(C) Universal Studios, Lord Miller Productions and Brownstone Productions

Cocaine Bear – Film Review

Cast: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta, Matthew Rhys

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Synopsis: After a drug deal goes awry, a stash of cocaine is ingested by a black bear…

Review: There can be any number of factors when it comes to what could be used as a selling point for a particular film. Perhaps, it is the director, or it could be the lead actors, a particular genre, or the attachment of a particular studio. Yet, every once in a while, there comes a film where the appeal does not have anything to do with the talent in front of, or behind the camera. Instead, its unique selling point is based on a premise so absurd and ridiculously insane, and yet somehow is also in part a true story, it simply has to be seen to be believed. This is precisely the case for the latest film by Elizabeth Banks.

The year is 1985 and while attempting to carry out a drug deal, drug smuggler Andrew C. Thorton (Rhys) drops a stash of cocaine from a plane, which lands in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. It isn’t long before a considerable amount of the narcotics are promptly consumed by a large black bear, giving it a craving for the drug which threatens to be lethal for anyone who gets in its way. Local drug lord Syd White (Liotta) sends his fixer Daveed (Jackson Jr) and son Eddie (Ehrenreich) to retrieve the drugs before they can be found by law enforcement, who have sent Bob (Whitlock Jr) to retrieve the drugs and apprehend White. Also in the mix are Liz, a local park ranger (Martindale), Sari (Russell), her daughter Dee Dee (Prince) and her friend Henry (Convery) who skip school to head into the woods, which could be a recipe for disaster, particularly when there is a cocaine-fuelled bear is on the loose.

**This animal can bearly believe these emotions she’s experiencing at this moment…**

The truth of the event is upon ingesting the large stash of cocaine, the bear died at some point afterwards, which would not have nearly enough meat on its bones for a feature-length film. Hence, the script by Jimmy Warden uses the central premise of a bear fuelled by narcotics as a centrefold for this group of people who have to negotiate just a little bit more than a big surprise for their journey into the woods. The screenplay attempts to give these characters some backstory to make the audience care about them. In reality, while it does provide this for some characters, it is thin at best for others. The film is self-aware enough to know what the audience is really here for to see a massive apex predator, on some Class A drugs, going on a rampage. Hence, its main goal is to get this group of people into a situation where they are forced to confront an enormous black bear off its face on cocaine and have them fight to survive.

With the surface-level development of some of the characters does feel intentional to a point as this enables Warden and Banks to have some fun with the brutality because, as Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant found, a bear at the best of times is hazardous. Giving it a penchant for expensive narcotics is only going to make things worse, and the film gleefully utilises this by turning the dial up with the gory nature in which some of these characters are picked off. The film walks a fine line between comedy and horror as despite plenty of moments which can be horrifying to watch, it offers up plenty of humourous moments, particularly when the titular bear experiences a comedown after the drugs start to wear off.

The CGI for the titular bear does look a little iffy in places. In addition, despite clocking in at a mere 95 minutes, the film does not feel as brisk as it should, and there are a few moments towards the third act where the pacing is also feeling the aftereffects and experiencing a comedown after the first two acts provided such hilarious antics. However, despite these minor nitpicks, Cocaine Bear knows exactly what the audience wants to see and it does exactly what it says on the tin/package/container/duffel bag from which the drugs were stored to deliver a ridiculously entertaining time at the movies which will leave you feeling high (pun most certainly intended) by the time the credits begin to roll.

The plot is undoubtedly as thin as they come, and the character development is minimal but, it matters not. The filmmakers understood the assignment and Cocaine Bear delivers exactly what you’d expect from its hilariously absurd premise.

Marriage Story – Film Review

Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta

Director: Noah Baumbach

Synopsis: As their marriage starts to fall apart, a couple living at opposite coasts of the United States go through a difficult divorce, that threatens to push the pair of them to breaking point…

Review: The day that two people tie the knot and agree to spend the rest of their lives together is usually a joyful, momentous occasion. However, through a plethora of circumstances, that romance and joy can regrettably diminish. Consequently, a couple begin to break apart and regrettably there comes a time when their marriage comes to an end, and they make the painful decision to divorce. Such circumstances would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. So it is to director Noah Baumbach’s immense credit, that he captures the pain and heartbreak of that process in such an emotionally powerful manner.

Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) have spent many years happily married, and have a son together. Yet, their relationship has deteriorated and they have made the difficult decision to divorce. The matter is significantly complicated as Charlie is a theatre director, who has his theatre commitments in New York. Meanwhile Nicole has moved to the West Coast of the USA to pursue her career in acting, leaving their son Henry in a far from ideal predicament. Though both Charlie and Nicole strive to ensure that the process be as amicable, and as complication free as possible, things start to go sour and the situation threatens to push them both to breaking point.

As the main couple in the film, both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are nothing short of phenomenal in their performances. As a couple, they have strong chemistry, their romance feels so raw and authentic that you no longer see the actors, but rather the characters that they are portraying. The script firmly takes a neutral stance, in that it doesn’t paint one as the hero, and the other a villain. Like anything in life, there are two sides to every personal struggle, and Baumbach’s strong script and expert direction shifts perspectives to allow the audience to see where both of them are coming from.

Despite the divorce, it’s clear that both Charlie and Nicole have strong feelings for one another, and want to do what is best for their child. However, as the divorce process goes on, it threatens to turn them completely against each other. With sublime leading performances from Driver and Johansson, Laura Dern threatens to steal the show, with a scintillating performance as a lawyer who has been recruited to help deal with the proceedings. She’s a consummate professional, but when push comes to shove, is not afraid to be ruthless, especially when it comes to defending her clients.

The strength of Baumbach’s script lies in its ability to make you laugh one minute, and feel immense sorrow the next. There’s something so raw and powerful in, not just everyone of the performances, but how he handles the devastating drama beating at the heart of this story. Irrespective of whether you’ve been through a divorce, or seen your parents go through a divorce, or you haven’t been in this situation at all, it will be next to impossible to not be emotionally impacted by the film in some capacity. But if you have, you’ll certainly be able to appreciate the film that much more. The mix between comedy and drama is for the most part well handled. There may be a happy and joyful scene, but at any given moment, it will flick that switch in a heartbeat.

Though occasionally, the shifts in tone don’t entirely work. With one moment in particular, the drama is offset by an out-of-the-blue musical performance. While this is undeniably touching, it does feel completely out of place in the context of the scene. Having said that, it doesn’t negate the emotional gravity of the story, and its ability to tear your heart into a million pieces by the time the credits have begun to roll.

Emotionally raw, with sublime leading performances, Marriage Story presents a sincere and heart-breaking look at the humanity of the people going through a divorce, and the devastating impact that this heavy situation can have on people’s lives.