Cocaine Bear has director Elizabeth Banks not holding back as far as gore, zaniness, and laugh-out-loud dark comedy. Check out the details in my parents guide movie review.
Cocaine Bear releases in theaters across the United States tomorrow, February 24, 2023. The film stars Keri Russell (Sari), Alden Ehrenreich (Eddie), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Daveed), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Bob). Brooklynn Prince (Dee Dee), Margo Martindale (Raner Liz), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Peter), and the late Ray Liotta (Syd), who passed while making this film. The story is based on a true story of a bear high on cocaine after drug smugglers dumped it in the Georgia forest. Check out the details in my parents guide movie review.
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Cocaine Bear Movie Quotes
Cocaine Bear Parents Guide
In Cocaine Bear: Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.
Cocaine Bear Age Rating Parents Guide
Let’s take a look at what parents need to know before letting their young children watch Cocaine Bear.
Language: Cocaine Bear contains strong language, with profanity used throughout. Stronger words include f*ck, sh*t, a**h*le, p*&&y, d*mn, g-d d*mn, hell, and phrases like “What the hell.”
Mature Content: Other than the language mentioned above, the other big lookouts include bloody violence and drug content that is not appropriate for younger children. Some of the violence includes characters being attacked, ripped apart, and eaten by a bear on a rampage. There are also scenes that include violence amongst characters, which include a knife fight in a bathroom, and a character shooting another in the head. The gory scenes are detailed and grotesque, as characters’ body parts are thrown around and eaten by the bear. There is a particularly disturbing scene that shows a character being disemboweled and baby cubs beginning to eat their intestines. Along with the violence, the drug use content is explicit, and along with scenes of a bear ingesting bags of cocaine, children are also shown eating cocaine, along with other characters. Characters are also shown smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol.
Cocaine Bear Age Rating of the Movie: Universal Pictures Cocaine Bear has an R rating for bloody violence, gore, drug abuse, and language. Parental guidance or an adult guardian is highly suggested for viewing the film before allowing a child under the age of 17 to attend.
Overall Thoughts
Cocaine Bear is the real life story of a black bear, whom some have dubbed Pablo Escobear, who got ahold of a duffel bag full of cocaine, after a drug dealer dumped the kilos of cocaine in a forest when the drug trafficker’s plane went down. What follows are completely outrageous events that seem too crazy to actually be true. However, a bear high on cocaine seems unbelievable as well, and yet, it happened. In 1985, somewhere over Tennessee, a drug smuggler by the name of Andrew Thornton really did dump 40 kilos of cocaine before jumping from the plane. He was later found dead when his parachute failed to open. Writer Jimmy Warden has taken this unimaginable story and spun it into a desperate tale of a drug dealer (Ray Liotta) attempting to recover the cocaine with the help of his unlucky accomplices. This film is Ray Liotta’s last, as the actor passed away while filming the story.
Cocaine Bear is directed by Elizabeth Banks, who is best known for directing Pitch Perfect and the 2019 reboot of Charlie’s Angels. Banks not only excels at recreating the 1980s horror vibe but also introduces a dark comedy to the story that keeps it as entertaining as it is grotesque. With a perfect mix of gore and comedy, this one may remind some viewers of Wet Hot American Summer with a killer bear on the loose.
Cocaine Bear includes an extremely talented cast that brings the laughs while also giving stronger performances that make this unbelievable story somewhat believable. O’Shea Jackson Jr., son of Ice Cube, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. give some of the best moments as the two banter back and forth, while one is there to solve a crime and the other is there to commit one. Park Ranger Liz, played by Margo Martindale, also contributes comedy that is so genuine and authentic that it appears too easy and has the audience laughing at a simple look or gesture. There is an entire storyline with Keri Russell, who is trying to find her daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince), who skipped school with a friend (Christian Convery), which is one of the more mundane storylines, but their subplot is saved by clever writing and the hysterical line deliveries of Convery, who plays Henry.
Cocaine Bear does not hold back in the gore department and includes many moments that will have more squeamish viewers covering their eyes and turning their heads in disgust. This is also a nod to the 80’s horror genre, as many may remember when every new film back then would try to outdo the last by upping the ante on how outlandish and creatively bloody they could get. Here, the kill scenes come often, and as the death toll begins to pile up, so do the outrageous ways they each die. There is never a dull moment in this movie, and it was probably the most fun I have had watching one since Violent Night, which is another absurdly fun and original movie that I feel really puts the finger on the pulse of why people enjoy going to the theater to begin with. It doesn’t have to make sense or even be remotely plausible as long as it entertains the audience and gets people talking, and Cocaine Bear is all of the above.
