Desperately Seeking Susan
Every man is desperate to have her. One woman is desperate to be her. But someone is desperate to kill her. If they can figure out who she is.
1985 | 104m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Susan Seidelman |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Leora Barish |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 29, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Susan Seidelman |
| Writer: | Leora Barish |
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama, Crime |
| Keywords | amnesia, lonely hearts ad, woman director |
| Production Companies | Orion Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $27,399,597
Budget: $4,500,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Rosanna Arquette | Roberta Glass |
| Madonna | Susan |
| Aidan Quinn | Dez |
| Mark Blum | Gary Glass |
| Robert Joy | Jim |
| Laurie Metcalf | Leslie Glass |
| Anna Thomson | Crystal |
| Will Patton | Wayne Nolan |
| Steven Wright | Larry Stillman D.D.S. |
| John Turturro | Ray |
| Giancarlo Esposito | Street Vendor |
| Richard Hell | Bruce Meeker |
| Rockets Redglare | Taxi Driver |
| Annie Golden | Band Singer |
| Richard Edson | Man With Newspapers |
| Ann Magnuson | Cigarette Girl |
| John Lurie | Neighbor Saxophonist |
| Peter Maloney | Ian |
| Anne Carlisle | Victoria |
| Victor Argo | Sgt. Taskal |
| José Angel Santana | Boutique Owner |
| Steve Bosh | Newscaster |
| Daisy Bradford | Daisy |
| Mary Joy | Cocktail Waitress |
| Rosemary Hochschild | Cocktail Waitress |
| Iris Chacón Tapia | TV Singer |
| Shirley Stoler | Jail Matron |
| J.B. Waters | Jail Matron |
| Arto Lindsay | Newspaper Clerk |
| Henry Adler | Magic Club Drummer |
| Marty Gold | Magic Club Saxophonist |
| Michael R. Chin | Choy |
| Patrick John Hurley | Policeman |
| Timothy Carhart | Victoria's Boyfriend |
| Curt Dempster | Coffee Shop Manager |
| Shirley Kaplan | Waitress |
| Lázaro Pérez | Enrique the Guard |
| John Hoyt | Space Commander |
| Gary Ray | Band Member |
| Gary Binkow | Band Member |
| Michael Bramon | Band Member |
| Joyce Griffen | Prostitute |
| Paul Austin | Policeman |
| Richard S. Lowy | Adrian - the Hairdresser |
| Donna Ritchie | Hot Tub Girl |
| Kim Chan | Park Bum |
| Michael Badalucco | Guy from Brooklyn |
| Elie J. Boubli | Egyptian Ambassador |
| Adele Bertei | Prisoner |
| Peter Castellotti | Coffee Shop Cop |
| Wende Dasteel | Party Guest |
| Steve Eidel | Party Guest |
| Michael Kaufman | Party Guest |
| Ilene Kristen | Party Guest |
| Carol Leifer | Party Guest |
| Richard Portnow | Party Guest |
| Isabel García Lorca | Party Guest |
| Tim Ransom | Bellhop |
| Gilda Torterello | Ray's Mom |
| Stanley Burns | Ventriloquist |
| Sandy Dell | Hot Tub Girl (uncredited) |
| Robert Dahdah | Man Waiting On Line (uncredited) |
| Edward Galland | Boy Triplet (uncredited) |
| Kevin Harris | Egyptian Diplomat (uncredited) |
| David Kellman | Boy Triplet (uncredited) |
| Harsh Nayyar | Egyptian Diplomat (uncredited) |
| Robert Shafran | Boy Triplet (uncredited) |
| Frank Stellato | Moving Man (uncredited) |
| Thomas Brogan | Award Ceremony Attendee (uncredited) |
| John Spacely | (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Susan Seidelman | Director |
| Santo Loquasto | Production Design |
| Andrew Mondshein | Editor |
| Thomas Newman | Original Music Composer |
| Edward Lachman | Director of Photography |
| Todd M. Thaler | Additional Casting |
| Francis Kenny | Camera Operator |
| Brunilda Torres | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Julie Lamm | Post Production Accountant |
| Rocco Derasmo | Transportation Captain |
| Leora Barish | Writer |
| Werner Sherer | Hairstylist |
| Timothy R. Sexton | Music Supervisor |
| Danny Goldberg | Music Supervisor |
| Billy Hopkins | Casting |
| Ira Hurvitz | Script Supervisor |
| Michael Peyser | Unit Production Manager |
| Richard Dean | Makeup Artist |
| Les Lazarowitz | Sound Mixer |
| George DeTitta Jr. | Set Decoration |
| Maurice Schell | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Andrew D. Schwartz | Still Photographer |
| Mitch Dubin | First Assistant Camera |
| Joel Tuber | First Assistant Director |
| David Dreyfuss | Second Assistant Director |
| Shelley Houis | Production Office Coordinator |
| Debbie Sarjeant | Second Assistant Camera |
| Speed Hopkins | Art Direction |
| Glenn Lloyd | Art Department Coordinator |
| Ray Quinlan | Gaffer |
| James Fitzpatrick | Gaffer |
| Tom Prate | Key Grip |
| Leslie Bloom | Property Master |
| Linda Murphy | Boom Operator |
| William A. Campbell | Wardrobe Supervisor |
| Melissa Stanton | Wardrobe Supervisor |
| Peter Odabashian | Sound Editor |
| Mark Rathaus | Sound Editor |
| Lou Graf | Sound Editor |
| Louis Cerborino | Music Editor |
| Jay Dranch | ADR Editor |
| Bruce Kitzmeyer | Foley Editor |
| Randall Coleman | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Kenton Jakub | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Stuart Stanley | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Risa Bramon Garcia | Casting |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Midge Sanford | Producer |
| Sarah Pillsbury | Producer |
| Michael Peyser | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 26 | 13 |
| 2024 | 5 | 20 | 32 | 13 |
| 2024 | 6 | 17 | 36 | 11 |
| 2024 | 7 | 18 | 35 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 15 | 24 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 12 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 13 | 20 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 14 | 22 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 999 | 999 |
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. Unfortu ... nately 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-