Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

A case of amnesia, complicated by mistaken identity, is what drives this quirky, lovable comedy. But it is more than a comedy. It morphs into a love story and a tale of self-discovery."Desperately Seeking Susan" is a clever, quirky film that delights at every turn. Madonna, in her first significant film role, is the eponymous Susan--a wild woman unrestrained by conventions or predictability. Rosanna Arquette plays Roberta, the amnesiac who invents herself using obscure clues in a hatbox as she attempts to discover her true identity. Both women are terrific.Quirkiness is what drives this film--the story, the dialogue, the casting, the wardrobe, the scenery. Shot in and around New York City, much of the action takes place in neon nightclubs and graffiti-filled alleyways, feeling like it is in the same neighborhood as Mushnick's Flower Shop. Also, look for the snippets of a magic act, a ventriloquist act and a stand-up routine.Director Susan Seidelman deserves credit for this conglomeration of playness and kitsch, and so do the designers whose attention to detail is apparent in every frame.

This was on television and the title sounded cool. Plus for whatever reason I relate this film to a cultural landmark film, for whatever reason. Maybe because I heard this film is a touchstone blah, blah, blah fashion and extra. Whatever they are trying to pass this boring piece of garbage off as, it didn't work on me. I changed the channel after 20 minutes. Life is too short to waste on films you're going to forget about in 5 minutes. Madonna was supposed to be a big deal back in the days. She isn't even hot. This was her in her prime and she is maybe a seven, tops. She just dresses loose and wears sh!t load of makeup. Anyway, this movie blows. Avoid it.

Sure. Back in 1985, when this rather silly Rom-Com was first released - I'm certain that a lot more people cared a whole lot more about Madonna than they do now.And, yes, back then, the viewer might have actually enjoyed this contrived "Chick Flick" immensely. And, if this was the case - They would have, naturally, had to have forgiven Madonna, big-time, for putting in such a pedestrian performance as the "tart-with-the-golden-heart".But, today - 30 years later - Madonna and her predictable screen persona have long ago become passe'. And, with that - I found that her appearance in this somewhat awkward and implausible picture only served to seriously marginalize its story-line rather than elevate it into a cinematic gem that's well-worth remembering.Anyway - You may, very likely, feel different, than I do, about this picture and actually enjoy it from start to finish. And, hey! - That's OK!

I had always heard that in her whole "acting" career, the popular singer only did one good performance, anything afterwards has been terrible, so I had to see what she was like in the good one, from director Susan Seidelman (A Cooler Climate). Basically Roberta Glass (BAFTA winning, and Golden Globe nominated Rosanna Arquette) is in a boring marriage to husband Gary (Mark Blum), who takes her for granted, and the only way she entertains herself is following personal ads titled "Despareatly Seeking Susan", following the progress of a couple. Then she spots that the couple are to meet in New York, so she seeks adventure and follows the ad to its source, and she spots Susan (Madonna), the free-spirit drifter, buys her jacket to emulate her idol and follows her on the way. On her following, Roberta knocks her head into a post, causing her to experience amnesia and forget who she is, when Dez (Aidan Quinn) comes along mistaking her for Susan, and agrees to help her get back on her feet. The real Susan meanwhile gets arrested briefly, and then finds out that her belongings have been taken, and follows any clues she can to find this stranger seeking her. Roberta finds a job working as a magician's assistant at the Magic Club, and also has a run-in with the mob character that wants to get his hands on the real Susan. After this attack, Roberta knocks herself back into her true self, and goes back to Dez to have a night of passion, and husband Gary meanwhile uses the real Susan to look for her. When he finds her, Gary is convinced that Roberta has become a prostitute, well, she has certainly fallen out of love for him, and she pulls herself together to catch the mobster who has stolen some precious earrings. In the end, Roberta and the real Susan finally meet, with the help of the newspaper personal ads, Roberta gives with her new love Dez, and the two women are hailed as heroes in the newspaper for returning the stolen earrings. Also starring Robert Joy as Jim, Laurie Metcalf as Leslie Glass, Anna Levine as Crystal, Will Patton as Wayne Nolan, Peter Maloney as Ian, Steven Wright as Larry Stillman D.D.S, John Turturro as Ray and Anne Carlisle as Victoria. You could criticise that Madonna is almost playing herself, but it doesn't matter, she makes her character likable, while Arquette is endearing as the other woman, the story is reasonable, there are some giggly moments, and Madonna's first number one "Into The Groove" plays, so while it is a little more for women, it is a fun screwball comedy romance thriller. Madonna was number 12 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, and she was number 4 on The Ultimate Pop Star. Very good!