Desperately Seeking Susan (United States, 1985)

History has labeled Susan Seidelman’s Desperately Seeking Susan as “a Madonna film” but a more accurate descriptor might be “a Rosanna Arquette film.” Indeed, at the time Seidelman was casting the film, Madonna was a footnote in the musical world, a rising pop starlet with two Top-10 songs to her credit but no acting experience to speak of. (“Like a Virgin,” which catapulted her to superstardom, dropped in the middle of filming.) However, although Arquette was also relatively new to big-screen productions, her lengthy television resume made her a more natural choice for the central character. Still, through a quirk of timing, Madonna’s participation in the movie became its biggest selling point. As for the chemistry between the two – there isn’t any because they hardly ever share a scene.

The movie uses a “Prince and the Pauper” variant where two characters essentially switch places. Much of the comedy arises from confusion about their identities. One is Roberta Glass (Arquette), a suburban New Jersey housewife who has grown weary of the stay-at-home lifestyle forced upon her by her marriage to a philandering, workaholic husband, hot tub magnate Gary (Mark Blum). The other is Susan (Madonna), a free-spirt who has become tangentially involved in a heist and murder and is just looking to get back to living her bohemian life.

Roberta is obsessed by an ongoing soap opera played out in the newspaper personals between Susan and her long-distance boyfriend, Jim (Robert Joy). When Jim is available for a hook-up, he puts an ad in the classifieds with the title “Desperately Seeking Susan.” When one indicates there will be a meeting in Battery Park, Roberta decides she can’t miss the opportunity to spy on the two in the flesh. After the lovers part, Roberta follows Susan and is able to buy Susan’s jacket after she trades it in at a store for a pair of chic boots. This leads to considerable confusion as at least two people mistake Roberta for Susan, including Jim’s best friend Dez (Aidan Quinn) and a thug, Wayne Nolan (Will Patton), who wants two Egyptian earrings in Susan’s possession. Following a knock on the head in a confrontation with Nolan, Roberta awakens with amnesia and comes to believe that she is Susan. Using a port authority locker key found in the jacket’s pocket, Roberta confiscates Susan’s suitcase (believing it to be hers), which contains the earrings. When Susan goes to retrieve her belongings and finds them gone, she does a little detective work to unearth Roberta’s name and address, then presents herself to Gary with a deal. But she finds Roberta’s life of luxury to be intoxicating and decides to indulge.

There are things about Desperately Seeking Susan that don’t work, including the thriller elements, which feature Will Patton (seemingly mistaking this for another movie in which his creepiness might have been more in tune with the overall tone) trying to retrieve the earrings. The rom-com aspects are also on shaky ground. As buddies, Dez and Roberta are fine together. As lovers, the requisite sparks aren’t there. But those hiccups are minor when considering the best that Seidelman has to offer.

Chief among Desperately Seeking Susan’s pleasures is watching Roberta evolve. Although the concept of amnesia is overused in movies (and TV soap operas), it allows the character to start with a clean slate. Roberta discovers what was missing from her life and, free of her inbred timidity, she is allowed to pursue it. On the flip side, although Susan doesn’t undergo a personality change, it’s amusing to watch her insinuate herself into Roberta’s place – something the befuddled Gary is unable to stop.

Madonna and Arquette are magnetic in their own rights. Susan is mostly a toned-down version of the singer’s public persona while Roberta gave Arquette one of her best roles. Aidan Quinn is a little softer than what one typically expects from him (his signature role – as the villain in the Richard Dreyfuss/Emilio Estevez comedy/thriller, Stakeout – was still two years in the future). In a small part, Laurie Metcalf steals scenes. This is also an early-career credit for John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito.

Although Seidelman made about a dozen other movies during a career that spanned roughly 30 years (she retired in 2017), none came close to achieving the critical or popular success of Desperately Seeking Susan. Many of her films, this one included, featured strong feminist themes. Here, they are evident but never forced or overbearing. Blessed with the right script and cast, Seidelman crafts the perfect tone – a grounded whimsy that allows the fairy tale elements to take flight.

Desperately Seeking Susan (United States, 1985)