5 February, 2024 Siobhan Marie Day 0 Comments 2 categories

Ray Liotta in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: KARE 11/Universal Pictures

Barely High…

Cocaine Bear is a 2023 comedy horror film directed by Elizabeth Banks and written by Jimmy Warden. It is loosely inspired by the true story of the “Cocaine Bear“, an American black bear that ingested several kilograms of a bag containing about 75 lb (34 kg) of lost cocaine. The film stars Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ray Liotta. It is dedicated to Liotta, who died May 26, 2022.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks, written by Jimmy Warden, and produced by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Aditya Sood, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, and Brian Duffield. Starring Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and Ray Liotta, Cinematography by John Guleserian, Edited by Joel Negron, Music by Mark Mothersbaugh. Production companies: Lord Miller Productions, Brownstone Productions, Jurassic Party Productions. Distributed by Universal Pictures. (2023)

Jimmy Warden attends the Los Angeles premiere of Universal Pictures' "Cocaine Bear" at Regal LA Live on February 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

Cocaine Bear, also known as Pablo Eskobear (sometimes spelled Escobear) or Cokey the Bear, was a 175-pound (79-kilogram) American black bear that fatally overdosed on cocaine in 1985. The cocaine had been dropped by a group of Colombian drug smugglers in the wilderness in Tennessee, United States. The bear was found dead in northern Georgia and was stuffed and displayed at a mall in Kentucky. It inspired the 2023 comedy thriller film Cocaine Bear, as well as the 2023 documentary film Cocaine Bear: The True Story.

Cocaine (from French: cocaïne, from Spanish: coca, ultimately from Quechua: kúka) is a tropane alkaloid that acts as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. As an extract, it is mainly used recreationally, and often illegally for its euphoric and rewarding effects. It is also used in medicine by Indigenous South Americans for various purposes and rarely, but more formally, as a local anaesthetic or diagnostic tool by medical practitioners in more developed countries. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America: Erythroxylum coca and E. novogranatense. After extraction from the plant, and further processing into cocaine hydrochloride (powdered cocaine), the drug is administered by being either snorted, applied topically to the mouth, or dissolved and injected into a vein. It can also then be turned into free base form (typically crack cocaine), in which it can be heated until sublimated and then the vapours can be inhaled.

Keri Russell in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

O'Shea Jackson Jr. in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Christian Convery in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Alden Ehrenreich in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Margo Martindale in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Brooklynn Prince in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Isiah Whitlock Jr. in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Jesse Tyler Ferguson in a scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Ray Liotta in a scene from 'Cocaine Bear' (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Ray Liotta is posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 24, 2023, in Hollywood, California. Photo Credit: David Livingston/Getty Images

Cocaine Bear was released in the United States on February 24, 2023, by Universal Pictures. The film opened to generally positive reviews from critics and grossed over $90 million against a production budget of $30–35 million.

Signage at the Los Angeles premiere of Universal Pictures' "Cocaine Bear" at Regal LA Live on February 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Araya Doheny/FilmMagic

The film is loosely inspired by the events surrounding a 175-pound (79 kg) American black bear that died after ingesting a duffel bag full of cocaine in December 1985. The cocaine had been dropped out of an airplane piloted by Andrew C. Thornton II, a former narcotics officer and convicted drug smuggler, because his plane was carrying too heavy a load. Thornton then jumped out of the plane with a faulty parachute and died. The bear, who died sometime after consuming the cocaine, was found three months later in northern Georgia alongside 40 opened plastic containers of cocaine. The bear is currently on display at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky, which named the creature “Cocaine Bear” in 2015. The film’s plot differs from real-life events in a number of ways. Notably, the real-life Cocaine Bear is not known to have killed anyone after consuming drugs, and what transpired in the time leading up to its death from overdose is unknown.

A scene from "Cocaine Bear" (2023) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Andrew Carter Thornton II (October 30, 1944 – September 11, 1985) was an American narcotics officer and lawyer who became the head member of "The Company", a drug smuggling ring in Kentucky. Bags of cocaine having been from his go bag when parachuting out were later found next to a dead bear in Georgia and linked to Thornton. The autposy of the dead black bear revealed a cocaine overdose.

In 1985, drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II drops a shipment of cocaine from his plane. He attempts to parachute out with a drug-filled duffel bag, but knocks himself unconscious on the doorframe, causing him to fall to his death. His body lands in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is identified by Bob, a local detective. He concludes that the cocaine is likely from St. Louis drug kingpin Syd White, and the remainder is missing. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

The story on the "Cocaine Bear" after he was found in northern Georgia with 40 bags of Cocaine. Photo Credit: Lexington-Harald Leader

In an interview with Variety‘s Adam B. Vary, Banks stated that “this movie could be seen as that bear’s revenge story.”

Entertainment Weekly's Adam B. Vary poses for a photo in the Green Room for the "A Conversation with Joss Whedon" Panel at the Austin Convention Center on March 10, 2012 in Austin, Texas. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for SXSW

Cocaine Bear is the Featured Blog of the Month for February for its real-life history! You can expect to read a detailed critique of the 2023 film, Cocaine Bear. You can also read a recommendation for the film. There is also a detailed review of the history of the “Cocaine Bear,” and the incident with Andrew Thornton II that lead to the inspiration for the film. You can also watch an interview with director Elizabeth Banks and the cast with Today about the 80s era film. There is also a Top Ten List to commemorate the film being a Featured Blog of the Month, and for Cocaine Bear, the topic of the list is My Top Ten Bear Movies! And finally, as a Featured Blog of the Month film, you can watch the Official Trailer for the 2023 film and then plan on watching Cocaine Bear tonight!