VISION QUEST is a coming of age story and is based on a novel by Terry Davis. Matthew Modine as Louden Swain, a high school wrestler than decides to drop down two weight classes and face Kuch, a near mythical wrestler from another school. While struggling to do so, he falls for Carla (Linda Fiorentino) a drifter that is taken in by Louden and his father.
This scene is the night of Louden’s big match. Louden works nights doing room service for a local hotel and has become friends with Elmo (J.C. Quinn), the night chef. When he stops by the hotel, he finds Elmo has called in sick. Concerned, he goes to Elmo’s place to see if he is ok, only to find Elmo shaved and putting on a shirt and tie with the intent of going to the match.

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: 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: 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.