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Desperately Seeking Susan Details

1985 Certificate 15
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 2674 members

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 .. Read more

Starring Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Robert Jay, Aidan Quinn
Director Susan Seidelman
Genres Comedy

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Desperately Seeking Susan

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 intensive 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 1980s. 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 fun, screwball 80s love letter to the downtown scene.

Starring Madonna, Rosanna Arquette, Robert Jay, Aidan Quinn
Director Susan Seidelman
Studio MGM ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 59 mins
Certificate Certificate 15
Collections 100 Eighties Greats
Genres Comedy
Language DVD: English
Dubbed French, German
Hearing-impaired English, German
Subtitles DVD: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish
Released DVD: 15 Aug 2000
Production year: 1985
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (4) of Desperately Seeking Susan

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    A delightful and funny movie, most notable for the fact that Madonna is actually very good in it (but then one could argue that she is playing a character not unlike her own). She's the free-living, wildly dressed Susan who trades messages with her lover in the New York Times; Rosanna Arquette is Roberta, the bored housewife who follows the ads until a bump on the head leads her to believe she actually is Susan. What makes this movie so enjoyable are the performances of the two lead women, both of whom turn out to be tough and desirable at the same time. They are ably supported by Mark Blum as Roberta's moronic husband and Aidan Quinn (Blink, Legends of the Fall) as the man even the strongest woman could not resist being rescued by. Smart and utterly charming.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Mired in suburban wedlock Roberta (Arquette) turns to the personal ads for vicarious romance, with unexpected results.... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of Desperately Seeking Susan

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  • 15 out of 21 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    GOOD ENTERTAINMENT

    LIGHT HEARTED COMEDY. THE ACTING WAS GOOD. LOVED AIDAN QUINN.

      • Sparkie from Bristol, UK
      • Posted 10 Feb 2005 17:31

  • Most recent members' review of Desperately Seeking Susan

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  • 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Enjoyable

    --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 intensive 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 fun, screwball 80's love letter to the downtown scene.

      • A customer from GLASGOW
      • Posted 13 May 2005 18:11

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Rating breakdown

2,674 Member ratings
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  • 90
146
  • 80
331
  • 70
431
  • 60
615
  • 50
354
  • 40
272
  • 30
165
  • 20
114
  • 10
57

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      • 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 ...