Back Then – Desperately Seeking Susan directed by Susan Seidelman

I am happy to say that the 1985 film "Desperately Seeking Susan", a modernist take on the classic screwball comedy, has lost none of its charm, grit, whimsy, or subtle feminist appeal. New York City, however, is very changed since then. One could argue that the cleaned-up city is a safer environment, and that may be true – certainly it's much more pleasant to ride on subways that are air conditioned in summer, heated in winter, and are nearly graffiti-free, despite the overblown handwringing over the far-reduced crime rate of today vs. what we dealt with back then – but you could drop me (in the guise of my younger self) into the East Village that I knew back then and I'd be a happy camper. Familiar aspects of the city that once was – pay phones on every block, personal ads in newspapers, and storage lockers in the Port Authority Bus Terminal are integral to the advancement of the plot but they are all gone now. I preferred that tougher but more individualistic city scene than the more homogenized place New York feels like today. 

The movie starred Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, and Aidan Quinn, with Robert Joy and John Turturro in smaller roles. It's fair to say that the movie helped make Madonna a household name.

Arquette's character is Roberta, a frustrated suburban housewife in New Jersey who follows the personal ads she reads in a newspaper, especially between Susan (Madonna), and her boyfriend, Jim (Robert Joy). Susan is constantly on the move, living a slightly less than completely honest existence, and Jim is a musician in a touring band. Roberta, seeing that Susan and Jim are planning to meet in downtown Manhattan at Battery Park, decides to travel into the city and observe their reunion. 

A series of unexpected events occur that lead to Roberta experiencing amnesia when she falls and hits her head, while Susan is trying to escape from a unscrupulous man who is pursuing her after she stole a pair of what turn out to be priceless antique earrings. When Roberta wakes up from her injury, she believes she is Susan. Meanwhile, Jim has asked his best buddy Dez (Aiden Quinn) to keep an eye on Susan while he is away with his band. Dez mistakes Roberta for Susan, and the twists and turns continue from there...

To avoid giving any more away, my advice to my readers is to locate a streaming service or DVD of the movie, and prepare to enjoy!