salesman lenny brown ( wood ) be fast lose his knack of sell the proverbial ice cream to eskimos . give a chance to shine in california by a philanthropic entrepreneur and brown and his wife linda ( young ) live the high life off tax shelter investment while a fortune they lose when the federal government change the tax law . seven hundred thousand dollar in the red and and in need of a boost and the yuppie without portfolio begin to hoover vast quantity of colombian marching powder up their hooter and until they find themselves with rather hungry monkey on their back . after briefly clean up and linda coke induced miscarriage see lenny once more career like a pinball between upper and downer . live purgatory follow . a contemporary take on reefer madness and with perverse echo of albert brook lose in america and the boost be overshadow on release by tabloid revelation concern an allege affair between wood and young and and their tumultuous fall out . wood and then engage to horse trainer sarah owen ( now his ex wife ) and reputedly slap a $ 2 million lawsuit on his spurn co star for emotional harassment during film and cite fatal attraction style late night phone call to his fiancée and and in one noteworthy incident and reputedly leave a mutilate baby doll on his and owen doorstep . ironically and the lack of chemistry between the supposedly loving lead be one of the more depressing aspect of this latter day exploitation flick the only real passion wood demonstrate towards young be when he kick her around the room . the script too be hilariously dreadful and perhaps mitigate young near comatose performance when give howler like stay with me til i fall off the earth to emote . further and give wood edgy dramatic persona and his jittery descent lose all credibility when actually he look that way to begin with . ultimately and the boost must be see in context represent in the 21st century cocaine use be ubiquitous . however and in 1988 and with america still embroil in an unwinnable war on drug and the very fibre of the nation look to be in peril hence one of the most hellish and for that read hysterical depiction of drug abuse .