COCAINE BEAR

Bear on blow horror comedy ain’t no joke.

After the obligatory ’based on true events’ pops up, a title card at the top reminds us that black bears are not territorial and are unlikely to attack humans. Moments later we figure out that this isn’t just any black bear we’re dealing with, this is Cocaine Bear and it will maim, dismember, filet—anything to get its snout into more of that sweet sweet yayo.

Despite its bonkers premise, Elizabeth Banks deftly directs a stellar cast in a surprisingly plausible and human story that is relentless in its brutality. Calling to mind an Appalachian Into the Woods, the events bring a mismatched group of characters together in the forest to unwittingly battle a giant. In this case the giant is a black bear made blindingly violent by a literal fortune in booger sugar dropped into said woods by a gangland drug deal gone hilariously wrong.

I’ve been a big fan of Banks’s on screen work in the past and her signature brand of caustic optimism keeps the laughs grounded. The world of Cocaine Bear is inhabited primarily by lovable assholes of the Always Sunny in Philadelphia variety, terrible lugs whose disembowelment or decapitation make you a little sad even while seeming mostly deserved. While there are certainly laughs, the bear attacks are filled with suspense and viscerally graphic and it’s a fight and flight combo that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire movie.

It’s always a joy to see Felicity herself, Miss Keri Russell, her Southern accent in this film bringing to mind her heartbreaking turn as Jenna in Waitress. She’s underused here but as likable as always. Ray Liotta is suitably icky as a drug kingpin in his final film role, may he rest in peace. Character actress Margo Martindale is one of those Hollywood regulars that elicits a soft “oh I love her” every time you realize she’s in a film you’re watching. She really gets to spread her wings here as an unlucky in love park ranger. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is hilarious and nearly unrecognizable as her unrequited animal loving paramour.

You can tell by the title whether or not this film is for you. I loved its outlandish premise and tongue in cheek chuckles. But it’s a blood and guts spectacle that’s definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart.