When the Elizabeth Banks-directed horror comedy Crazy Bear was first announced, people treated it as a joke. After all, the premise is, as the title might suggest, a bit crazy. But the movie went on to have a relatively successful cinematic run, was appreciated by the critics, and surprisingly, it is based on a (somewhat) true story. While in the true story, the bear died from drug poisoning and is now a mall exhibit, the movie’s apex predator causes some serious carnage after its accidental intoxication.
Where can you watch Crazy Bear in the UAE?
Crazy Bear is now streaming on OSN+ in the UAE. Subscribing to OSN+ is AED 35 per month, but keep looking for yearly deals that drop the pricing considerably. There is also a free seven-day trial to decide if you’d like to be a paying subscriber.
Crazy Bear starts with a smuggler accidentally hitting himself on the head while transporting drugs on a plane and falling to his untimely demise. While Detective Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) recovered and identified the man’s body, he concluded that a portion of the substances were lost in the nearby national forest.
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That’s how an innocent 500-pound black bear comes across the drugs and eats them. The bear immediately turns aggressive and attacks a pair of hikers.
Throughout the movie, we meet several characters who come across this addicted and aggressive bear. Among them is single mom Sari (Keri Russell), whose daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) skipped school with her best friend to paint the waterfalls inside the forest.
Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) and Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) work for drug lord Syd (Ray Liotta) and are sent into the forest to recover the lost “merchandise.” And then there’s forest Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale), who started her day thinking a group of disruptive teenagers would be her biggest problem until she meets the bear.
This is a movie about a bear getting addicted to drugs and causing mayhem. Thankfully, the film is in on the joke and offers exactly the kind of silly comedy with horror elements you’d expect.
Crazy Bear is at its strongest when we see the bear doing outrageous things like giving chase to an ambulance. The movie’s attempts at getting viewers emotionally invested in any of these character’s stories fall flat, but those scenes are only a small portion of the runtime.
The film’s horror elements are well-made, with some genuinely scary and gory scenes. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition with the rest of the movie’s dark comedy. While ridiculous, the Crazy Bear isn’t for the faint of heart, and it’s not exactly what I’d call “lighthearted entertainment.”
Most of the cast performances are brilliant. Margo Martindale has excellent comedic timing, and Keri Russell adds a surprising amount of heart to her character. But O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich are the stand-outs as the unlikely team of mobsters in charge of recovering the drugs, even if it means having to face a less-than-cuddly apex predator to do so.
For what it is, Crazy Bear is an entertaining film with a silly story. It’s clear Banks had a lot of fun putting this project together, as did most of the cast. As long as you don’t expect anything remotely profound, you’ll probably find this title enjoyable.
What are other critics saying about Crazy Bear (Video Reviews):
Austin Burke described the movie as a “crazy comedy” but would have preferred it to stay more focused on the actual bear and less on the multitude of characters.
Brian Altano reviewed the movie for IGN and described it as “probably the best we’ll ever get about such an inherently ridiculous premise.”
Movies and Munchies was surprised at how emotionally invested he found himself with some of the on-screen characters.
Lori C
Lori C. is an entertainment writer who studied Film and Television at University. She watches and reviews films and series from most genres, but some of her favourites include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Handmaid’s Tale, Westworld, and True Blood.
