An argument for not trying to lose weight if there ever was one, this underrated ’80s drama stars Matthew Modine as Louden Swain, a high school wrestler who sets out to drop two weight classes in order to take on Brian Shute (Frank Jesper), the intimidating three-time Washington State champion. In his quest to lose 22 pounds as quickly as possible (190 down to 168), Louden battles the many challenges and distractions that try to keep him from achieving his goal, including subsequent health problems (such as frequent nosebleeds due to the lack of iron in his diet), the disapproval of his coach (Charles Hallahan) and teammates and, of course, the hot older woman who’s just passing through on her way to San Francisco (Linda Fiorentino). Vision Quest, like so many other coming-of-age ’80s dramas, is hokey yet earnest, with a final wrestling match that is truly suspenseful and exciting — you also get the first on-screen appearance of Madonna, who performs both “Crazy For You” (an actual alternate title of the film used in some countries) and “The Gambler.” Bonus: Modine’s father is played by Ronny Cox, who would go on to play the villainous Dick Jones in RoboCop.
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