‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’: A Fine Musical, If A Tad Lackluster

Film adaptations of stage musicals have always been a tricky plane to land. Many of the most iconic musical films of all time, one that have cemented themselves into history as cornerstones of filmmaking, were first shown to the world on the stage. And some were simply books before then. The transition from stage to screen is often tricky, with a limiting runtime, a different style of storytelling and a financial incentive to ensure the film does well. This often leads to strange choices such as casting a big-name actor to draw attention regardless of their ability to perform in musicals or cutting entire musical numbers to ensure a two-hour runtime. Recent examples such as Jon M. Chu’s Wicked and Wicked: For Good as well as Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story have avoided these issues, making good casting choices and ensuring enough time to fit every single musical number in. Both films have achieved great success as a result. The question then becomes what camp does Kiss of the Spider Woman fall into? Does it succeed at maintaining all the substance of the original musical whilst also being a well-made film in its own right?

Kiss of the Spider Woman is an American musical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon. It is based on the 1992 stage musical of the same name which is itself based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig. It debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released on Friday, October 10, 2025. The film takes place in an Argentine prison and follows Luis Molina, played by Tonatiuh, a window dresser and trans woman who has been convicted of public indecency. She is put into a cell with as Valentin Arregui, played by Diego Luna, a political dissident who is involved with a revolutionary group. He is initially dismissive and annoyed by Molina but allows her to tell the story of her favourite Hollywood musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring her idol Ingrid Luna, played by Jennifer Lopez.

There are two storylines going on concurrently, the primary budding relationship between Molina and Valentin and the fantasy story that Molina tells. Both parallel the other directly, as fantasy and reality seem to converge by the end. The film jumps between the two worlds, and it is done at times well and at times jarringly. Now that could very well be due to the removal of a handful of songs, which unfortunately hurts the film overall. Essential building blocks for characters and transitions between scenes are absent, resulting in uneven pacing and jarring tonal shifts. The intention is clearly to contrast the vibrant life of the musical fantasy with the dreary oppression of the real world, and while that contrast is effective at times, there are a few too many gaps for the film to flow smoothly from one number to the next. As a result, scenes in the real world feel comparatively stale and dull and the emphasis on realism robs the film of a lot of its camp and style.

As a result, some of the thematic weight of the story falls short, especially when it comes the perspectives on romance, identity and queerness. A longer runtime would allow space for extra musical sequences from the stage, and more time to develop the relationship between Molina and Valentin. Their inevitable kinship and romance feels rushed once the film makes it to that point and there’s not enough time to enjoy the two together before they are split apart. It’s certainly meant to be read as tragic, but the film does not have the time to truly build that tragedy.

But speaking of those extravagant musical sequences, they are all very well done. The fantasy world is brilliantly brought to life. The emulation of technicolor means that every shot is full of vibrancy and life. Despite being set on a stage, it feels fuller and more populated than the real world itself. The cinematography certainly isn’t outstanding, and the camera can often feel static, but that is made up for by some strong choreography and the color. It is a joy to watch unfold and in no small part due to the performances of the two leads, which are certainly this film’s strongest element.

Diego Luna certainly brings his a-game to portraying Valentin as well as playing the role of Armando in Molina’s retelling. His musical and physical talents are on full display. He sings well and brings a strong screen presence to both roles. At the start of the film, he plays the jaded revolutionary very well, as to be expected given his previous roles. His evolution and growing fondness of Molina is portrayed excellently by Luna who is able to inject subtle changes in tone and expression to convey his character’s emotions.

Despite being front and centre of the poster, Jennifer Lopez only exists within the world of Molina’s mind. Everyone knows she is a talented singer, but here, her skills as a performer shine through. Every sequence in Molina’s retelling places her front and centre, meaning she is the axis upon which all the film’s musical elements sit. Lopez excellently performs every number in both singing and dancing, perfectly playing an actress playing two different characters with vastly different movements and body language.

But perhaps the standout performance is Tonatiuh as Molina. He bears the film’s emotional core, and a lot is asked of him as performer as he must sing, dance and act in dual roles. Molina as a character is fascinating, with many layers to unravel. Her identity is at the heart of the film, her love of films clash with her inner turmoil and all of this is perfectly conveyed through Tonatiuh’s performance. As mentioned earlier, the emotion does not fully land, but the pitfalls of the story have no bearing on the excellent performances.

Overall, Kiss of the Spider Woman does unfortunately stumble into the mistakes that many other film adaptations of stage musicals do. The absence of a few songs and focus on realism results in a lacklustre experience which can’t fully explore the themes and character relationships it puts forward. On its own, it is a decent film musical with excellent performances and wonderful numbers. The fantasy of Molina’s mind is truly wonderful, and the film would have been much better if it had focused more time on it. As it stands, it doesn’t suffer the fate of the weakest musical adaptations, but it certainly does not match the heights of the very best.