--- title: "Cocaine Bear: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/cocaine-bear/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/cocaine-bear" critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Cocaine Bear (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 12 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 3 negative. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2023. The critic finds the film infectious, no-apologies entertainment that aims for maximum fun by reveling in farce and gnarly killings. It succeeds as a brisk, breezy ride despite a thin narrative, with committed performances and absurd scenarios that keep viewers engaged. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/cocaine-bear-review-elizabeth-banks-1235330907/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2023. The critic calls it a raucous comedy that leaves viewers gasping and giggling after an initial yawn, praising its feminist-flavoured populism and how it presents as a farce for boys then swerves direction. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/cocaine-bear-review-elizabeth-banks-b1062280.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 April 2023. The film is just as good as it needs to be, delivering gory insouciance, quotable lines, and atmospheric wandering centered on the bear and cocaine concept. It carries whiffs of 80s adventures and slashers while committing to its own cult-movie purpose without overreaching. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/cocaine-bear-review-a-movie-as-good-as-it-needs-to-be.html) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 3/5. 23 February 2023. Banks delivers a mostly entertaining B-movie with a strong cast and deranged energy that balances bad-taste comedy and commercial appeal, but it feels like a one-joke idea that runs out of steam. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/cocaine-bear-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2023. Banks leans into trashy B-movie qualities for dark comedy that is only sporadically clever; the bloodier bear attacks work best, but the film does not deliver enough of them to sustain its promise. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/cocaine-bear-review/5179582.article) ## Time Out — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2023. The film is a one-joke comedy that wears thin quickly due to thin scripting, poor tonal control, and underdeveloped characters, though one chaotic sequence hints at untapped potential. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/cocaine-bear-2023) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2023. The critic finds Banks and the screenwriter botch the tone, resulting in a film that is neither scary nor satirical, funny nor frightening, and ultimately a bore due to dull characters and leaden storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/cocaine-bear/) ## Sight and Sound — Mark Asch 2 March 2023. The critic finds the film less compelling than the true story that inspired it, criticizing its gimmicky tone, dated humor, and inferior CGI effects while noting it functions as a parable about human folly and appetites. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/cocaine-bear-no-paws-thought-this-gruesomely-gimmicky-parable-about-human-folly) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 26 February 2023. Elizabeth Banks’s playfully anarchic creature-feature about a rampaging beast high on drugs is as daft as it is entertaining. It delivers sporadically goofy fun with ripped limbs and a partly parodic family-centred sensibility, leaving Snakes on a Plane standing. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/26/cocaine-bear-review-larky-horror-comedy-is-roaring-good-fun) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 24 February 2023. The film delivers exactly the high-concept premise its title promises but stumbles under the weight of its own anticipation, with excess violence and self-aware excess that fails to fully land. The bear's cocaine-fueled antics provide gleeful moments for some audiences, yet the overall execution feels like a tumble from the trailer's buzz. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/06/cocaine-bear-quiet-girl-movie-review) ## The New York Times — Jason Zinoman 24 February 2023. The critic finds the film a chaotic horror-comedy whose main joke is its own existence, delivering fun for undemanding viewers but missing opportunities for sharper junk-movie fans. Banks effectively mines 1980s slasher gross-out potential and the bear's drug-fueled rampage. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/24/movies/cocaine-bear-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★☆☆. 23 February 2023. There are guilty pleasure thrills and cartoon double-takes aplenty in this outlandish action-comedy. It takes the real-life curio of a bear ingesting cocaine and slams it against the killer animal genre with mostly pleasing results, though the CGI bear draws discussion. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/cocaine-bear-review-good-yarn-shame-about-the-grizzly-cgi-lrn9tc2dc) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman 23 February 2023. The critic calls the film luridly preposterous and gonzo goofy rather than so-bad-it's-good, better than "Snakes on a Plane" as a shamelessly flamboyant wilderness slasher-comedy. Banks and the cast embrace the demented lark with stylish gore, memorable set pieces, and a knowing wink that makes it an agreeable celebration of disaffection. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/cocaine-bear-review-elizabeth-banks-keri-russell-alden-ehrenreich-1235531291/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2023. Alonso Duralde calls the film a bloody marvel and brilliant comedy of errors and terrors. He praises director Elizabeth Banks for skillfully balancing laughs with dramatic tension and darker intentions throughout. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/cocaine-bear-review-movie/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2023. Pete Hammond finds the film a darkly amusing horror-comedy that delivers scares and laughs in equal measure. He singles out the remarkably believable CGI bear created by WETA for special praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/02/cocaine-bear-review-500-pound-beast-elizabeth-banks-darkly-amusing-horror-comedy-1235269067/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Rating B-. 14 April 2023. The critic finds the film an amiable, fleet-footed B-movie that delivers on its absurd premise without fully reaching the expected highs. It singles out the strong buddy chemistry between Alden Ehrenreich and O'Shea Jackson Jr. and the charming '80s period details for praise, while noting the repetitive climax weakens the later stretches. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2023/04/cocaine-bear-review-elizabeth-banks-keri-russell/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2.5/5. 24 February 2023. The critic finds the film sedate and diluted despite the wild concept, with pacing issues and unengaging human characters diluting the fun of the bear's rampage. Occasional inventive set pieces like the ambulance chase stand out, but overall it is called a bad trip. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/cocaine-bear-review-pure-concept/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2023. The critic deems the movie a frustrating, grueling experience that is sloppy and misanthropic, failing to live up to its perfect title and trailer hype. It singles out a few enjoyably bad-taste moments and Alden Ehrenreich's performance for limited praise while complaining about the cynical tone and lack of genuine affection for its genre tropes. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/02/24/movies/cocaine-bear-movie-review) ## Film Stories — James Harvey 24 February 2023. The film is a goofy, entertaining action-comedy that delivers exactly what its title promises. The screenplay sets up strong comedy and the cast of character actors all bring their A-game to the B-movie premise. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/cocaine-bear-review-grizzly-good-fun/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/cocaine-bear.md