Cinephile № 1,017 “Cocaine Bear”

Recommendation: 2/5 Stars, SKIP

Plot: “An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge on a Georgia forest where a huge black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.” -IMDB

Review: Scrolling through the modern-day dumpster fire that is Twitter, I landed on a trailer for a movie called Cocaine Bear. It took nothing more than a ridiculously named title to pique my curiosity. I clicked and let the hype wash over me. When the trailer ended, I needed more. I played it again. With months to go before the bear hit the big screen, I found myself giddy with anticipation. For a few years now, adult comedies have been absent from the cineplex. Cocaine Bear seemed like a movie with a simple plot, but a concept wild enough to be stretched into some imaginative and hilarious places. My expectations were through the roof.

15 minutes into the film, a Maya Angelou quote flashed before me and held my attention for the rest of the movie. “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” Of all the quotes in the world, why this one? Because this film is largely what they advertised in the trailer, but it could have been much more. All the pieces were there for it to be a truly great comedic film, if only it could have delivered.