Cocaine Bear

What you probably haven't seen is a 500-pound bear tearing through a formerly lovely section of federally protected woodland (because everything is larger in Hollywood). (The majority of this film, which is mostly set in Georgia, was filmed in rural Ireland.) This fictionalized version of "Pablo Escobear" (a locally coined nickname) is entirely and convincingly computer-generated, from her lethal claws to the end of her increasingly coke-dusted, blood-stained snout, in keeping with most of today's apex-predator-run-amok entertainments, including last year's solidly entertaining "Beast."

Jimmy Warden's script throws up a wide array of human subplots after tantalizing us with an early sight of Teddy Drugspin in tourist-pouncing, leg-severing action. Brooklynn Prince, who is portrayed by Keri Russell as a devoted single mother, chooses the worst day to go hiking with her best friend (Christian Convery). Three inept criminals on a quest to find the stolen cocaine are amicably grouped as O'Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, and Aaron Holliday. A grumpy park ranger played by Margo Martindale, a helpless animal rights activist played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a terrified hiker played by Kristofer Hivju, and a police investigator with an adorable puppy played by Isiah Whitlock Jr. Are also included in the cast.

Not to worry, the dog is still alive. Not all the others are as fortunate, and "Cocaine Bear," like most films that transform schadenfreude into humor, manages to both scramble and meet your expectations in a respectable manner. The film's best scene is a delirious Depeche Mode-scored action highlight involving a gurney, a speeding ambulance, and some truly jaw-dropping, wrist-snapping prosthetic wounds.

The characters' belief that black bears are (a) less dangerous than brown bears and (b) always sober adds to the suspense, as does the heart-pounding exertions of Mark Mothersbaugh's score. However, it also has to do with some amateur mammalogy done by Banks and Warden, who put forth some absurd and humorous theories on how Teddy Drugspin may react to rewards, threats, and other stimuli. Would she attack everyone who came into her path, or simply those who also happened to smell like cocaine? Will her most recent high leave her hungry or exhausted? Will the children survive her murderous rampage? When Prince's character leaves the movie in the middle of it, being pursued by a cocaine bear, have we seen the last of her?

Staff:

Directed by: Elizabeth Banks

Written by: Jimmy Warden

Produced by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Brian Duffield, and Aditya Sood

Starring: Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta

Cinematography: John Guleserian

Edited by: Joel Negron

Music by: Mark Mothersbaugh

Production companies: Lord Miller Productions, Brownstone Productions, and Jurassic Party Productions

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Release date: February 24, 2023

Running time: 95 minutes