A bored New Jersey suburban housewife's fascination with a free-spirited woman she has read about in the personal columns leads to her being mistaken for the woman herself and into a chaotic adventure of amnesia and self-discovery.
I always thought this was one of Madonna's best film performance yet.
***Screwball drama in Manhattan with Rosanna Arquette and Madonna***
Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), a bored housewife in the New York City area, becomes obsessed with a wild child named Susan (Madonna) through the personal ads and inadvertently takes on her persona when she visits Manhattan. Unfortunately a hooligan is after Susan for priceless Egyptian earrings (Will Patton). Mark Blum plays Roberta’s jerk husband and Aidan Quinn a new friend in the city.
“Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985) is a quirky drama revolving around mistaken identity in an unlikely story. It’s entertaining enough and also works as a window into mid-80’s New York City. How much a viewer will appreciate it depends on how smitten (or not smitten) they are with Arquette. She’s winsome, for sure, but I can take her or leave her. Madonna is more alluring in the lesser role, but I’m not big on her either; still, there are a couple scenes that nicely spotlight her attractiveness.
The film runs 1 hour and 43 minutes and was shot in Manhattan; Manhasset, Long Island; and Atlantic City.
GRADE: B-