The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
Back to trending 
Desperately Seeking Susan
Comedy · Crime · 1985
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.
Movie details
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 Comedy · Crime 1h 44m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.1 / 10
Community rating
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.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Desperately Seeking Susan?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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A man takes over a TV station and holds a number of hostages as a political platform to awaken humanity, instead of money.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Susan Seidelman
Written by
Leora Barish
Rosanna Arquette
Roberta Glass
Madonna
Susan
Aidan Quinn
Dez
Mark Blum
Gary Glass
Robert Joy
Jim
Laurie Metcalf
Leslie Glass
Anna Thomson
Crystal
Court is in session
Put Desperately Seeking Susan on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Prestige Tourist
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.