When Cocaine Bear came out back in February this year, audiences weren’t quite sure what they were in for. The ‘based on a true story’ tagline only assured them so much, and the premise of Cocaine Bear provided both confusion and elation in equal measure.
Hopes were set that it would be one of the best comedy movies of 2023, and…well, it was fine. While it didn’t go above and beyond to give us anything we hadn’t seen before (which is weird, since it’s a movie about a bear getting high on cocaine), it ticked all the relevant boxes. Our own Charlotte Colombo noted that “sometimes, movies can just be a little bit of fun: and Cocaine Bear is just that,” in her Cocaine Bear review.
And what’s more, our white-nosed friend has set off a chain reaction of new movies within the animal-led absurdist horror realm. We now have upcoming movies about Raccoons, Gators, and Crabs on drugs. And it doesn’t end there — we’ve discovered five bizarre true stories that could inspire Cocaine Bear 2.
But luckily for you, you can now revisit the semi-horror movie yourself, since it’s just become available on Amazon Prime Video for US subscribers. Joining the slew of everything new on Amazon Prime this month, Cocaine Bear will be a chance to sit down and get back to nature.
Cocaine Bear, directed by Elizabeth Banks, follows the aforementioned true story in which cocaine was dropped into a Tennessee forest by drug smugglers. A bear managed to get hold of it, and probably had a pretty good time before it was eventually found dead shortly after. It’s body was stuffed and displayed in Kentucky, and this strange story would go on to inspire the 2023 movie.
It also marks one of Ray Liotta‘s last roles he completed before he passed away in 2022. For a while, Cocaine Bear seemed to ignite a small public obsession. The titular bear ended up presenting an award at the Oscars, and officiated a wedding day. Prior to Barbie, you’d have struggled to name a more iconic 2023 movie star.
Cocaine Bear is a modern take on the classic obscure animal horror movies of days gone by, and if you like the shoddy special effects and camp style of movies like Lake Placid and Anaconda, then you’ll probably get a kick out of Cocaine Bear.
As it stands, the movie is sitting at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 54 on Metacritic. Whether it’s worth your time or not is up to your personal taste in animal movies, but if you’re looking to reflect on what is perhaps one of the strangest movies of 2023, it doesn’t get much weirder than Cocaine Bear.
For more laughs, check out our guides to the best comedy series. Or, alternatively, get to know The Bear season 3 release date and Paddington 3 release date. (Neither of these bears are likely to kill you.) You can also get to know The Bear cast and characters, and find out why Ray Liotta never saw one of his best movies.
Elsewhere, take a look at our list of the best movies of all time, and discover how Cocaine Bear had one scene that was too violent. And if that’s not enough, take a look at our list of the best monster movies for more scary beasts that’ll have you running.