Cocaine Bear: A Trippy Adventure

By: Bryane Escobar

A review about the ridiculous film, Cocaine Bear.

Cocaine Bear was released on February 24th, 2023, and it was a surprising success for such a ridiculous concept. Although not reaching critical acclaim, supporters and fans of the film have pushed it to be globally recognized. It has earned over 60 million at the Box Office, doubling its budget.

Heading into the film, it’s evident that fans simply came for a good time.

“I didn’t have high expectations. I expected it to be some comedy flick, you know, no need for a deep philosophical meaning, just something to laugh at,” Samyog Pathak, 23’ said.

Yet, fans were shocked to find an overwhelming amount of horror, violence, and gore.

“Going into it, you just expect it to be campy horror with a few jokes here and there, with bits of horror. But once you’re watching it there are a lot of scenes that get you. I didn’t expect myself to jump out of my seat,” Nathaniel Marquez, 23’, said.

Although maintaining its roots in horror, the film stays fairly light-hearted within the means of that genre. “It knows it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The premise is a bear that does cocaine. It’s like, ‘This is goofy, we’re going to run with it,’” Marquez said.

Performances in the film had a higher range of perception. Most of the acting praise went to the older actors over both child actors and our feline friend.

“I liked O’Shea Jackson Jr’s acting. I didn’t like the acting of the bear, it felt bland. The bear’s CGI felt kind of mid,” said Benjamin Flores, 23’.

It was an understandable complaint, seeing as the bear is at the forefront of most of the action and comedy within the film. If and when the bear’s CGI is bad, it takes you out of the illusion of the utterly ridiculous film.

Coming from my own experience viewing the film, there were many interconnecting storylines, making the film an interesting first watch. However, it does crack under the pressure of further critical thinking. In summarizing this film, I think Sam says it best: “There are good aspects about the film, but the writing isn’t great. It’s a great film to just relax and watch with friends.”