Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

“[smoking a joint] There are – things happening in solar systems so far away that we can’t even see them. I mean, what do – what do – what do they care – what do they care if I am the Spa King of New Jersey? ” – Gary

Number of Times Seen – Twice (cable in the 80’s and 18 Sep 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A bored suburban housewife follows the personal ads for information about a mysterious couple and inadvertently gets involved with their lives when she is mistaken for the women by gangsters.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recall hearing so much about when it came out, yet only saw it once on cable as a kid and wasn’t very impressed with it.

This is a film that screams ‘the 80’s’, and doesn’t manage to age very well because it just doesn’t work very well most of the way through.

The plot itself is a bit too wacky and most of what happens is extremely predictable in the way things play out.

This hurt the movie because it fails to feel original or even find a way to stay consistent for its own good along the way.

Rosanna Arquette is ok in the lead role, but unfortunately her chemistry with her co-stars, most notably Aidan Quinn is almost non existent and it’s so hard to care about anything that happens to her.

Madonna feels very out of place in this film too, and she fails to make her role or the story more interesting to watch unfold.

The story itself drags a bit too much here and the gangster aspect of things is a bit silly in the way that it is presented because the characters all feel like caricatures.

The best part of this film is the quick appearance of Steven Wright in a very small yet funny role.

Bottom Line – Very 80’s film that hasn’t aged well at all. The plot is a bit too wacky and predictable for its own good and fails to remain consistent throughout. Arquette is fine in the lead, but she has strange chemistry with Quinn. Madonna seems much too out of her league as a film star in this role and fails to make things more interesting to watch. The story drags along a bit too much especially when dealing with the gangster aspect which is quite silly as presented. LOved seeing Wright in a small yet funny role.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Camel withdrew a $5,000 sponsorship because of the scene in which Dez tells Roberta that she “should stop smoking”. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)