Cocaine Bear

First things first: whilst the biggest spoiler for Cocaine Bear is its title, there are a fair few twists and surprises in the film, and there are spoilers for pretty much all of those in the special features, so these are strictly for watching after you have seen the film itself.

That film is a natural choice for home viewing. It may not have quite the same impact on a smaller screen, but it's essentially a party film, good for watching with friends whilst wasted (ideally not on cocaine, because cocaine users are the people you'll be laughing at.) The good news is that it comes with a great slate of special features, some of which are still more fun than the film itself. The audio commentary, in particular, is one of those rare ones which you'll want to watch all the way through in one go even if you've only just watched the film. it contains some great anecdotes but most of the fun comes from Elizabeth Banks' attitude, the enormous enjoyment which she obviously found in making the film and rediscovered in talking about it.

The alternate ending included here is so much fun that one wonders why it wasn't tacked on at the end of the credits on the original release. The deleted and extended scenes are more of a mixed bag - there's some good work in them but for the most part, one can see why they didn't fit. It's hard to make a gag reel for a film like this, as much of the film's humour works the same way, so it feels like an extension thereof rather than something which is funny on its own.

There's a bit of repetition in the three featurettes, but not much. it's interesting to see how the stunts were performed, with a focus on helping the actors get into the right mental space which perhaps stems from Banks' own experience in acting. Several of the actors speak at length, but the interviews are cut up into short snippets to match the pace of the film and keep things entertaining. Christian Convery's contributions are a particular delight. One comment which he makes - about the use of sugar in a scene in which he and Brooklynn Prince are covered in white powder "because kids can't be around cocaine" - will leave you wondering how he thought the scenes with adults were handled.

All in all this is a very well chosen set of extras which complements the film beautifully. If you still feel awed by the notion of a bear on cocaine, they will have you in stitches.