''Instant Karma'' is a 1990 romantic drama film directed by

Roderick Taylor Roderick Taylor, also known as Rod Taylor or Roderick Falconer, is an American poet, recording artist, screenwriter, television producer and television director. Taylor is the father of screenwriter and television/film producer Bruce A. Taylo ...

. The film stars as

Craig Sheffer Craig Eric Sheffer (born April 23, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading roles as Norman Maclean in the film ''A River Runs Through It (film), A River Runs Through It, ''Aaron Boone in the film ''Nightbreed' ...

as Zane, a TV producer looking for romance.

Plot

Zane (

) is writer-producer of the TV show "Rock & Roll P.I." Although a successful young man, he is lonely and having a particularly bad week. He has a confrontation with the show's temperamental star, Reno (

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

), on the set of the show. Zane and his co-writer David (Glenn Hirsch) are pitching a script to producer Jon Clark (

Marty Ingels Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

). By the end of the meeting, Jon says he loves the story, but wants to change the script completely. Zane's accountant tells him that the Internal Revenue Service is planning to perform an audit of his investments. Zane also has an encounter with an actress, Penelope (

Chelsea Noble Chelsea Noble is an American actress. She is known for her role as Kate McDonnell on the television sitcom ''Growing Pains'' (1989–1992). She is married to her former ''Growing Pains'' co-star, Kirk Cameron. She is the sister-in-law of former ...

). Zane begins dating Penelope and things go smoothly. Then one afternoon while on the set, Reno gives Zane drugs, claiming that they are harmless pills which will relax him. Later that evening, Zane takes them while on a date with Penelope and begins acting strange. Zane wakes up the next morning to discover that the pills were

hallucinogens Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...

and that he only imagined most of the evening's events. He immediately calls Penelope's place, and a man answers the phone. Jumping to conclusions, Zane goes to see Penelope and becomes upset. Back at his accountant's office later that day, Zane is told he owes half a million dollars in

back taxes Back taxes is a term for taxes that were not completely paid when due. Typically, these are taxes that are owed from a previous year. Causes for back taxes include failure to pay taxes by the deadline, failure to correctly report one's income, or ...

. He is also informed that Reno has been arrested for drug abuse and that the show is being cancelled. On his way home, Zane is in a near-fatal car accident. Accompanied by his faithful basset hound Wolfgang, he walks all the way to Penelope's home and declares his love for her.

Cast

as Zane Smith *

as Penelope Powell *

as Reno * Glenn Hirsch as David *

Orson Bean Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows; July 22, 1928 – February 7, 2020) was an American film, television, and stage actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small ...

as Dr. Berlin * James Gallery as Jerry * Alan Blumenfeld as Oscar Meyer * William Smith as William "Pop" Dean * Doug Steindorff as Stoned Husband * Gail Villegas as Dancer * Amy Lee Waddell as Julie * Kristina Wotkyns as Cindy * John Lacy as Lucius * Rebekka Armstrong as Jamie * Dan Lee Clark as Steve Elias *

Gary Burden Gary Burden (May 23, 1933 – March 7, 2018) was an American artist specializing in the field of album covers. He is considered one of the pioneers of the concept of album cover art. Early life Gary Burden was born on May 23, 1933, in Cleveland ...

as Jesus Man * Brigitte Burdine as Dancer *

Sarah Buxton Sarah Jane Buxton (born July 3, 1980) is an American country music singer, formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records. Between 2006 and 2008, she issued three singles from an extended play titled '' Almost My Record'', in addition t ...

as Cathy * Keri Jo Chapman as Dancer *

Gino Conforti Gino Conforti (born January 30, 1932) is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Frank Angelino's chef Felipe Gomez in the American television sitcom ''Three's Company''. Life and career Conforti w ...

as The Director * Catherine M. Cummings as Shakra Zula * Blackie Dammett as Ed Polisky * Rick Diamond as 1st A.D. * Steve Fuji as Boom Man *

as Jon Clark * Richard Le Pore as John Radcliff * Sandy Newlands as Dancer * Tiffanie Poston as Laura * Ashley Quaine as Janet *

Larry B. Scott Larry B. Scott (born August 17, 1961) is an American actor whose film debut was in the 1978 movie '' A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich''. He played Gerald LeFlore in the 1978 movie '' One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story''. He is best known ...

as Clapper Boy * Annette Sinclair as Amy

External links

* * *
Instant Karma
' at Fandango.com

References

{{reflist 1990 films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films scored by Joel Goldsmith Films about drugs Films about screenwriters Films about television people 1990s English-language films