‘Cocaine Bear’ review

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Witnessing a bear do copious amounts of cocaine is probably not what you intended to be in store for 2023. Who would want to see that? But what comes with ginormous production risks, are ginormous rewards.

Based loosely on a true story, “Cocaine Bear” is a horror comedy set in the Chattahoochee, Georgia, National Forest. In 1985, Andrew Thornton botched a drug dealing operation. Traveling via plane with more than 800 lbs of cocaine, the popular theory is that Thornton believed detectives were onto his operation. This caused Thornton to throw hundreds of pounds of product out of the plane, while also taking millions worth strapped onto him when jumping out. Things obviously did not go according to his plan.

After Thornton was found deceased in a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee, because of a parachuting accident, the terrors that soon follow in this film were up to the writer’s imagination. Director Elizabeth Banks and writer Jimmy Warden took the film in a direction that gave the bear its own point of view, a revenge story.

The tone of the film was set perfectly at the start. Each scene was shot beautifully, and the suspense and anticipation build up you feel was one of the best parts of the film. The pacing was done nicely in the beginning and the plot stayed intriguing continuously, but it fell short at the end.

The film started off strong and was graphically disturbing through the first half, but it died down dramatically and never picked back up again. Aside from the bear, the film introduced a second antagonist, Syd (Ray Liotta), when it was almost too late. What led to the anti- climactic ending was extremely disappointing based on how it was set up from the start. It felt like there was something missing. entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

If you are sensitive to gore and violence, this is probably not the film for you. Although there are certainly more gruesome films out there, there were still scenes that were uncomfortable to watch and would only appeal to a specific audience. Nevertheless, “Cocaine Bear” was hysterical and definitely worth the watch. The chemistry between each character was admirable, each actor was able to make you feel all different kinds of emotions and nothing felt too forced.

Margo Martindale (Ranger Liz) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Peter) portrayed quirky park rangers and huge lovers of animals. Their comedic timing has always been on point, and continues to do so. Isaiah Whitlock Jr., O’Shea Jackson Jr., Keri Russell and Christian Convery all portrayed hilarious, lovable characters that inevitably made the story even better.

The film is dedicated in the loving memory of Liotta, who died peacefully in his sleep at 67 after filming finished.

Many love him and his legacy will continue to be cherished for generations. Everything about this movie has simply been iconic, and it is a wonderful tribute to Liotta’s insanely talented career.

The thought of a bear dying under these circumstances is upsetting, and although it is unsure what truly happened after ingesting many pounds of cocaine, feeling sympathy for the bear is not something anyone is shy of. This was an extremely fun film to watch and deserves recognition. Today, the real Cocaine Bear is on display at the Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky.