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Vision Quest

Vision Quest

Drama · Romance · 1985

After deciding he needs to do something meaningful with his life, high school wrestler Louden Swain sets out on a mission to drop weight and challenge the area's undefeated champion, which creates problems with his teammates and health. Matters are complicated further when Louden's father takes in an attractive female drifter who's on her way to San Francisco.

Movie details

Vision Quest

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

1985 Drama · Romance 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

After deciding he needs to do something meaningful with his life, high school wrestler Louden Swain sets out on a mission to drop weight and challenge the area's undefeated champion, which creates problems with his teammates and health. Matters are complicated further when Louden's father takes in an attractive female drifter who's on her way to San Francisco.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Vision Quest?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Harold Becker

Written by

Darryl Ponicsan

Matthew Modine

Matthew Modine

Louden Swain

Linda Fiorentino

Linda Fiorentino

Carla

Ronny Cox

Ronny Cox

Larry Swain

Daphne Zuniga

Daphne Zuniga

Margie Epstein

Charles Hallahan

Charles Hallahan

The Coach

Michael Schoeffling

Michael Schoeffling

Kuch

Harold Sylvester

Harold Sylvester

Gene Tanneran

Court is in session

Put Vision Quest on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.