Vision Quest (1985)

A high school wrestler in Spokane, Washington has trouble focusing on his training regimen when a beautiful young drifter takes up temporary residence at his home.

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers:

Terry Davis (novel), Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay)

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Louden Swain
Linda Fiorentino	...	Carla
Michael Schoeffling	...	Kuch
Ronny Cox	...	Louden's Dad
Harold Sylvester	...	Tanneran
Charles Hallahan	...	Coach
J.C. Quinn	...	Elmo (as J. C. Quinn)
Daphne Zuniga	...	Margie Epstein
R.H. Thomson	...	Kevin (as R. H. Thomson)
Gary Kasper	...	Otto
Raphael Sbarge	...	Schmoozler
Forest Whitaker	...	Balldozer
Frank Jasper	...	Shute
Roberts Blossom	...	Grandpa
James Gammon	...	Kuch's Dad

Storyline

Vision Quest is a coming of age movie in which high school wrestler Louden Swain decides he wants to be something more than an average high school athlete and sets his sights on a prize that many don't think he can win - he then sets out to reach his goal alone, without much support from his father or coach. His father rents a room to a young drifter, Carla. Swain falls in love with her and she helps him stay focused and prevents him from losing sight of his goals.

---

Plot Keywords:

training | teen angst | high school wrestling | wrestling | motorcycle | 

---

Taglines:

All he needed was a lucky break. Then one day she moved in.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crazy for You

Filming Locations:

Ferguson's Fountain Cafe - 804 W. Garland Avenue, Spokane, Washington, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$12,900,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., The Guber-Peters Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matthew modine and daphne Zuniga would reunite a few year later in gross anatomy.

---

Goofs

In the match against Shute, just before Louden gets the bloody nose, Shute scores 2 points for a reversal. This should have made the score 10-9 for Shute, however the scoreboard indicates the score is 8-7 Shute, meaning the score did not reflect either wrestlers' previous reversal.

---

Quotes

Louden Swain: You never took a night off to see me wrestle before. They'll dock you for that.
Elmo: Hey, kid - money ain't everything.
Louden Swain: It's not that big a deal, Elmo. I mean, it's six lousy minutes on the mat, if that.
Elmo: You ever hear of Pele?
Louden Swain: Yeah, he's a, a soccer player.
Elmo: A very famous soccer player.
[pause]
Elmo: I was in the room here one day... watchin' the Mexican channel on TV. I don't know nothin' about Pele. I'm watchin' what this guy can do with a ball and his feet. Next thing I know, he jumps in the air and ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

---

Soundtracks

The Four Seasons/Summer
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Jan Tomasow / Solisti di Zagreb (as I Solisti Di Zagreb) / Antonio Janigro,
Conductor
Courtesy of Vanguard Records

User Reviews

Don't be afraid to chase your dreams

Any time I need to get psyched up this is the movie I think about. I learned watching it back in the 80's that if you have a dream you have to go after it because nobody is going to give it to you. It doesn't matter if you are a wrestler, a financial analyst, an astronaut or a bartender everybody has a dream. Louden set a goal, had a plan and went after what he wanted, that's what we all need to do. This movie has had a great effect on my life. I guess everybody has their own motivational tools and cheesy or not this is one of mine. From the peg board climbing scene to the Pele description scene to the warm up scene playing out to "Lunatic Fringe" before his match with Shute this movie, in my opinion is an inspirational masterpiece. I really wish they would re-release the soundtrack because I can't find it anywhere.