Desperately Seeking Susan

1985, Comedy, 1h 44m

30 Reviews 25,000+ Ratings

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critics consensus

Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

New Jersey housewife Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) spices up her boring life by reading personal ads, especially a series of them being placed by a mysterious denizen of New York City named Susan (Madonna). When one of Susan's ads proposes a rendezvous with her suitor (Robert Joy) at Battery Park, Roberta secretly tags along. But when her voyeuristic jape ends in permanent memory loss and a new jacket, Roberta begins to gather a lot of unwanted attention from some unsavory characters.

Cast & Crew

Rosanna Arquette
Roberta Glass, 'Susan'
Madonna
Susan
Aidan Quinn
Dez
Mark Blum
Gary Glass
Robert Joy
Jim
Laurie Metcalf
Leslie Glass
Anna Thomson
Crystal
Will Patton
Wayne Nolan
Peter Maloney
Ian
Steven Wright
Larry Stillman D.D.S
John Turturro
Ray
Anne Carlisle
Victoria
Giancarlo Esposito
Street Vendor
Ann Magnuson
Cigarette Girl
Annie Golden
Band Singer
Victor Argo
Sgt. Taskal
Susan Seidelman
Director
Sarah Pillsbury
Producer
Midge Sanford
Producer
Leora Barish
Screenwriter
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Critic Reviews for Desperately Seeking Susan

All Critics (30) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (5)

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Audience Reviews for Desperately Seeking Susan

  • Aug 30, 2011
    Mistaken identity and amnesia cause a plain housewife to trade lives with a mercurial punk rocker. I think the draw of this film is the cultural milieu it captured. The 80s punk scene is personified by Madonna's Susan, and I can see why some would find the depiction appealing. After all, such counter-culture movements were, and are, portrayed in negative terms, and there's no judgment in this film: infidelity, random sexual escapades, and a odd fashion sense are all upheld. If anything, the establishment is the villain. But the film is a pile of stinking cliches. Amnesia and mistaken identity are about the oldest ploys I can think of, and it's not hard to predict who ends up with whom. And Madonna's performance doesn't evince a real character, a complete person; rather, she's just a stand-in for the cultural movement she represents. Overall, <i>Desperately Seeking Susan</i>, a title that makes me want to defend adverbs, is a film-by-numbers cliche, but there are a few minor redeeming qualities.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Oct 14, 2010
    characteristics of some action thriller or eighties mainstay. Even with Madonna's star power it isn't some icon in pop culture or memorable flop. This was originally some star making oppurtunity for Rosanna Arquette, who is the main character of this film. Her character is the dullest of everyone, not respressed, not uber religious, and she doesn't have any attributes that would suggest rebellion other than blandness. Her husband at least cheats, lies, and does drugs. Madonna's character is also boring, but in the out of place misfit way. The only main difference in her compared to everyone else is her attire, which was out of place next to the yuppie moneybags of Wall Street, but by 1985 had gone mainstream. Madonna does some of her worst acting here, not that she was that great an actress to begin with. The plot is so obvious and banal, and right when I thought they would go somewhere else with it, it faltered and died. The mistaken personality gambit was just as cliched as ever, and nothing new came of it. The only deciding factor in a person's enjoyment of this was the charm of nostalgia, the soundtrack and clothes and blithe attitudes of the disenfranchised was such a trip down history lane. Madonna really clinches it, but it doesn't hurt that extras included John Turturro, Steven Wright, Laurie Metcalf. The best aspect is the relationship between Rosanna Arquette and Aiden Quinn, the unknown hipster love interest of the nineties, ala Benny and Joon. It was quirky, cute, and extremely sweet, but doomed from the start.
    Spencer S Super Reviewer
  • Sep 06, 2010
    Maybe Madonna wasn't the best actress, but it doesn't matter in this movie, the story is good and interesting and funny. Plus Arquette gives a good performance, which makes up for Madonna's. I really enjoyed this movie, it's charming.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Apr 05, 2010
    It's an ok movie about mistaken identity but I think it would have been a lot better had the movie been about Arquette and Madonna hanging out rather than being apart for nearly the whole flick. It was a little slow at parts and there was one thing in the plot that made me roll my eyes a little but it was watchable. Very 80's and that was worth the price for the walk down memory lane as I was a fan of that decade.
    Jason S Super Reviewer
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