Vision Quest (1985)

When I first heard Louden Swain’s opening narration, I thought, “Am I going to like this character?.” Matthew Modine seemed like he was going to go beyond confident to cocky in his portrayal. There’s a little bit of the latter seeping through. Still, Vision Quest is a relatable sports drama, focusing on the oft-neglected sport of wrestling. In the 1980s, sports dramas were a dime a dozen. It’s the same today. Such films are an easy way to show both man vs. man and man vs. self struggles. Still, there appears to be a hierarchy of sports that filmmakers like to focus on. Football, basketball, and running seem to be at the top. Then, it can get to be scantier. Wrestling: we’re not talking about the stuff that somehow became a feature on the Syfy channel. Unless it’s a background element such as in The Breakfast Club, the sport is almost invisible in film. It’s no wonder that Harold Becker’s Vision Quest still is an important motivator for wrestlers coming up.

Who’s this almost-obnoxious Louden (Matthew Modine)? When the story begins, he’s an eighteen-year-old senior, who’s only in his second year of wrestling. Originally from the countryside, he’s still adjusting to living in Spokane, WA. Already at the top in his weight class, he has a goal that his coach and his teammates believe is perhaps too out-of-reach. He wants to drop weight so he can face the unstoppable Shute (Frank Jasper) in the 168 lbs weight class. He not only has to deal with the physical effects of dramatic weight loss. He’s also a bundle of hormones and emotions, especially as a transient young woman Carla (Linda Fiorentino) is invited to stay with him and his father (Ronny Cox).

Thus, he ultimately struggles to discover who he is and what he wants. Hence, the reference to the film title. Is it standard as far as coming-of-age stories go? Yes, but there are aspects that make Vision Quest stand out in contrast to the deluge of teen films that came out in the mid-eighties.

I love the films of John Hughes. They are the standard as far as coming-of-age teen films go. However, I’ve noticed that they also set the pattern as far as depictions of relations between the teen protagonists and the supporting adult characters. Either there is antagonism or overt indifference from the adults to the young people. See Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Obviously, this is a feeling that young people feel while growing up. However, this part of life isn’t usually complete hostility.

Vision Quest shows this. Louden does have conflicts with those older than him. This even results in some nasty flare-ups. However, he’s shown to eventually realize that these adults aren’t out to intentionally ruin his life. Instead of viewing them as alien, he has complex, but amiable dealings with his father, his passionate English teacher (Harold Sylvester), Coach Ratta, and Carla, his object of desire.

Consider two situations: When Carla inquires where Louden’s mother is, his father mentions that she ran out on them for another man. Based on his calm explanation, and Louden’s outburst and flight, it’s obvious there’s a difference on how father and son are dealing with the aftermath. Vision Quest smartly doesn’t extraneously spend time on the details of what went down. This isn’t what the story is about. It just reveals that Louden feels that his father isn’t as assertive as he should be. He doesn’t hate his father. There’s just a personality difference that’s frustrating to him.

Then there’s the wonderful performance by Coach Ratta (Charles Hallahan). He’s in opposition to Louden’s goal at first not because he wants him to fail. He wants what would be best for him and the team. If Louden fails to make weight or fails in his bout against Shute, he risks losing out on a college scholarship and jeopardizes the rest of the team’s standing. He’s also concerned about Louden’s health; the rapid weight loss leads to issues such as nosebleeds and passing out. When Louden proves that he has the determination to succeed through a dramatic wall climb scene, as well as assures him that he won’t jeopardize his health unnecessarily, the coach acquiesces.

Besides the natural, first acting performance of Linda Fiorentino as Carla, Michael Schoeffling as Kuch stands out. In contrast to Sixteen Candles, where he was just the cardboard hunk opposite Molly Ringwald, he gives several memorable dramatic performances. He’s also a young man with internal conflict (half-Indian?) and a less than desirable homelife. When the film shifts from his stoicism as his father hits him to his breaking down to Louden to his upturn in emotion prior to the team’s upcoming match, you can’t believe it’s the same actor that portrayed Jake Ryan.

Praise must also go out to both cinematography and the music. On-location Spokane isn’t the most cinematic, though there’s beauty to be found. Like the rest of the Pacific Northwest, it can be dreary and gray, despite the lush forest backdrop. However, the long-range shots of Louden running across the Monroe St. Bridge and the photography of Spokane proper add atmosphere. The rock soundtrack, headlined by Journey’s “Only the Young,” gives added oomph to the scenes. Though not Tangerine Dream’s best score, the repetitive synth sequencing underlines the tension of the wrestling scenes. The cinematographer shot these scenes good enough so that those not familiar with the sport can still understand what’s going on.

Is Vision Quest ever going to break out of cult status? Probably not. I don’t have the data, but wrestling may be even less popular as a high school sport than back in the 80s. It doesn’t help that most of the actors, despite decent performances, have slid out of public consciousness. However, if you want a change from both John Hughes and John Hughes-wannabe fare on one hand, and the dregs of bottom-tier teen raunchy comedies on the other, Vision Quest is worth at least one view.