely violent and there is a bit of fun to the over-the-top gore, these scenes rely only on gore and some jump scares (that don't work at all). Because of this there is never that feeling of suspense or dread about when the bear is going to show up or who he might kill next. There are a few scenes where you can tell the filmmakers are trying to create a bit of this type of suspense but it doesn't quite work. This could have made the movie much more fun. The film also has a lot of awkward dialogue that simply doesn't work. 

I don't think of this as a great movie, or even that good of a movie, but I still had a fun time watching it and I am sure many of you will too.