Cocaine Bear - Meme The Movie

 

Streaming on Peacock 

Rent on Google Play and YouTube 

Purchase on Apple TV

    In 1985, a would-be drug smuggler airdropped multiple duffle bags of cocaine over a Georgia National Forest before falling to his death, most likely due to a parachute malfunction. Upon further investigation, a Black Bear was found to have consumed over twenty million dollars worth of the substance, having likely overdosed and suffered cerebral hemorrhaging and heart failure. None of the cocaine has ever been recovered, and no other victims have been identified. In fact, the only other noteworthy thing to come out of this event is this meme:

    Then, at some point, newcomer screenwriter Jimmy Warden wondered, "what if the bear didn't die from the cocaine?" That thought experiment formed a screenplay, which then found its way into Universal Studios. It was then green-lit and made into the unbelievably silly and entertaining romp known as Cocaine Bear. A man vs. nature horror/comedy that isn't ashamed of its bombastic nature. While some may take offense to the graphic violence and crude humor, it is a movie that is entirely aware of what it is and chooses to have a blast. It's an excellent demonstration that just because you don't have to do a good job doesn't mean you shouldn't. 

    The film is a series of interconnected vignettes brought together by the shared interactions with a drugged-up apex predator. While the B-stories are standard fair, they are still well told and decently integrated into the film. The movie doesn't have a main story so much as it has a singular plot element that brings all the human fodder together for the central attraction. That, of course, being the well-integrated CGI Bear, the not-so-silent star of the show.

    A fair warning for the potentially squeamish is in order. With a concept as out-there as a Bear high on cocaine, it's unreasonable not to expect graphic violence, and the film does not shy away from the effects a rampaging animal can have on the human body. At the very least, it stays within its welcome and is utilized with just enough taste to maintain its intended impact. 

     Aside from a few questionable editing choices and one or two off-beat character moments, Cocaine Bear is a silly and entertaining cheese-fest that, while not for everyone, will provide some unexpected laughs, decent scares, and a reminder of one of the most essential guidelines to filmmaking. There is no such thing as a bad idea for a movie, only bad executions of ideas. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.