Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025 film)

Last updated

Kiss of the Spider Woman
Directed by Bill Condon
Screenplay byBill Condon
Based on
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Tobias A. Schliessler
Edited byBrian A. Kates
Music byJohn Kander
Production
companies
Release date
  • January 26, 2025 (2025-01-26)(Sundance)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a 2025 American musical drama film written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon. Based on the stage musical of the same name by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb, it is the second adaption of the 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, following the 1985 Brazilian film adaptation. Jennifer Lopez stars in the titular role and serves as an executive producer, with Diego Luna and Tonatiuh co-starring as Valentin Arregui and Luis Molina, respectively. [1] The film is dedicated to the memories of Ebb (who died in 2004), McNally (who died in 2020 from COVID-19) and Chita Rivera (who originated the title role on stage and died in 2024). [2]

Contents

Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025, where it received a standing ovation. [3] [4] Initial reviews were positive, with several publications praising the performances of the cast, particularly those of Lopez and Tonatiuh, and the musical sequences. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Premise

Set in an Argentinian prison in 1981 during the Dirty War, Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser, is serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor. To escape the horrors of his imprisonment, Molina imagines films starring a classic screen actress named Ingrid Luna, including a role of the spider woman, who kills her prey with a kiss. Molina's life is upended when a Marxist, Valentin Arregui Paz, is brought into his cell, and the two form an unlikely bond.

Cast

Production

Development and casting

In December 2023, Jennifer Lopez was announced to star as Ingrid Luna in a film adaptation of the musical with Bill Condon directing from his own screenplay. The independently-financed production was executive produced by Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina through their Nuyorican Productions banner, while Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy and Greg Yolen served as producers. Choreographer Sergio Trujillo and co-choreographer Brandon Bieber created the dance sequences throughout. Christopher Scott choreographed “Gimme Love.” Upon the announcement, a casting call opened for an unknown to play the role of Molina. [9] [10] In March 2024, dancer Tony Dovolani announced on his Instagram page that he had joined the cast as a mob boss. [11] In April, it was announced that Diego Luna and Tonatiuh had joined the cast as Valentin Arregui and Luis Molina, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon boarding the project as executive producers through the Artists Equity banner. Luna also served as an executive producer. [12]

Filming

On March 20, 2024, Lopez announced that production on the film had begun, with the intention to have a fast turnaround time so she can launch her This Is Me... Live tour on June 26, which was later cancelled on May 31. [13] Principal photography began in New Jersey on March 21, 2024. [14] [15] On May 10, Lopez confirmed on Live with Kelly and Mark that she completed filming on her scenes and that she lost weight for the role of Aurora, describing the shoot as "equal parts exhilarating and exhausting". [16] Production wrapped on June 16, 2024. [17]

Musical numbers

Stage-to-screen changes

In adapting the musical to the screen, Condon cited Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation of another Kander and Ebb musical, Cabaret , as a source of inspiration. This resulted in cutting almost every song set in reality at the prison Molina and Arregui are held at (including "Dressing Them Up" and "The Day After That") and only keeping the ones set in the "fantasies" Molina comes up with, in order to create a stark contrast between the grittiness of prison life in Argentina during the Dirty War and the Technicolor lavishness and beauty of a classic MGM musical film. As a result, the aspect ratio also shifts between the 1.85:1 format during the prison scenes and the 1.33:1 format during the fantasy sequences. [21] [22] [23]

Release

Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025, marking Condon's first film premiere at the festival since Gods and Monsters (1998), and received a standing ovation from the audience, which reportedly left Lopez in tears. [24] [25] [26] [27] It later held additional screenings at the festival, with all showings of the film being sold-out in advance of the premiere. [28] [29] Despite reports that the film was struggling to find a buyer following its premiere, possibly due to the ongoing cultural rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the United States following the second inauguration of Donald Trump, studios currently bidding for the distribution rights include Searchlight Pictures and Mubi. [30] [31]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. [32] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Fionnuala Halligan of Screendaily lamented that despite the "committed" and "sincere" cast, "it's disappointing that what they are peddling has become so distorted". [33] Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote about a "stunning new film adaptation" in which Condon demonstrates that the musical genre is "still fresh and alive and relevant even on the budget of independent filmmaking". [8]

David Rooney  [ de ] of The Hollywood Reporter delivered as a bottom line the following assessment: "entertaining, even if it soars only intermittently". [7] Ryan Lattanzio of IndieWire gave the film a 'C+' rating, wondering what's a "star-making performance [Tonatiuh's] when the package surrounding the actor is otherwise so ordinary and un-cosmic?" [34] Peter Debruge  [ de ] of Variety praised how Condon gives Tonatiuh his Jennifer Hudson moment in "She's a Woman". [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Jennifer Lopez Set to Star in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Movie Musical". Peoplemag. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/kiss-of-the-spider-woman-review-jennifer-lopez-diego-luna-tonatiuh-bill-condon-1236118593/
  3. ↑ Sperling, Nicole (December 11, 2024). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils a Lineup Heavy on Politics". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Jennifer Lopez's Kiss of the Spider Woman Receives Standing Ovation: 'I've Been Waiting for This Moment My Whole Life'". People.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  5. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (January 27, 2025). "Kiss of the Spider Woman review – Jennifer Lopez dazzles in unsteady musical". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Debruge, Peter (January 26, 2025). "'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Review: Jennifer Lopez Provides Welcome Escape From Grim World of Argentine Prisoners". Variety .
  7. 1 2 Rooney, David (January 26, 2025). "'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Review: Bill Condon's Uneven Adaptation of the Kander and Ebb Musical Shines Brightest in Jennifer Lopez's Dazzling Star Turn". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Hammond, Pete (January 26, 2025). "'Kiss Of The Spider Woman' Review: Bill Condon's Film Version Brilliantly Reinvents Broadway Musical And Finally Gives Jennifer Lopez The Role She Was Born To Play – Sundance Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood .
  9. ↑ Squires, Bethy (December 7, 2023). "Jennifer Lopez to Star in Kiss of the Spider Woman Movie Musical". Vulture. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 7, 2023). "Jennifer Lopez To Star In Feature Adaptation Of Broadway Musical 'Kiss Of The Spider Woman'; Bill Condon To Write & Direct". Deadline. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  11. ↑ ""EXITING NEWS! Recording artist and film star, Jennifer Lopez, will star in a screen version of Kander and Ebb's 1992 musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Our very own Tony Dovolani will play the role of a mob boss! #MustWatch #KissOfTheSpiderwoman #FADSct #fadsconnecticut fadsmassachusetts #jlo #jenniferlopez #tonydovolani"". www.instagram.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 9, 2024). "Artists Equity Boards 'Kiss Of The Spider Woman' Adaptation Starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna And Tonatiuh To Co-Star". Deadline Hollywood .
  13. ↑ Geisinger, Gabriella (March 21, 2024). "Jennifer Lopez musical 'Kiss Of The Spider Woman' begins production". Screen. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  14. ↑ Geisinger, Gabriella (March 21, 2024). "'Kiss of the Spider Woman' starring Jennifer Lopez begins production". Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook .
  15. ↑ Vary, Adam B. (December 7, 2023). "Jennifer Lopez Attached to Star in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Musical Film From 'Dreamgirls' Director Bill Condon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety .
  16. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (May 10, 2024). "Jennifer Lopez teases 'singing and dancing' in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' movie". Entertainment Weekly .
  17. ↑ Tonatiuh. "And just like that… Kiss of the Spider Woman is wrapped! This has been one of the most rewarding and beautiful experiences of my life. Thank you @billcondon3 @tomkirdahy @barryjayj @diegoluna_ @jlo @artistsequity @christogram611 @erikasanz @shaluga111 and the rest of the incredible folks in the cast and crew for making NY and Uruguay a blast. 🧡". Instagram. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ https://nextbestpicture.com/kiss-of-the-spider-woman/
  19. ↑ https://nextbestpicture.com/kiss-of-the-spider-woman/
  20. ↑ https://nextbestpicture.com/kiss-of-the-spider-woman/
  21. ↑ https://playbill.com/article/what-changes-have-been-made-for-the-jennifer-lopez-led-kiss-of-the-spider-woman-movie-musical
  22. ↑ https://deadline.com/2025/01/kiss-of-the-spider-woman-sundance-bill-condon-jennifer-lopez-interview-1236267838/
  23. ↑ https://nextbestpicture.com/kiss-of-the-spider-woman/
  24. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  25. ↑ Thompson, Anne; Lattanzio, Ryan (December 11, 2024). "The Sundance Team on 2025 Standouts and a Few Likely Hot Buys, from 'Spider Woman' Jennifer Lopez to a 'High-Octane' Rose Byrne". IndieWire . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  26. ↑ Gardner, Chris; Galuppo, Mia (January 26, 2025). "Jennifer Lopez Tears Up, Bill Condon Gets Political at Electric 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Sundance Debut". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  27. ↑ https://variety.com/2025/film/news/jennifer-lopez-kiss-of-the-spider-woman-sundance-premiere-standing-ovation-1236286690/
  28. ↑ https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/67531e26707ccd95bf08845e
  29. ↑ https://www.indiewire.com/news/business/sundance-2025-movies-that-could-sell-1235084294/
  30. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Sitek, Natalie (January 26, 2025). "'Kiss Of The Spider Woman': World Premiere Of Jennifer Lopez Musical Receives Standing Ovation At Sundance". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  31. ↑ https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sundance-film-festival-freezes-no-deals-anti-trump-politics-1236289251/
  32. ↑ "Kiss of the Spider Woman". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  33. ↑ Halligan, Fionnuala (January 27, 2025). "'Kiss Of The Spider-Woman': Sundance Review". ScreenDaily . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  34. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (January 26, 2025). "'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Review: Jennifer Lopez Is an Out-of-this-World Diva in a Musical Movie That Struggles to Land Back on Earth". IndieWire . Retrieved January 27, 2025.
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