Desperately Seeking Susan

Before we really get going with this, I should fess up and admit I am a total Madonna fan. I mean to a girl growing up in a small village in Essex in the 80s, Madonna was like, totally, MY GODDESS. I more than wanted to be her, I was completely fascinated by her. Look at that photo up there. Obviously it was taken off duty yet she is so working that look. Man how I wanted that jacket. I remember thinking the jacket was waaaay cooler than the boots she swapped them for in the film. I wore lace gloves that summer in an effort to emulate her. Didn't work, I was far too wholesome. Nonetheless, I danced around my bedroom singing along to Like A Virgin innocently and adored her.

Desperately Seeking Susan came out at the height of her Like A Virgin fame. I spent a few weeks in Boston with my dad (who lived just outside Boston) that summer and begged him to take me to see this. Bless him for being such a film fan that he would go see anything. He took me.

I remember it clearly. The fact that I saw this in an American cinema just made it so perfect. The soundtrack was fantastic, poor old Roberta learning to cook to Julia Child (I'd never heard of Julia Child so this film was educational too!), the Manhattan setting (I went to Battery Park years later just so I could see where Susan kisses Jimmy),  the dancing, (I was much more like Gary dancing than Susan when I tried to replicate it in my bedroom), Aidan Quinn! Oh my word, Aidan Quinn. How I loved him. Still do truth be told.

It's actually a really good film. Hey, even my dad liked it! Mistaken identity films - you can't go wrong. This is still Madonna's best movie by a country mile. Why? Because she was clearly just playing herself. A slutty, hip, cool, con woman (loved her trying to escape paying the taxi fare although clearly would never have dared such a trick).

Rosanna Arquette annoyed me slightly in this and as I read interviews with her at the time, she clearly thought she was better than this. Huh? Where are you now Rosanna? Pulp Fiction was 17 years ago love.

But Laurie Metcalf is as wonderful in this as she is in anything (Rosanne, Big Bang Theory) and Mark Blum is excellent too.

But really this movie is all about Madonna. And we salute her. We'll always have this perfect Madonna film. She should have stopped acting here but no, she had to make Shanghai Surprise. Which is weirdly missing from her IMDB profile. I remember it. Anyone else?

Check out this trailer - it's SO weird!