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Desperately Seeking Susan

Play trailer Poster for Desperately Seeking Susan PG-13 1985 1h 44m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
New Jersey housewife Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) spices up her boring life by reading personal ads, especially a series of them being placed by a mysterious denizen of New York City named Susan (Madonna). When one of Susan's ads proposes a rendezvous with her suitor (Robert Joy) at Battery Park, Roberta secretly tags along. But when her voyeuristic jape ends in permanent memory loss and a new jacket, Roberta begins to gather a lot of unwanted attention from some unsavory characters.
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Desperately Seeking Susan

Desperately Seeking Susan

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Critics Consensus

Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) Madonna remains the movie’s megawatt performance and drips with the knowing charisma of a star whose time has come. Rated: 4/5 Jun 21, 2024 Full Review David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture A few scenes are very funny, but the picture would have worked much better if Seidelman had thrown away half the dialogue and built some momentum. Dec 31, 2019 Full Review Kirk Ellis The Hollywood Reporter An attractive, energetic young cast and some witty, off-center visual humor make the resultant laughs more than worth the wait. Apr 9, 2019 Full Review James Berardinelli ReelViews Blessed with the right script and cast, Seidelman crafts the perfect tone – a grounded whimsy that allows the fairy tale elements to take flight. Rated: 3/4 Aug 5, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand This modern bohemian take on the classic screwball comedy (complete with amnesia, mistaken identity, and a stolen treasure treated as second-hand jewelry) is also a great time capsule of the New York street culture of the 1980s. Apr 6, 2024 Full Review Eve Tushnet Patheos ...rough-edged and willing to be weird; its interiors and lighting are more extreme, its characters are grittier... May 24, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mason M This is a really amazing picture. I could never guess where the plot would go in the next scene, and it's phenomenally written to keep me both laughing and on the edge of my seat for the whole film. Susan Siedelman definitely brings her own magical look on New York, and her direction is wonderfully unique. Rosanna Arquette gives one of her better performances in this film, and Madonna does a great job playing Susan. This film is beautifully shot too, with Siedelman coloring most scenes with stunning colored lights. Desperately Seeking Susan is hilarious, thrilling, beautiful, unique, and a film that would be hard not to enjoy. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/25/25 Full Review Joel H I know that Desperately Seeking Susan was marketed as a vehicle for Madonna’s stardom, but it really shouldn’t have been. This is Rosanna Arquette’s movie. She is the star and Madonna just kind of comes and goes as she pleases. And while they try to portray Madonna’s character, Susan, as a free-spirited bohemian, she just comes across as arrogant and annoying. I would hate to have someone like Susan in my life. Arquette is believable as the naïve character Roberta, but the story is really flimsy. It might have worked better if they would have made Desperately Seeking Susan a comedy instead of a drama. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/08/25 Full Review Karolina K I watched this movie for the first time a couple of days ago. It was a fun throw back to the 80’s. So many miscommunications in a world without cell phones and social media. The story was kind of cute. I really enjoyed Aidan Quinn in it especially. I think Patricia Arquette did a great job too. Madonna was fine. It definitely was 80’s weird in parts. Like you know the kind of weirdness that was present in the 90’s. Like really random, strange things that are kind of messy and eclectic. It’s not a bad thing. Kind of charming actually. It’s what I love about the 80’s. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/11/25 Full Review Farah R A movie that must’ve worked better in the time it was released, Desperately Seeking Susan’s strange script and unbelievable story make it less enjoyable for today’s audience. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review Leaburn O A really good 80s comedy caper. Not the funniest but has a light film and quite a tight plot for a screwballish film. Madonna and Arquette are both very good. Watched on Amazon Prime. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/28/24 Full Review Audience Member This movie is a great snapshot of the '80s. It's the best movie Madonna ever did. She's essentially playing a version of herself. This is early Madonna before she became the Madonna. Great cast all around including Aiden Quinn and of course Rosanna Arquette Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis New Jersey housewife Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) spices up her boring life by reading personal ads, especially a series of them being placed by a mysterious denizen of New York City named Susan (Madonna). When one of Susan's ads proposes a rendezvous with her suitor (Robert Joy) at Battery Park, Roberta secretly tags along. But when her voyeuristic jape ends in permanent memory loss and a new jacket, Roberta begins to gather a lot of unwanted attention from some unsavory characters.
Director
Susan Seidelman
Producer
Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford
Screenwriter
Leora Barish
Production Co
Orion Pictures
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.4M
Runtime
1h 44m
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