Year of Release: 1985
Director: Susan Seidelman
Starring: Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, Madonna, Mark Blum, Robert Joy, Laurie Metcalfe, Anna Thomson, Will Patton, Peter Maloney, John Turturro, Anne Carlisle, Giancarlo Esposito
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
After commencing her directorial career with a few shorts, her debut feature "Smithereens" got director Susan Seidelman enough attention which enabled her to tackle a bigger budget film, with a much more diversified cast of up and coming actors. "Desperately Seeking Susan" follows the story of Roberta, a twenty-something bored housewife, who lives in New Jersey. She is married to Gary, who is completely oblivious to her needs or to her presence. Roberta is fascinated with the personals on newspapers, and in particular she follows the exchanges between two loves, under the title of "Desperately Seeking Susan". Reading their latest exchange on the paper, prompts Roberta to actually go to their arranged meeting place. There she witnesses the meeting between the loving couple, which doesn't last for very long since Jim, Susan's boyfriend, hast to leave with his band to go to Buffalo for some concerts. As Roberta follows Susan around town, she eventually buys some of her used clothes, which actually gets mistaken for Susan. This game of mistaken identities gets Roberta in trouble, as Susan is actually involved in some sketchy situations. As Roberta further goes down the Rabbit hole of New York's nightlife, she also realizes all that she was missing from her life.
One of the most interesting things about "Desperately Seeking Susan" is how at times it feels like the perfect time capsule for New York in the mid 80s (much like Martin Scorsese's "After Hours", also released in the same year), while also being very much a story driven from a female perspective, all of this married with a very unique sense of style. Susan Seidelman manages to not only capture the somewhat stylized and homogenized look of life in suburbia, but also the effervescent energy of New York's night life and art world, all of these witnessed through the eyes and adventures of Roberta, who experiences a re-awakening. The story is not only Alice going down the rabbit hole, but more to the point of Roberta finally pursuing her own desires, growing up, and unleashing a point of view that is uniquely hers, and not molded by someone else. It's a film filled with great humor, brought to life thanks to a very eclectic cast. Rosanna Arquette leads the cast, she manages to be equally delightful with her sweetness, while also demonstrates her newfound sense of strength. The supporting cast is filled with great actors all peppering the narrative with wonderful performances, from the always underrated Will Patton, to the stupendous Laurie Metcalfe, not to mention Madonna, who brings her unique energy and charm to a role perfectly suited for her. The cinematography from Ed Lachman is fantastic, as is the score from Thomas Newman (featuring songs from Madonna herself). A film always worth watching and savoring.
0 comments:
Post a Comment