The stage curtains open ...
"Bears are very peaceful creatures."
"Cocaine Bear" (2023) directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Keri Russell and Ray Liotta (in one of his final film roles), is one of those twisted, bloody affairs that falls under the "it's SO wrong that it's great!" category. This film is VERY loosely based on the true life events surrounding a black bear that overdosed on cocaine it had ingested after it was dumped into a Tennessee forest from a plane flying overhead in 1985. In real life, the bear was found dead in Kentucky with a belly full of cocaine and nothing is known about what transpired from the time it ate the cocaine and the time it died. THIS movie, however, leaves nothing to the imagination.
The story starts with a drug runner inside of an airplane flying over a wilderness, throwing out all of the packaged cocaine onboard before he knocks himself out and falls out, plummeting to his death. The next day, we are introduced to the 'cocaine bear' who attacks a couple of hikers who cannot understand its bizarre behavior. As the story moves along, more characters are introduced who, in one crazy way or another, cross paths with the wasted bear who is on the hunt for blood and more of that white powdery stuff. When the brains behind the drug smuggling ring, Syd (Liotta), shows up, he is not going to let anything stop him from recovering his drugs. Not even the cocaine bear.
If ever there was a movie that deserves BEARing (excuse the innuendo) the label 'guilty pleasure', this is it. The filmmakers took what could have happened and totally ran with it. Of course, none of it would've happened, but who cares? The whole situation and all of the predicaments made me laugh and smile unapologetically. It was wrong, but in all the right ways. I also loved the music used in the film's soundtrack, which was very reminiscent of its time - the mid-80's, when music was so good. The acting was not the focus here. In a movie like this, who cares if the actors can actually act? This was all about having fun.
I would recommend this movie at a solid 7 stars out of 10. This is one I would watch again, and probably enjoy even more with repeated viewings. Right now, it is still fresh and new, but a year or two down the road from now, I can see it being a horror/comedy favorite. It was bittersweet seeing Ray Liotta in this film with his recent passing, but he looked like he was having fun with it. And I had fun watching him in it. "Cocaine Bear" may not be destined to be a classic, but it is a wild 90 minute ride worth taking.
"Bears are very peaceful creatures."
"Cocaine Bear" (2023) directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Keri Russell and Ray Liotta (in one of his final film roles), is one of those twisted, bloody affairs that falls under the "it's SO wrong that it's great!" category. This film is VERY loosely based on the true life events surrounding a black bear that overdosed on cocaine it had ingested after it was dumped into a Tennessee forest from a plane flying overhead in 1985. In real life, the bear was found dead in Kentucky with a belly full of cocaine and nothing is known about what transpired from the time it ate the cocaine and the time it died. THIS movie, however, leaves nothing to the imagination.
The story starts with a drug runner inside of an airplane flying over a wilderness, throwing out all of the packaged cocaine onboard before he knocks himself out and falls out, plummeting to his death. The next day, we are introduced to the 'cocaine bear' who attacks a couple of hikers who cannot understand its bizarre behavior. As the story moves along, more characters are introduced who, in one crazy way or another, cross paths with the wasted bear who is on the hunt for blood and more of that white powdery stuff. When the brains behind the drug smuggling ring, Syd (Liotta), shows up, he is not going to let anything stop him from recovering his drugs. Not even the cocaine bear.
If ever there was a movie that deserves BEARing (excuse the innuendo) the label 'guilty pleasure', this is it. The filmmakers took what could have happened and totally ran with it. Of course, none of it would've happened, but who cares? The whole situation and all of the predicaments made me laugh and smile unapologetically. It was wrong, but in all the right ways. I also loved the music used in the film's soundtrack, which was very reminiscent of its time - the mid-80's, when music was so good. The acting was not the focus here. In a movie like this, who cares if the actors can actually act? This was all about having fun.
I would recommend this movie at a solid 7 stars out of 10. This is one I would watch again, and probably enjoy even more with repeated viewings. Right now, it is still fresh and new, but a year or two down the road from now, I can see it being a horror/comedy favorite. It was bittersweet seeing Ray Liotta in this film with his recent passing, but he looked like he was having fun with it. And I had fun watching him in it. "Cocaine Bear" may not be destined to be a classic, but it is a wild 90 minute ride worth taking.