{"id":3947,"date":"2007-08-19T17:08:27","date_gmt":"2007-08-20T00:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3947"},"modified":"2021-02-01T16:19:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T23:19:34","slug":"desperately-seeking-susan-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3947","title":{"rendered":"Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Desperate: I love that word. It&#8217;s so romantic.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Poster-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Poster-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Poster.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter accidentally hitting her head, a bored housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) becomes an amnesiac, and is mistaken for a free-spirited woman named Susan (Madonna). With the help of her new friend Dez (Aidan Quinn), Roberta tries to avoid being killed by a mysterious man who is pursuing her; meanwhile, Roberta&#8217;s worried husband (Mark Blum) enlists Susan&#8217;s help in tracking her down.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amnesia<\/li>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Housewives<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>New York City<\/li>\n<li>Rosanna Arquette Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nSusan Seidelman&#8217;s popular &#8217;80s fairytale about amnesia and switched identities is primarily notable as the film which gave pop star Madonna her breakthrough role. While she&#8217;s no great actress, Madonna is perfectly cast here as Susan, and it&#8217;s difficult to imagine anyone else in the part (though many were considered). As Peary so accurately describes her, Susan is &#8220;a sexy, sweet, cocky, casually amoral, totally irresponsible (but forgivable) live-one-minute-at-a-time hedonist who follows her own drumbeat&#8221; &#8212; in other words, someone it&#8217;s easy to imagine stifled housewife Rosanna Arquette longing to emulate. Arquette herself is as wonderful as always; this proved to be her most iconic role as well, and it&#8217;s fascinating to know that she originally envisioned herself as Susan. She&#8217;s surrounded by memorable supporting actors (including Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf, and Robert Joy), and countless &#8220;cameos&#8221; by performers such as Rockets Red Glare and Giancarlo Esposito. But the best &#8220;performance&#8221; in the film is New York itself &#8212; Seidelmen perfectly captures &#8220;the mind-draining suburbia&#8221; of the city&#8217;s outskirts, as well as &#8220;crazy, festive, seductive, always crowded lower Manhattan.&#8221; While the storyline is undeniably preposterous, it is, as noted by Peary, &#8220;enjoyably&#8221; so. Indeed, it&#8217;s hard not to get caught up in Roberta and Susan&#8217;s wild exploits as they maneuver their way through this incomparable city of artists, killers, drifters, and housewives. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rosanna Arquette as Roberta<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Arquette-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Madonna in her best film role<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Madonna-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Laurie Metcalf as Roberta&#8217;s sister-in-law<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Metcalf-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Aidan Quinn as Dez<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Quinn-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Robert Joy as Susan&#8217;s boyfriend<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-Robert-Joy-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of authentic New York locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York.jpg 852w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/Desperately-Seeking-Susan-New-York-479x270.jpg 479w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical popularity. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0089017\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/desperately-seeking-susan-1985\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1985\/03\/29\/movies\/screen-desperately-seeking-susan.html\">NY Times Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/desperately-seeking-susan\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Desperate: I love that word. It&#8217;s so romantic.&#8221; Synopsis: After accidentally hitting her head, a bored housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) becomes an amnesiac, and is mistaken for a free-spirited woman named Susan (Madonna). With the help of her new friend Dez (Aidan Quinn), Roberta tries to avoid being killed by a mysterious man who is pursuing her; meanwhile, Roberta&#8217;s worried husband (Mark Blum) enlists Susan&#8217;s help in tracking her down. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Amnesia Character Arc Housewives&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3947\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3947"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67800,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3947\/revisions\/67800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}