Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

I***LOVE***This***Movie***!

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN is a fun 80s movie and Madonna's best character (though many would argue she was just playing herself).

The plot centers around a bored New Jersey housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette,) who daydreams about adventure and romance, as she becomes obsessed with someone named Susan (Madonna) whom she read about in the "personals" section of the paper. Roberta goes into New York City, bumps her head and loses her memory, suddenly finding herself in the middle of all the adventure and romance she can handle.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a 20th anniversary edition or something like that, but I guess this is a movie that appeals to those of us who were either teenagers in the 80s or huge Madonna fans.

This DVD is double-sided with widescreen on one side and standard on the other. It also features audio commentary from the producers, the trailer, and an alternate ending.

"Desperately Seeking Susan" may not be Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition), but if you're looking for an entertaining movie with a fun plot and cool Madonna this is it.

November 24, 2008

Madonna loves to play herself, any chance for a bio pic?

Madonna was supposed to be at the premiere of her picture when I watched it, but rumor had it she was delayed because a maniac stalker was trying to break into her house. But my guess was she hid in the manager's office like most stars do and sat down during the last part of the film. Oh, the film. Aidan Quinn does quite well as the projectionist who falls in love with her during the identity confusion- Susan tramps the streets dressed like Madonna and vice versa. Will Patton plays a gangster out to kill her in a very chilling chase scene. Often it is said art mirrors real life. And I kept my comment cards from the movie for my trivia collection. October 23, 2008

"Desperately seeking Susan. Meet me, four o'clock, Battery Park. Keep the faith. Love, Jim."

Though the story line has been done so many times it's a great film. I'd seen this several times as a teenager and still think of it the same way. This movie really has less to do with Madonna and more to do with Rosanna Arquette.

It's hard to imagine anybody not coming across this film but if you haven't it starts out with Roseanna Arquette who plays Roberta Glass, a bored New Jersey housewife, who constantly follows the on-going relationship of Jim and Susan. One day, Roberta decides that she would really like to meet Susan, so she places an add in the paper, telling Susan to meet Roberta at Battery Park in New York City. Susan (played by Madonna) shows up, but is arrested because of cab fair. Roberta is being harassed by some lunatic. After a bump on the head and a bout of amnesia, turns Roberta into Susan. Susan's boyfriend Jim (played by Robert Joy) asks his best friend Dez (played by Aiden Quinn) finds Roberta, but thinks she is Susan. The two become lovers.

It's not all that great of a storyline, but the characters are charming enough and the music, of course, is '80's perfect. This film captures perhaps better than any other New York & general American pop culture of the early-to-mid-1980s. Madonna is at her best/(worst?) here, and we get a full helping of the clothes, hair, quirky characters, and great pop music of the era. The supporting actors are great, including Laurie Metcalf as Roberta's uptight sister-in-law and John Turturro as a sleazy night club host. The acting is understated and not over the top- including Madonna, who just seemed to be reading her lines very carefully, but to good effect. Susan Seidelman did an excellent job at directing, too bad she has not done much more! The settings are used to great effect as well, giving you a taste of the exciting East Village and it's suburban opposite Fort Lee, NJ.

This great 80's flick will include running audio commentary by the director as well as deleted scenes and an alternate ending, which to me wasn't all that great. Keep your expectations low and you'll have a good time with this one.
February 12, 2008

A Fun, Romantic, Escapism Movie

I've always loved this movie. Cute, silly, and fun. Cracks me up every time I watch it.

I'm a fan of Thomas Newman's soundtracks and have this one. If you like the music, you'll want to check out his many other movie scores. One of the rarer ones is "Josh & S.A.M." which is another cute movie and one of my absolute favorite movie scores. July 8, 2007

It made Madonna a star

I remembered seeing this movie when I was a kid, when Madonna was new and exciting and innovating. It's twenty years later and she's still new and exciting and innovating. She had made a name for herself with her music, and she has always flirted with a movie career. While this was her first effort, to this day, this maintains to me as her best movie work. Because she was, after all, playing herself.

Madonna plays Susan, a punk rock / New Waver in the 80s who travels all over the world in her pursuit of a good time. She and her boyfriend, Jim, keep up through the personal ads in the paper (way before the Internet and text messaging - think about what an effort they had to make!). Their ads have attracted the attention of a lonely New Jersey housewife named Roberta. Unhappy in her own marriage and the mundane pattern of her existence, Roberta finds Susan's to be exciting and is curious to see the woman behind the print ad. She follows Susan to a quick meeting in the park with Jim, and through a series of semi ridiculous coincidences and semi screwball comedy antics (mostly on Arquette's part), she ends up being mistaken for Susan and due to her questionable amnesiac condition gets to switch places with her. If only she could remember it all.

It was a somewhat romantic if not feminist comedy without having any gay undertones to it. Roberta realizes her marriage to Gary was weak at best (the best laughs come from the interaction between Gary and his sister, Laurie Metcalf pre Roseanne) and breaks free from him in the end. Susan doesn't change, but realizes maybe she should curb her wild ways just a tad. If not to avoid another murder / stolen antiquities scandal. And Aiden Quinn is a lovable handsome prince for Roberta to fall for. July 6, 2007

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