Details
Movie Description
Rosanna Arquette is Roberta Glass, a bored New Jersey yuppie housewife who finds escapism from her mundane life in the New York personal ad exploits of a flighty bohemian named Susan (Madonna). When Roberta travels to the city to witness an ad-inspired meeting between Susan and her lover Jimmy, she bumps her head, loses her memory, and for all intents and purposes, becomes Susan, thanks to a case of mistaken identity. As a result, she is pursued by crooks and other shady characters through the funky East Village of the early '80's. Quinn is the confused film protectionist who stumbles into the role of Roberta/Susan's protector. Madonna, not quite a superstar when this was filmed, uses this small role to show the sort of charisma she would soon shower upon the world in larger doses. Steven Wright, Giancarlo Esposito, Richard Hell, Ann Magnuson, John Lurie, and Arto Lindsay also turn up in small roles in this screwball '80's love letter to the downtown scene.
Synopsis
Susan Seidelman's brightly colored farce about a suburban housewife who switches identities with a sexy free spirit. Bored with her life of leisure in the New Jersey suburbs and her egotistical hot-tub salesman husband, Roberta becomes fascinated by a series of personal ads placed by a man "desperately seeking" someone named Susan. Susan turns out to be a bohemian bombshell who's toting a pair of stolen earrings and has the mob on her tail. Through a series of wacky coincidences, Roberta gets knocked on the head and wakes up convinced she's Susan -- and everyone else thinks so, too. Lost in the urban wonderland of downtown Manhattan, Roberta experiences the madcap adventure that is Susan's life and finds the excitement and romance that has being missing from her own.
Film Notes
Filmed in New York City and New Jersey; in DuArt color, prints by DeLuxe.
This was Madonna's film debut. It was Susan's Seidelman's second feature. Her first was the low-budget feature "Smithereens."
Opticals by Computer Optical, Inc. Sound rerecording by Sound One Corporation and Lee Dichter and music editing by Lou Cerborino.
Film was originally rated R by the MPAA, but won a PG-13 rating on appeal.
Copyright 1985 Orion Pictures Corporation.
Industry Reviews
"...A terrifically genial New York City farce....Arquette and Madonna are delights, as is each member of the huge supporting cast..."
New York Times - p.C5 - Vincent Canby
Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1985"
New York Times - p.II, 19 - Vincent Canby (12/29/1985)
"...Endearingly hilarious....DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN is a lark, an exhilarating celebration of people who have the good sense to be in touch with themselves and with each other..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (03/28/1986)
"...It's amusing enough stuff, with snappy dialogue..."
Total Film - Will Columbine (10/01/2000)
"The movie was a vehicle for Rosanna Arquette, but Madonna danced away with it..."
Rolling Stone - Rolling Stone Staff (11/27/2003)
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