Vision Quest

1985
15
1h 47m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

11K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:41

Coming-of-Age Teen Drama Teen Romance Drama Romance Sport

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

11K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,961

593

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 1:41

Trailer

Photos79

+ 72

More like this

6.2

6.0

6.2

7.0

6.4

7.1

6.7

7.0

Some Kind of Wonderful

6.5

6.5

6.0

6.9

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
This was Linda Fiorentino's very first audition straight out of drama school. She got the part, and it was her feature film debut.

Goofs
In the match between Loudon and Shute, the referee clearly says "no takedown" as they go out of bounds. Yet, when he brings them back to the line, Loudon takes the "down" position and the score is 2-0 in Shute's favor, indicating a takedown has been awarded.

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 flips into a somersault and kicks the ball in - upside down and backwards... the goddamn goalie never knew what the fuck hit him. Pele gets excited and he rips off his jersey and starts running around the stadium waving it around his head. Everybody's screaming in Spanish. I'm here, sitting alone in my room, and I start crying.
[pause]
Elmo: That's right, I start crying. Because another human being, a species that I happen to belong to, could kick a ball, and lift himself, and the rest of us sad-assed human beings, up to a better place to be, if only for a minute... let me tell ya, kid - it was pretty goddamned glorious. It ain't the six minutes... it's what happens in that six minutes.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Vision Quest/Turk 182/Blood Simple/Mischief (1985)

Soundtracks
Only The Young
(end title)
Performed by Journey
Written by Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain
Produced by Mike Chapman
Scandal did indeed record a version of this song, but the soundtrack version is Journey.
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User reviews95

Review

Featured review

7/10

Decent effort doesn't quite score a pinfall

A slightly different spin on the traditional Underdog Athlete Overcomes the Odds storyline, Vision Quest is a decent film for most viewers (for those who have actually endured the challenges of the collegiate wrestling world, the movie is practically required viewing!). Modine and Fiorentino, who went on to better-known films such as Equinox and Jade, respectively, are solid if unspectacular in roles as a high school wrestler and the world-weary object of his desires. Among the other notables who appear in the movie: a young Forrest Whitaker, James Gammon, Michael Schoeffling (Sixteen Candles), and Madonna, who contributed "Crazy For You" and "Gambler" to an underrated soundtrack. The wrestling sequences are gritty and realistic, as are the frequent portrayals of training. But the screenplay's dialogue is often choppy and does little to develop the potentially interesting characters. Subplots are hinted at but are not followed through with. And there is a lack of smooth transition between sequences. Still, Vision Quest is watchable and worthwhile as a rental (if you are a wrestler, this is especially true).