Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) - Movie Review

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Today I'm going to talk about Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna's acting breakthrough! Let's jump into it!

CREDITS

The movie was directed by Susan Seidelman and was released on March 29, 1985. It stars Rosanna Arquette as Roberta, Madonna as Susan, Aidan Queen as Dez, Mark Blum as Gary, Robert Joy as Jim and Laurie Metcalf as Leslie. 

Other notable actors are Will Patton, who plays Wayne Nolan (the main antagonist) and Anna Levine, who plays Susan's best friend Crystal. 

Last but not least, we have Peter Maloney and John Turturro. They play Ian and Ray respectively, two characters that work at the Magic Club, a key place in the movie.

(The entire cast of the movie, photographed by Richard Corman)

BASIC PLOT

Roberta, a bored housewife who lives in Fort Lee, New Jersey, has developed a curious interest in reading the personals section of a NYC tabloid. She is particularly intrigued by a woman named Susan, a drifter, who sends and receives messages to and from her boyfriend Jim. One day she notices an ad titled "Desperately Seeking Susan": Jim tells Susan to meet him in Battery Park, New York. 

At this point Roberta, feeling more and more alone, neglected by her husband Gary and secretly wishing she could be Susan, decides to go there and finally see who Jim and Susan are. Roberta spies their meeting and then follows Susan.

From this exact moment, after a series of events including amnesia and false identification, Roberta ends up assuming the identity of Susan. 

REVIEW

The movie

A really enjoyable work, Desperately Seeking Susan is your perfect feel-good 80's comedy. It has action, romanticism, escapism, mystery. 

It mostly has a defined aesthetic, as it does a very good job at depicting the New York underground scene of the early 80's. The movie was indeed filmed in 1984, when the New Wave movement was at its absolute peak. Take the famous scene where Susan meets Gary at the Magic Club: the two characters find themselves dancing around on the dance floor surrounded by very singular people with even more singular hairstyles, outfits and make up, all typically Post-Punk/New Romantic. This reality creates a contrast with Roberta and Gary's environment, which is more quiet, "socially acceptable" but oh so boring to Roberta. 

New York was alive at the time and it was alive thanks to the New Wave movement. Roberta is a character that exists without being alive but realising this is what eventually saves her at the end of the movie. 

Desperately Seeking Susan is about finding yourself, being true to yourself, living life to your own rules and basically allowing yourself to "get into the groove". 

(Rosanna Arquette as Roberta)

The music

Music is a highly important part of the movie. Literally every defining scene, where the plot thickens or takes a sharp turn, has music in the background. 

The soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time and I'm being honest here. Thomas Newman, who composed it, really captured the soul, the spirit of New York around 1984. Compositions like "New York City By Day" (arguably inspired by Prince's The Beautiful Ones), "Port Authority By Night" and "Jail/Port Authority By Day" are more than pieces of music, they're time capsules. 

Other notable songs are also used in the movie: Into The Groove by Madonna herself, the song that promoted the movie at the time by becoming one of the biggest hits of 1985, can be heard (in its demo version) during the already cited Magic Club scene; Urgent by Jr. Walker plays when Susan first appears on screen; You Belong To Me by Carly Simon can be heard at Roberta's birthday party; Sucker M.C.'s by Run-D.M.C. plays when Susan tries the earrings she previously stole and last but not least, Respect by Aretha Franklin can be heard when Susan trades her iconic jacket for a pair of shoes in a clothing store. 

The fashion

Fashion is another element that makes this movie great. The contrast between the fresh, creative, funny Post-Punk style and the conservative clothes Roberta, Gary and their relatives wear is exhilarating, I truly can't find any other word.
The colorful jackets, the shiny shoes, the androgynous make up, the curious juxtapositions of colors, the gothic outfits reminiscent of Prince's Purple Rain and the voluminous hair alternate with your typical high society, elegant, classic clothing.
Fashion is the first thing viewers notice when they get to see the differences between Susan's environment and Roberta's environment.

(Madonna and Anna Levine as Susan and Crystal)

The city 

Throughout the movie we are able to see many different places in New York City: Battery Park, where Roberta sees Susan and Jim for the first time, Bleecker Street Cinema, where Dez works, the Audubon Ballroom and the Danceteria, where the scenes at the Magic Club were filmed.
We also get to know the different cultures that were living in New York, from African-American to Puerto Rican. The scene where Susan takes a taxi to go to Battery Park is also important in this regard, as the taxi driver describes the effects of globalization on New York: "I lived in New York all my life. We used to have Chinese restaurants, Italian restaurants...now you have these sushi restaurants, everyone goes for sushi". 

Susan Thomas: A portrait

(Madonna as Susan, photographed by Herb Ritts)

Susan Thomas is a drifter who travels across the country, she's a libertine spirit who doesn't conform to society's norms. We could also describe her as a hothead , as the idea of sleeping with someone who's not her boyfriend, playing with people's feelings or stealing things is not that big of a deal to her. She often does things without thinking about the consequences.
When she first appears on screen we see her in a hotel room with a stranger. She soon leaves the room after stealing some mysterious earrings from him....but little did she knew that those earrings would lead her into trouble.

Susan is Madonna's most iconic role. Her performance is amazing and effortless, as Susan is basically Madonna herself.
What made Susan an icon though? How did she contribute to the Madonnamania?
Here are some points:

• Her style: The iconic jacket, the gloves, her signature black ribbon, black sunglasses (she even rocks them at night!), the stylish rhinestone studded boots and her provocative necklaces. This whole look is Madonna's most recognizable look ever, it's the one people associate her with and the one people imitate the most. Susan's style totally took the Madonnamania to a whole new level as girls around the world started to dress exactly like her. Madonna herself was astounded when she saw thousands of girls dressed like her at her Virgin Tour. 

(Madonna as Susan, photographed by Andy Schwartz). 

• She is authentic: When she has something to say she says it! She's genuine, full of life, carefree, confident and sexy: "Yeah, well, fortunately for everybody, I'm here and I'm thinking! Give me the car keys!" 

• Her sense of humor: The movie is funny and puts you in a good mood but Susan is the one that will make you laugh your eyes out! "Some witch steals my clothes", "She split on you, huh?" "Oh, so you're the witch's husband, where's my stuff?"  are some of her funniest lines.

Critical and commercial success

The movie became the first American independent feature to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It was well received by critics, The New York Times even named it one of the ten best movies of 1985. It has since become a cult and feminist classic. 

Rosanna Arquette received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and she was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Madonna also received positive reviews for her role: "She's an indolent, trampy goddess" said the late Pauline Kael in 1985, reviewing the movie for The New Yorker. Today, Susan is still considered one of Madonna's best acting performances.

From a commercial point of view, the movie was also a success. On a budget of $4 million it ended up grossing over $27 million in North America alone. 

(Madonna in Los Angeles, at the official premiere of the movie, in 1985)

In conclusion...

Desperately Seeking Susan is my favorite Madonna movie and one of my favorite movies of the 80's. Whenever I'm home alone or sick I put it on and it immediately puts me in a good mood. I love the chemistry between the actors, the crazy but funny story, Madonna at her most adorable and accessible. 

I know Madonna has many other good roles that also received way more critical acclaim than Susan but in this movie she was absolutely impeccable, she was herself, she didn't play a part, I didn't see her restricted. Madonna is Susan and Susan is Madonna, and for this alone, this is my number one movie. 

"Let your body move to the music"