Movies That I Just Saw. “Cocaine Bear.” “Champions.”

“Cocaine Bear.” (2023, Amazon Prime). Comedy horror film. This whacked silliness is directed by Elizabeth Banks and I didn’t know she can produce a laughfest that is too tongue in cheek, it’d freeze you, then you laugh again. Hey, the film opened to generally positive reviews from critics and grossed over $89 million against a production budget of $30–35 million. And this hilarious fare has respected (usually) dramatic performers Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, and (the late) Ray Liotta. 

       The nutjob ride is loosely inspired by the 1985 true story of the "Cocaine Bear,” a 175-lb black bear that ingested nearly 75 lb of lost cocaine, then went berserk, chowing down human arms and legs and limbs like crazy. The coke had been dropped by drug smugglers in the wilderness in Tennessee. The bear was found dead in northern Georgia and was stuffed and displayed at a mall in Kentucky. 

       The film, however, takes significant liberties—while the events which occurred between the bear's ingestion of cocaine and its death are not known. Thing is, the bear is not known to have caused any deaths, unlike the film portrayed. So the devouring of humans is simply for laughs, dig that? Ha!  

       And yes I was laughing as though being made into dinner by a bear wasn’t so bad. 🐻🐼🐨

“Champions.” (2023, Amazon Prime). Sports comedy-drama. Woody Harrelson as a temperamental minor-league basketball coach who after an arrest must coach a team of players with intellectual disabilities as community service. You know what this movie is all about, of course. But mere mention of Mr Harrelson suggests a not-too-shabby weekend respite. And this experience is directed by Bobby Farrelly. With his partnership with bro Peter, do you remember 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber,” 1998’s “There's Something About Mary” (the jizz hairspray?) or 2000’s “Myself and Irene” (“Do you swallow?”) 

       The Farrelly Brothers’ crass, irreverent frathouse humor was hilarious entertainment until the dude named Judd Apatow took it a notch revolting and not funny, sorry. So let’s see.

       Yet with a bunch of individuals with intellectual disabilities on it, no sexual allusions in the mold of “There’s Something…” here, except with a few “innocent” lines. But still the show is enjoyable, thanks to Woody’s Marcus Marakovich,  and the timely interjections of Madison Tevlin as Cosentino. Kaitlin Olson as Alex, Marcus' love interest, is fine but I like her better in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” ⛹️‍♀️⛹️🎭