WATCH NOW
We think we know the story quite well already. There is a young wrestler with two goals: (a) winning the state championship title and (b) winning a girl. The state champion is a massive brute who lifts and throws telephone poles to the top of stadiums. His love interest is a 20 year old free spirit who doesn’t take the main character seriously. The only suspense at the end of the movie is, will the hero win in the ring or in bed.
This ‘Vision Quest’ still managing to surprise the viewers for many reasons. It differs from the archetypal coming-of-age drama by focusing on the male and female characters equally and also giving them development. Louden Swain is one of the most boring characters ever captured on film. Yet, thanks to Matthew Modine’s endearing performance, he becomes unique and interesting in spite of the screenplay.
The other characters in the movie are just as unique. They range from Louden’s father (Ronny Cox), who lost the family farm along with his wife but has not yet lost his son’s respect, to Louden’s best pal (Michael Schoeffling), who describes himself as a “half-Indian spiritual advisor”. There is also a caring black history teacher (Harold Sylvester) who listens to Louden, a short-order cook turned glamorous alcoholic (J. C. Quinn) who’s in charge of the kitchen at the hotel where Louden works as a bellboy, and a wrestling coach (Charles Hallahan) who begrudgingly supports Louden’s ambition to drop to a feathwerweight class so he can take on the toughest wrestler in the state.
All these characters have been written, directed and performed in such a way that is not typical to what we are used to. Even with their minute yet impactful roles, these characters are extraordinary.
Then there is the most original character in the movie, a 20-year-old drifter Carla (Linda Fiorentino). Until I meet her, I can only guess how much of this character is original and how much is Fiorentin’s. What does come through, however, is a woman who is self-sufficient yet approachable, guarded yet warm, and aloof yet charming. The way she speaks, which is somewhat detached and dully neutral, forces you to pay attention to everything that is being said.
All these people exist in Spokane which, when seen in many scenes, looks a little too wet and dark, and elicits a feeling of a place so full of individuality. Rather than keeping the Modine character in the city with a multitude of supporting roles and turning him into the Rocky of wrestlers, the movie spends time integrating the character into the city and the lives of other people. Slowly, we start appreciating his relationships, and it really means something when the short-order cook puts on a clean shirt to attend the big wrestling meet.
Due to the array of characters and characters, The film’s story may have been difficult to follow. “The Rockies” series, “Breaking Away”, “The Karate Kid” (1984), and a hundred other movies with the same last scene have made it difficult for one to care about the grand climax filled with fights, matches, races, etc. and let’s be honest, the protagonist always wins the end. For a change, why could they not make characters as intriguing as the ones from “Vision Quests” where they could break away from the monotonous plot?
for watch more movies like.Vision Quest (1985) 123website.
Also Watch for more movies 123movies.
