Keri approached this premiere with slightly less sartorial whimsy than Elizabeth Banks, which is too bad. I would have loved to see her really GO FOR IT, as opposed to the kind of slinky, angular black getups she often favors. This is inoffensive and mediocre and I’m sad she didn’t let it rip. NOBODY came to this in a faux-fur coat dusted with icing sugar. What is wrong with you people???
It’s funny what a really freaking GOOD TV project does for you, though. No disrespect to Felicity, which was good in different ways, but Keri Russell was so excellent in The Americans that every time I remember she’s in Cocaine Bear, I think, “Oh! She’s, like, a REAL actress.” Which is absurd because the late Ray Liotta is a real actor, O’Shea Jackson is a real actor, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a real actor. (Her partner, Matthew Rhys, is even also a real actor, although his part is a brief cameo — he plays the pilot who dumps the cocaine.) But somehow knowing that the erstwhile Elizabeth Jennings has lent her skills to a movie called Cocaine Bear makes me less dismissive of it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I cannot watch this movie. But it has me thinking, “How bad can it be? Keri Russell is in it.” And here she is:
The original Cocaine Bear went on his rampage in 1985, which may explain why Keri does indeed look like she’s coming back from a PTA meeting in the 80s. What if… hear me out… SHE IS ELIZABETH JENNINGS. That bear would not stand a chance.
