Desperately Seeking Susan

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Desperately Seeking Susan

PG-13

1985

1h 44m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

New Jersey housewife Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) spices up her boring life by reading personal ads, especially a series of them being placed by a mysterious denizen of New York City named Susan (Madonna). When one of Susan's ads proposes a rendezvous with her suitor (Robert Joy) at Battery Park, Roberta secretly tags along. But when her voyeuristic jape ends in permanent memory loss and a new jacket, Roberta begins to gather a lot of unwanted attention from some unsavory characters.

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Critics Consensus

Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Jun 21, 2024

4/5

Madonna remains the movie’s megawatt performance and drips with the knowing charisma of a star whose time has come.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Dec 31, 2019

A few scenes are very funny, but the picture would have worked much better if Seidelman had thrown away half the dialogue and built some momentum.

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Kirk Ellis

The Hollywood Reporter

Apr 9, 2019

An attractive, energetic young cast and some witty, off-center visual humor make the resultant laughs more than worth the wait.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Oct 6, 2025

4/5

…this is a slick, bouncy, highly-individual indie film written, produced, directed by and starring women; Madonna was the big draw, but Desperately Seeking Susan was some way ahead of the curve for those smart enough to get into the punky, feminist groove

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Jun 30, 2025

3.5/5

New York in the Eighties contributes some of the film’s iconic imagery, but it’s Santo Loquasto’s costumes that are perhaps the most memorable element.

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Aug 5, 2024

3/4

Blessed with the right script and cast, Seidelman crafts the perfect tone – a grounded whimsy that allows the fairy tale elements to take flight.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 14, 2026

Desperately Seeking Susan = a 3.5 star Movie!

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Dana A

@DanaQ Aug 7, 2026

So good. In my top 10.

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Melissa M

@Lisey Jul 28, 2026

Madonna's come a long way since the '80s. This movie was her 1st major film role. In 2023 this movie was selected by the national film registry as being culturally historical or aesthetically significant. Some say the film is a representation of yuppie culture & feminism. Her style & music has also changed. So has the sound of her voice. This movie the soundtrack is as awesome as the film. It might be considered a b-movie. The concept of the movie is not very original. It's been done before. But thanks to a lot of' 80s movies being over the top & outrageous like this flick it makes it fun & funny to watch. In the film Roberta is a housewife from jersey. Even though she's a Richie she's not entirely happy with her life. She's obsessed with a girl named Susan. Susan however her life is far from ordinary. Before she leaves Atlantic City she ironically steals a pair of earrings that have already been stolen. This movie over the years has been considered a cult classic.

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tim G

@timg8747 Jun 24, 2026

i really enjoyed desperately seeking susan where roseanna arquette plays a house who follows the personals especially of someone named susan played madonna and even gets become her in away after losing her memory good performances

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moon S

@moon90 Mar 9, 2026

this movie had such a great plot, so much happened in the movie they really jammed all of it in to almost 2 hours, i was curious to see if its a book and it is! im going to read it. this was almost like reading a story, i just really felt it. this has got to be one of the best 80's plots with twists ive ever seen, really loved the ending how everything worked out.

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Cathleen C

@Balanc95 Sep 20, 2025

Boring film. I lost interest about a half hour in. Didn’t even pay attention to it, just had it on in the background. I don’t know who actually liked this movie. Maybe Madonna fans. Maybe 12-14 year olds because I probably would’ve liked this movie when it first came out and that’s the age I was at that time. Watching it as an adult over 50 it’s a dumb that failed to hold my attention.

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Susan Seidelman

Director

Rosanna Arquette

Roberta Glass

Madonna

Susan

Aidan Quinn

Dez

Mark Blum

Gary Glass

Robert Joy

Jim

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Synopsis

New Jersey housewife Roberta Glass (Rosanna Arquette) spices up her boring life by reading personal ads, especially a series of them being placed by a mysterious denizen of New York City named Susan (Madonna). When one of Susan's ads proposes a rendezvous with her suitor (Robert Joy) at Battery Park, Roberta secretly tags along. But when her voyeuristic jape ends in permanent memory loss and a new jacket, Roberta begins to gather a lot of unwanted attention from some unsavory characters.

Director: Susan Seidelman
Producer: Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford
Screenwriter: Leora Barish
Production Co: Orion Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.4M
Runtime: 1h 44m

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