Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction

Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction

Year: 1983

Runtime: 97 mins

Language: English

Director: Paul Wendkos

Drama

A 47 year old real estate salesman gets trapped in the insidious web of cocaine addiction.

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Timeline & Setting – Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:01

Main Characters – Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983)

Meet the key characters of Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Eddie Gant (Dennis Weaver)

A once-successful real estate agent who falls into cocaine use to regain his edge. The drug gives him false confidence, helping him push through sales and project a glamorous image, but it corrodes his judgment and long-term prospects. His addiction strains his marriage and drives a wedge between him and his son, culminating in legal troubles and a streetside wake-up call.

💊 Addiction 💼 Ambition 👨‍👩‍👦 Family ⚖️ Consequences

Barbara Gant (Karen Grassle)

Eddie's wife, initially supportive of his efforts but soon overwhelmed by his absence and erratic behavior. She battles to keep the family together while confronting the reality of Eddie's drug use. Her reactions range from concern to anger as trust erodes and the couple's plans unravel.

👪 Family 💔 Strained Marriage 🧭 Loyalty 🌡️ Tension

Buddy Gant (James Spader)

Eddie and Barbara's teenage son who feels pressure to follow a traditional path, like law school. He discovers Eddie's drug stash and becomes disillusioned, struggling with whether to reveal the truth to his mother. His mixed feelings highlight the collateral damage addiction inflicts on the next generation.

👪 Family 🎓 Pressure 🗣️ Communication 🧭 Identity

Mort Broome (Jeffrey Tambor)

An old friend who tries to commit suicide and blames cocaine on the impulse. Mort detects Eddie's escalating use and serves as a casualty of the drug scene, acting as a cautionary mirror for Eddie’s path. His presence anchors the film’s warning about addiction’s reach.

💔 Desperation 💊 Addiction 🌀 Downward spiral

Robin Barstowe (Pamela Bellwood)

A wealthy connection who becomes entangled with Eddie through drugs. She makes clear that their relationship centers on cocaine, underscoring how Eddie's world blurs personal lines with substance abuse. Her role emphasizes the lure and limits of illicit pleasures and social ascent.

💊 Temptation 🤝 Companionship 🎭 Facade

Bruce Neumann (David Ackroyd)

A dealer who supplies cocaine to Eddie and helps fuel his downward spiral. Bruce's arrest ultimately interrupts Eddie's access to drugs, marking a turning point in the film. His scheming environment illustrates the actor-network behind addiction.

💊 Drug Dealer 💰 Greed ⚖️ Consequences

Dan Hatten (Richard Venture)

The boss who withholds the promised partnership, pushing Eddie to seek shortcuts. Dan's pressure and betrayal provide the external catalyst for Eddie's risky behavior. His role frames corporate ambition as a ruthless environment that can push individuals toward addiction.

💼 Pressure 🧭 Betrayal ⚖️ Consequences

Mrs. Marchais (Kieu Chinh)

The potential buyer of a luxury home who is unimpressed and walks away, symbolizing Eddie's frail moment in the market. Her reaction underlines the consequences of Eddie's deteriorating performance. She serves as a narrative device to show Eddie’s failing professional facade.

💸 Luxury 🧭 Judgment ❌ Rejection

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:01

Major Themes – Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983)

Explore the central themes of Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction (1983), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💊 Addiction

Eddie Gant's cocaine use gives him a dangerous sense of invincibility, fueling his belief that drugs are the path to the top. The drug use helps him land a luxury home sale and transform his image with a new car and wardrobe. As the addiction deepens, he becomes more isolated from Barbara and Buddy. The story traces the corrosive impact of addiction on ambition, family, and integrity, culminating in legal trouble and a wake-up call.

🏆 Ambition

Driven by a hunger for status and control, Eddie equates success with wealth and image. The promise of partnership is denied, pushing him toward riskier means to reclaim his standing. He rationalizes his drug use as a tool to maintain his edge, blurring ethics with ambition. The narrative frames ambition as a double-edged force that both motivates and destroys.

👪 Family

Eddie's obsession erodes his family life, turning late nights and secrecy into a wedge between him and Barbara. Barbara tries to hold the family together while becoming increasingly worried about Eddie's absence and mood swings. Buddy, under pressure to follow in his father's footsteps, is confronted with dangerous choices and a breach of trust. The film portrays family as both a casualty of addiction and a possible source of redemption.

🌅 Redemption

Toward the end, Eddie faces legal consequences and professional humiliation, which becomes a catalyst for change. A probation sentence and rehabilitation program frame the narrative as a chance for reform rather than simple punishment. The love and support of his wife and son are shown as crucial to his hope for a better future. The conclusion positions renewal as a family-driven, personal choice rather than an external cure.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:01

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Movies about addiction and recovery like Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction

Gripping stories of ordinary lives unraveling under the weight of substance abuse.If you were gripped by the intense portrayal of cocaine addiction in Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction, explore these similar movies. This selection features dramatic stories about the downward spiral of substance abuse, the strain on families, and the challenging path to recovery, all with a serious and cautionary tone.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a clear, often linear, arc of self-destruction. A protagonist, typically from an ordinary background, is introduced to a substance, leading to a steady escalation of use that results in paranoia, desperation, and the loss of everything they hold dear. The story culminates in a rock-bottom moment that forces a confrontation with their addiction, paving the way for a hopeful but difficult recovery.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here based on their shared focus on the harrowing experience of addiction. They feature a high-intensity, dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and a steady pacing that methodically builds anxiety as the character's life collapses. The core similarity is the specific, devastating character journey from normalcy to crisis and back.

Suburban crisis dramas with a dark tone like Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction

Intense character studies where hidden pressures shatter a seemingly perfect life.For viewers who appreciated the high-stakes family and career drama in Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction, this list features similar movies. Discover stories about middle-aged professionals facing a crisis that unravels their suburban life, focusing on themes of pressure, betrayal, and the heavy cost of maintaining appearances.

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Narrative Summary

These narratives often begin by establishing a protagonist's stable, middle-class life. A catalyst—often related to career pressure, a secret, or an addiction—triggers a chain of events that systematically dismantles their world. The plot is straightforward and character-driven, emphasizing the emotional fallout and the strain on family dynamics as the protagonist struggles to keep their life from falling apart.

Why These Movies?

This group is defined by a shared setting and thematic core: the collapse of a suburban or professional life. The movies share a dark, serious tone, steady pacing, and high emotional intensity centered on a single character's downfall. The similarity lies in the specific vibe of anxious desperation felt when a comfortable life is jeopardized from within.

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Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction Summary

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Cocaine: One Man’s Seduction Timeline

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