★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

It’s hard to tell whether Black Bear is too smart for it’s audience or if it never had anything to say in the first place. The film follows two seemingly unrelated storylines that place the same characters in completely different situations, both leading to catastrophic outcomes. It’s not that the film is confusing or difficult to follow; it just struggles to connect the dots between the two pieces and a greater theme.

While the second half of the film is extremely enjoyable (Aubrey Plaza gives what has to be the greatest performance of her career thus far) it feels too meta, as if it is aimed solely at those who have worked on film sets and know the sub-culture that comes with it. Jokes, references, and terminology are so specific that it risks going over the heads of many who watch this film, particularly if they are already checked out due to the 180 turn this film takes halfway through.

Although we struggled to fully get on board with this movie, we recommend it due to Plaza’s performance and the general humour that the story brings.

Check out our (slightly more) in depth podcast review + rating below! Podcast music by Brian K.S. Cole.