The true story behind this comedy is anything but funny.
In 1985, a drug smuggler, was found dead in Tennessee. Authorities think Thornton was on board a plane with 880 pounds of cocaine, some of which he dumped and some of which he strapped to himself before he jumped.
Later, a bear died from an overdose of some of the cocaine in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia.
But this comedy fictionalizes the concept into dark humor. “Cocaine Bear” made more than $23 million its opening weekend. Some Quad-City screenings sold out. And it appears there’s no stopping this bruin as word of mouth brings more people into theaters.
This is one of the last appearances of the late Ray Liotta in a movie. He plays a drug lord named Syd White who sends one of his associates (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to find what’s left of his missing cocaine.
Along for the ride is Syd’s son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) who is grieving the death of his wife.
About this time, a bear in a national forest stumbles upon the cocaine that was dropped from a plane. The obviously-CGI animal develops a taste for the drug, and mauls anyone who gets in its way.
Among the ensemble is Keri Russell, who stars as a mom in search of her daughter (Brooklynn Prince, from the marvelous “The Florida Project.”)
Now consider this: Universal is known for its monster movies, particularly from many decades ago. This is, in a sense, an update of the monster movie genre, with the bear on a rampage and many hapless folks losing life – and limb – to the marauding creature.
The film is completely bonkers, along the lines of “Hot Tub Time Machine,” with its outright lunacy.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Well, you guessed it. From another studio, “Attack of the Meth Gator” is on its way.
3 stars
Rated: R for foul language, drug abuse (you already knew that) and gore.
Running time: One hour and 35 minutes.
At Cinemark, Davenport; Regal, Moline; and Palms 10, Muscatine.
Watch the trailer here.
