After the bear has been let loose to spill blood and plumes of white powder, it is with a heavy heart that we can confirm Whitlock doesn't add his classic trademark to "Cocaine Bear." Heartbreaking stuff. As critiqued by u/beaverteeth on the r/Movies subreddit, "I was disappointed that Isiah Whitlock Jr. said 's**t' a few times but never once said it like he did on 'The Wire.'" While it might have checked the boxes for fans who still stand by the legends of Omar Little (Michael K. Williams) and Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), it wasn't an essential addition to the film, and in the eyes of some viewers who acknowledged that Whitlock still delivered the goods in his performance regardless. u/GamingTaterTot gave props to Whitlock, saying, "I did enjoy his delivery of 'let's see what effect this has on it' for the bear."
So there we have it. Whitlock might drop his signature S-bomb but still provides an entertaining performance in a film that homes a bear hopped out of his mind on the happy-happy sniff-sniff powder. For those that feel Banks' movie may have been hindered by its lack of "sheeeee-it," well, you can always rewatch "The Wire" after you've seen "Cocaine Bear," making for the most bizarre double-bill ever. You're welcome.
