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Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads.
All Critics (27) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (4) | DVD (2)
An attractive, energetic young cast and some witty, off-center visual humor make the resultant laughs more than worth the wait. Apr 9, 2019 | Full Review…
An attractive, energetic young cast and some witty, off-center visual humor make the resultant laughs more than worth the wait.
Kirk Ellis
More central to the popularity of "Susan" is the way it allows the audience to feel hip. Jan 2, 2018 | Full Review…
More central to the popularity of "Susan" is the way it allows the audience to feel hip.
Paul Attanasio
"Desperately Seeking Susan" (accurately rated PG-13) is a lark, an exhilarating celebration of people who have the good sense to be in touch with themselves and with each other. Dec 6, 2017 | Full Review…
"Desperately Seeking Susan" (accurately rated PG-13) is a lark, an exhilarating celebration of people who have the good sense to be in touch with themselves and with each other.
Kevin Thomas
All of this is cause for consistent smiling and a few outright laughs, without ever building to complete comedy. May 23, 2008 | Full Review…
All of this is cause for consistent smiling and a few outright laughs, without ever building to complete comedy.
Variety Staff
The film acquires a pleasant, syncopated rhythm as it bounces from one unlikely event to another. May 23, 2008 | Full Review…
The film acquires a pleasant, syncopated rhythm as it bounces from one unlikely event to another.
Dave Kehr
Even if the plotting (a mistaken identity farce involving that old chestnut, amnesia brought on by a bump to the head) is square as a square peg. Madonna has never found a better fit than the role of Susan. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
Even if the plotting (a mistaken identity farce involving that old chestnut, amnesia brought on by a bump to the head) is square as a square peg. Madonna has never found a better fit than the role of Susan.
Conjures an impossibly cool, fairy tale New York. One of those movies I wish I could live inside. Aug 11, 2017 | Full Review…
Conjures an impossibly cool, fairy tale New York. One of those movies I wish I could live inside.
Sean Burns
Director Susan Seidelman guides her cast with a light, enthusiastic touch, never making more out of her frothy material than need be. May 23, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
Director Susan Seidelman guides her cast with a light, enthusiastic touch, never making more out of her frothy material than need be.
Featuring the first (and only decent) screen performance by Madona, this charming comedy imposes the old fracical gimmick of amnesia on a hip and stylish East Village milieu. Jun 20, 2006 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Featuring the first (and only decent) screen performance by Madona, this charming comedy imposes the old fracical gimmick of amnesia on a hip and stylish East Village milieu.
Emanuel Levy
Offbeat Susan Seidelman comedy features funny Madonna and Arquette. Jun 8, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Offbeat Susan Seidelman comedy features funny Madonna and Arquette.
Steve Crum
This has to be the most overrated movie of 1985. Mar 26, 2004 | Rating: 2/5
This has to be the most overrated movie of 1985.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Surprisingly boring and annoying '80s movie. Mistaken identity, blah. Nothing really funny happens. Jul 14, 2003 | Rating: 1/5
Surprisingly boring and annoying '80s movie. Mistaken identity, blah. Nothing really funny happens.
Fred Topel
The full five star rating for this one as it is a movie I loved when I was about 11 and Madonna was my all time favorite singer (that changed two albums in when she became crap, but anyhow, at this stage she could do no wrong). This is the perfect role for Madonna - I guess because she pretty much plays herself. A bit obnoxious, and willing to use her sexuality to get her own way (I never realized how much of this movie she spends in her bra until I re watched it last night. Rosanna Arquette, also perfect here. She is the more relatable character of the two. Still very attractive, but lacking Susan's confidence, which I guess it's so great that it ends as it does. Won't go on too much as I am sure most people have seen this one by now, but if you haven't, it is pretty much the ultimate chick flick and full of great 80's fashions to top it off.
Super Reviewer
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.
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, Desperately Seeking Susan, a title that makes me want to defend adverbs, is a film-by-numbers cliche, but there are a few minor redeeming qualities.
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.
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