71
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100EmpireWilliam ThomasEmpireWilliam ThomasA whimsical but optimistic tale of mistaken identity, it starred the Material Girl as the cheekily irresistible Susan, and turned Rosanna Arquette (repressed housewife Roberta) into a star.
- 80The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyDesperately Seeking Susan, based on a good screenplay by a new writer named Leora Barish, is a terrifically genial New York City farce in which the lives of two very different young women become tangled in an Orlon web of lies, half-truths and cross purposes. Full of funny, sharply observed details, reflected in Santo Loquasto's witty production design as well as in all of the dozens of individual performances. The cast is virtually a Players Guide to the variety of performing talent available in New York.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasDesperately Seeking Susan is a lark, an exhilarating celebration of people who have the good sense to be in touch with themselves and with each other.
- 80Time Out LondonTime Out LondonSeidelman brings a hip '80s SoHo sensibility to this emancipated screwball comedy, even if the plotting (a mistaken identity farce involving that old chestnut, amnesia brought on by a bump to the head) is square as a square peg. Madonna has never found a better fit than the role of Susan, a thrift-store free spirit - and even then Arquette gives as good as she gets with a deliciously kooky comic turn.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertDesperately Seeking Susan does not move with the self-confidence that its complicated plot requires. But it has its moments, and many of them involve the different kinds of special appeal that Arquette and Madonna are able to generate. They are very particular individuals, and in a dizzying plot they somehow succeed in creating specific, interesting characters.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThis is one of the most charming low-budget films in years, a freewheeling, light-hearted farce that gives some new twists to old plot devices.
- 75Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneIt's a highly implausible story, but one that's told with engaging, often witty style, enhanced by the film's offbeat settings and situations and the charm of its cast. [29 Mar 1985, p.E]
- 70Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrThe film acquires a pleasant, syncopated rhythm as it bounces from one unlikely event to another, and Seidelman manages some nice detailing in the minor characters. Arquette is consistently charming and inventive in a role that barely exists as written, and Madonna is given ample opportunity to strut her stuff.
- 40Washington PostPaul AttanasioWashington PostPaul AttanasioDesperately Seeking Susan is just a woman's version of The Woman in Red, where Gene Wilder chased Kelly Le Brock because she was great looking and rich and he had the middle-class blues. The only difference is that Wilder felt guilty about it.