Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Susan Seidelman

Writer:

Leora Barish (written by)

Release Date:

29 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

Roberta is desperate to be Susan. Susan is wanted by the mob. The mob finds Roberta instead...

Plot:

A bored suburban housewife, seeking adventure to her life, accidentally gets hit on the head, wakes up with amnesia, and is mistaken for a free-spirited New York City drifter named Susan.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Housewife | Jacket | Amnesia | New York City

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Rosanna Arquette	...	Roberta Glass
Madonna	...	Susan
Aidan Quinn	...	Dez
Mark Blum	...	Gary Glass
Robert Joy	...	Jim
Laurie Metcalf	...	Leslie Glass
Anna Levine	...	Crystal
Will Patton	...	Wayne Nolan
Peter Maloney	...	Ian
Steven Wright	...	Larry Stillman D.D.S
John Turturro	...	Ray
Anne Carlisle	...	Victoria
José Angel Santana	...	Boutique Owner (as Jose Santana)
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Street Vendor
Richard Hell	...	Bruce Meeker

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

8th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Upon reading the script for the first time, Rosanna Arquette expressed her desire to play the part of Susan. She was surprised to discover the producers actually wanted her to play the lead part of Roberta.

Goofs:

Continuity: Susan/Madonna wore pants with silver pockets when walking in NYC and followed closely by Roberta, but the next take after having met Jimmy her black pants are different and without silver pockets.

Quotes:

Roberta: Here it is, a message from Jim.
[Reading from newspaper]
Roberta: "Desperately seeking Susan. Meet me, four o'clock, Battery Park. Keep the faith. Love, Jim."
Leslie: Jim? Susan? Do you know these people?
Roberta: They send messages through the personal ads, that's how they hook up. Last year she was in Mexico City, then Los Angeles, now New York. Desperate. I love that word.
Leslie: Everybody I know is desperate, except for you.
Roberta: I'm desperate.
Leslie: Ha!
Roberta: Well, sort of.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane: Desperately Seeking Zoe (#2.8)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

HAIL! HAIL! THE GANG'S ALL HERE

Irreverent, Original and Hilarious

Luscious Rosanna Arquette is perfect as the naive housewife in one of the most original comedies ever. Anyone who takes this picture seriously needs a reality check. Madonna is perfect as herself and everyone else in the cast sets this movie up for maximum laughs. Mark Blum does well as the inattentive self-absorbed husband, Aidan Quinn as the unknowing love interest to Rosanna, and even the smaller roles (including a funny bit with a virtually unknown John Turturro) make this a real treat. There are just too many funny lines and scenes to mention. A 10 for originality. [But Arquette and Madonna being the same weight and size?--C'mon]