Cocaine Bear Early Buzz: The Best Movie Of 2023 (So Far) Has Arrived
It is still early in 2023, but several movies have already left quite the impression on moviegoers, such as Blumhouse's killer doll flick "M3GAN" and M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller "Knock at the Cabin." But perhaps the craziest movie of the year is hitting theaters soon: "Cocaine Bear."
Directed by Elizabeth Banks ("Pitch Perfect 2"), the film is actually loosely based on a true story of a bear that, as the title implies, ingested a ton of cocaine. What could possibly go wrong? The movie has an absolutely stacked A-list cast led by the likes of Keri Russell and Ray Liota, in one of his final performances. As for the specifics of it, the synopsis for the film reads as follows:
Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow ... and blood.
Does that intense premise live up to the hype? If the early critical reactions are to be believed, it very much does — and then some.
The best movie of the year?
Critics recently started weighing in on "Cocaine Bear" on social media, offering up their first reactions to the movie. Overall, they have been wildly positive, more than perhaps anyone could have expected. /Film's own Rafael Motamayor saw the film and called it the best movie of the year so far:
"#CocaineBear is the best movie of the year so far. It's thrilling when it works as a slasher movie but with a bear, but it is also a hilariously absurd comedy like only Lord & Miller can do. The cast is incredible."
Meanwhile, Fangoria Editor in Chief Phil Nobile Jr. tweeted that there is much more going on in the film than viewers may realize.
"There is a whole weird world that #CocaineBear is set in that isn't even hinted at in the trailer. Entirely too much s*** going on beyond the bear, which in hindsight kinda makes perfect sense. A crazed tableau. I'm happy a character calls the bear 'Cocaine Bear' in the film."
Jack Kennedy of Big Time Movies also touted the theatrical experience that comes along with it saying, "It is my favorite movie of the year. The funniest I have seen in like, 2 years and such a blast. Very [Phil] Lord & [Chris] Miller. If the theater experience is anything like my screening, you will have an amazing time in the theaters with this."
Similarly, Seen on the Big Screen's Chris Aguilar said, "#CocaineBear is the best comedy of 2023 so far, full tilt gory zaniness counter programming we left behind in the 90's come back to life. Kinda wastes its cast but Margo Martindale MVP. The ambulance set piece is an all timer for horror hounds!"
Nonsensical, insane, and extremely entertaining
So far, it is difficult to find any outright negative conversation surrounding Banks' latest directorial effort. While there is some talk of a wasted cast and nonsensical happenings, it largely appears as though the movie delivers handily on expectations. MSB of Conversation on Cinema had this to add:
"COCAINE BEAR offers what one expects from it: an absolutely INSANE bear wreaking gory, bloody havoc while also doing the stupidest things imaginable. A totally nonsensical yet extremely entertaining time where nothing else matters besides the bear who did cocaine."
The official social media account for "Cocaine Bear" also put together a teaser gathering some reactions from social media, with people calling it the "greatest movie of all time" and one saying to "start the best picture campaign" now. It seems fair to say that this one delivers on what it is promising. Banks directed from a script by rom a screenplay by Jimmy Warden ("The Babysitter: Killer Queen"), with Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," "21 Jump Street") on board as producers alongside Max Handelman ("Pitch Perfect"), Brian Duffield ("Spontaneous"), and Aditya Sood ("The Martian"). Robin Mulcahy Fisichella, Alison Small, and Nikki Baida serve as executive producers.
i'm a bear of the people pic.twitter.com/6wAgDsG4sJ
— Cocaine Bear (@cocainebear) January 24, 2023
The film stars Keri Russell ("The Americans"), O'Shea Jackson, Jr. ("Straight Outta Compton"), Christian Convery-Jennings ("Sweet Tooth"), Alden Ehrenreich ("Solo: A Star Wars Story"), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family"), Brooklynn Prince ("The Florida Project"), Isiah Whitlock Jr. ("BlacKkKlansman"), Kristofer Hivju ("Game of Thrones"), Hannah Hoekstra ("Charlie's Angels"), Aaron Holliday ("Sharp Objects"), Margo Martindale ("The Americans"), and Ray Liotta ("The Many Saints of Newark").
"Cocaine Bear" hits theaters on February 24.