Customer Reviews

Desperately Seeking Susan

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Considered by many to be Madonna's best film before she did Evita, "Desperately Seeking Susan" is a classic film for anyone interested by the 1980's and its' pop culture. Similar to what "Beverly Hills Cop" did for Los Angeles during that era, "Desperately Seeking Susan" capitulates on the hip and happening lifestyle found in the East Village and most importantly, Madonna.

Who knew how big Madonna would become? The essence of the Madonna we loved back when she was a rising star are all here. The dirty blonde hair, plastic bracelets, studded boots, they are all here. Although, the film was supposed to be a starring vehicle for Rosanna Arquette, everyone knows who stole the spotlight.

The film also served as an introductory spotlight for many stars who would find their niche here including a pre-"Roseanne" Laurie Metcalf, John Tuturro, Steven Wright, Iris Chacon (she is a big Latin television star who appears briefly on a television in the later half of the movie),Giancarlo Esposito and Aidan Quinn.

The score by Thomas Newman is wonderful and memorable, and Madonna again steal the spotlight, this time nusically with her memorable party classic "Into the Groove," played at the night club scene and during the ending credits.

Overall, the film captures the essence of life in the city versus that of the suburbs. If anyone wants to know what New York City was before the P.G. (Pre-Guiliani) age, then watch this film. As one of my favorite films of all time, I highly recommend it to all.

The specs for the DVD aren't listed on amazon. This great 80's flick will include running audio commentary by the director as well as deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Just wanted anyone interested to know the extras on the DVD.

I've seen this movie probably about 50 or 60 times. It came out when I was a senior in high school and working at a movie theater that showed one movie at a time. DSS played for about 4 months. Hence, the numerous viewings. The movie has never stopped being funny, sweet, and relentlessly entertaining. I still find this movie a guilty pleasure, and I pop it in whenever I'm feeling down and need a pick-me-up. The cast is great: Aidan Quinn and Rosanna Arquette have great chemistry. Madonna is funny and sexy and at this point still has a real woman's body. Laurie Metcalf (as Becky) is simply superb. This woman is a genius and I'll never understand why she isn't a superstar. She has almost all the best lines in the film, and believe me there are many. Steven Wright makes a hilarious cameo. And look for John Turturro. The plot is as silly as they get, but the writing is sharp with tons of quotable lines. The movie is a time capsule of wonderful vintage 80s junk-chic, complete with soundtrack. Watch it and reminisce.

This is a great little comedy from the 80s. It did a great job of capturing the hip and trendy at the time as well as using the tried and true conventions of amnesia and mistaken identities and the fish-out-of-water gag. The cast is so appealing here: Arquette and Quinn are adorable; Metcalfe and Wright are hillarious, and Madonna is Madonna and that is just perfect for this film. A great rainy day or pick-me-up film that has aged well for the 80s in the same way Doris & Rock did for the 60s.

Back in the mid-Eighties, MTV played the video for Madonna's "Get into the Groove", the hit single from the soundtrack to *Desperately Seeking Susan*, about, oh, 120 freakin' times a day. The video featured so many clips from the film, and the network played the damn video so often, that I certainly never felt the need to see the movie. (Of course, my status as a rocker made seeing a movie starring Madonna prohibitive, anyway.) However, the additions of two decades of physical decay, a pot belly, and a few "distinguished" gray hairs -- in other words, maturity -- has made me appreciate now what I missed back then. Director Susan Seidelman's *Desperately Seeking Susan* is a pretty faultless farce, almost equal to Shakespeare's *Comedy of Errors* (from which it seems to draw its prime inspiration). The plot is impressively complicated: a well-to-do New Jersey housewife (Rosanna Arquette), when not hosting parties for her selfish husband, spends her time following the love affair of "Susan" and her beau in the Personal ads. A series of wildly implausible events culminates in her becoming an amnesiac. She's mistaken for "Susan" by the buddy of Susan's boyfriend, and so she naturally comes to believe that she really IS Susan. Whew! -- did I mention that someone's willing to kill "Susan" for her earrings, which turn out to be genuine Egyptian jewelry of great antiquity? The resolution to all this malarkey is composed like a great farcical fugue, with the plot elements falling lovingly into place (but even so, there's a surprise or two that awaits). Perhaps of even greater interest is the now-nostalgic view of 1980's New York City, which Seidelman renders with exactitude and a surprising amount of real, dirty, pre-Giuliani grit. Madonna fascinates, too: it's almost touching to see her obvious lack of confidence, her tentativeness . . . hell, her eagerness to please. In this movie, she's not even remotely the same person as the middle-aged virago of ego we all know and love today. Finally, the plot's emphasis on Personal ads makes *Desperately Seeking Susan* seem like a quaint antique when viewed in today's age of e-mail. (The movie could not be made today. Susan and her boyfriend would simply have exchanged private e-mails, and Arquette's character would never have known about it.) In other words, it's bound to make aging GenX'ers feel more than a bit melancholy and, well, old. But that's all right. Time may march on, but the movies of our youth remain young at heart.

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.

This movie epitomizes the giddiness of the New Wave-bohemian lifestyle of the 80's. I watched this movie as a teenager and was fascinated by the outlandish people and the New York City setting. Today I watch it and am struck by the ultimate sweetness of the characters, particularly Roberta (Rosanna Arquette-this really is her movie) and Dez (Aidan Quinn). I think it is an excellent example of screwball, romantic comedy. It's the kind of movie I can watch again and again and it always seems fresh. 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 intruiging East Village and it's suburban opposite Fort Lee, NJ. If you enjoy this movie I would highly recommend "After Hours" and "Something Wild" which are in the same NYC 80's bohemian kind of vein, although a little darker in tone.

People who get lost in Madonna's appearance in Desperately Seeking Susan are more interested in star quality than in the merits of a funny comedy with lots for everyone. The plot has been described by many reviewers, so I won't belabor that point. But the movie boasts enough touches of brilliance to blunt the impact of its few flaws.
Its chief strength is that it never takes itself too seriously. A close second is the myriad of colorful minor characters, including John Tuturro (the first place I saw him) as the host in the Magic Club. Laurie Metcalf is wonderfully loopy as Gary Glass's sister Leslie. As Gary and Leslie's latest conquest Dr. Stillman (a dentist -- but at least he's not a PhD) discuss Roberta's disappearance, they raid the refrigerator. Leslie demands, "How can you two eat at a time like this?" To which Gary responds, "We eat because we're nervous" at which point Leslie provides one of the great comeback lines of all time -- "Then take a Vallium like a normal person!"
The movie is filled with moments like that. Anyone approaching this movie for the first time should be sure to watch it twice -- once for the plot, and then once to notice all the little "bits".
Incidentally, the DVD includes Susan Seidelman's original ending for the film. The movie was originally about 5 minutes longer. When she showed the movie in preview, the audiences expected it to end where it does now. To Ms. Seidelman's credit, she re-edited the ending. The released version is MUCH better.
This is a silly movie with an absurd premise, but it is enormous fun and shows a lot of heart.
Watch it even if you don't like Madonna. You won't be sorry.

My future ex-husband dragged a reluctant-but-willing-to-humor-him me to this movie in 1985 because he was hoping to see Madonna unclothed. He came out disappointed because she did not actually take off all her clothes.

I came out delighted because guess what? The movie is about a different woman (Rosanna Arquette) whose husband takes her for granted, and she turns out to be much more interesting and fun than he is. In between it has murder, theft, a suburban house party, ethnic neighborhoods of New York City, assorted clubs, jail, and all kinds of other contrasts. The title roles are quirky, and it has some terrific supporting roles and memorable lines.

It is unpredictable right to the end. It does not rely on nudity; it is not full of profanity; it does not try to make you cry. While it probably appeals more to women, it is not your typical "chick flick". It would make an especially good gift for a girlfriend or sister whose relationship is on the rocks.

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.