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Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
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Overview
Release Date:
29 March 1985 (USA) moreTagline:
Roberta is desperate to be Susan. Susan is wanted by the mob. The mob finds Roberta instead... morePlot:
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. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Madonna To Trade Acting For Directing (From WENN. 10 June 2008, 9:08 AM, PDT)
Writers Strike Halts Arquette Film (From WENN. 20 November 2007)
User Comments:
A good cast and a respectably low budget, but such a dumb story moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
104 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
StereoCertification:
Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PGMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Continuity: When Susan walks dripping wet from the swimming pool to the poolside chair, her path is already wet from previous takes. moreQuotes:
Susan: Roberta kept a diary. Great stuff.[Reading]
Susan: "Couldn't sleep. Went into kitchen. Gary came in, turned on light. Gary left. Finished birthday cake." Pages of it. It's got to be a cover, nobody's life could be this boring!
Gary: You shouldn't be reading that, it's personal.
Susan: Yeah, well it's not about her, it's about me.
[Reading]
Susan: "He's looking for Susan again. This is the fifth ad he's run. Why does he want to see her so badly? Who is she?" And here's my picture.
more
Soundtrack:
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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The thing to see in Desperately Seeking Susan (a film I watched all the way through, for some reason or other, in the wee hours of morning) is the style of its time, the music, and Madonna. While she may have been lesser known when she was shooting this, by the time it was released it showed itself in its colors as just slightly more than a predictable vehicle. The cast that's set up (Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf, Will Patton, Steven Wright) do what they can, and they show how they would go on to bigger and brighter roles and careers. But there's just something about the script that kept on bugging me. Perhaps it's the device of amnesia- on top of the dopey, cute-to-the-girls guy (Quinn) that bugged me, or the way that situations just seemed to skim around truth in the plot. Then again, it is a suburbs vs. city fable dealing with personal ads, missing earrings, and a Magic Club. As a chick flick fantasy of the times it does work, but there's not a whole lot for the rest of the audience.
Or, perhaps, this just wasn't my kind of movie, despite liking the actors, and being intrigued by the time-capsule nature of the lower-east side and attitude of NYC. Although, Madonna was rather appealing in parts, if not as a whole performance (and definitely appealing compared to now, nineteen years later, as she goes through a "kaballah" phase). C