Adapted from the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig, the second movie adaptation after the Brazilian film, Kiss of the Spider Woman
, Bill Condon’s latest musical, is a lot of things. It’s extravagant and intimate, romantic and campy. It brings music and allure to the lives of two political prisoners, balancing the heartbreaking and horrible reality with the glamour and fantasy of a musical. Kiss of the Spider Woman was turned into a musical in 1993, brought to life by composer John Kander, lyricist Fred Ebb, and playwright Terrence McNally.

I wanted to love the musical, set in 1983 Argentina, but there were a few obstacles in the way. Condon, who wrote the screenplay, goes back and forth between the daily lives of Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser, and Valentín Arregui (Diego Luna), a political activist who led a hunger strike and was imprisoned for it, and the fantastically charming musical starring Ingrid “La Luna” Luna as Aurora (Jennifer Lopez), the enchanting fashion magazine editor looking for love. Valentín initially scoffs at Molina, wanting to hear nothing of Molina’s beloved movie and adoration for Luna.

It’s the perfect setup for a romantic story set against the backdrop of a gruesome reality. Molina’s storytelling keeps the characters from falling into despair, allowing the fantastical elements of Kiss of the Spider Woman to lure them into another world. Condon capably oscillates between their prison life and the big, bold production of the ficтιтious film’s musical numbers. The musical plot begins to mirror Molina and Valentín’s lives and Condon builds the tension of both stories to an exciting climax that could have ended after the Spider Woman’s plot was over and been perfectly fine.

I’m not sure what took Jennifer Lopez so long to be cast in a musical, but Kiss of the Spider Woman perfectly suits her talents. Lopez has had a successful singing career, but she’s never sounded better than in this lavish musical. Thrilling and sharp dance numbers, glitzy costumes, and campy dialogue all come together to create a dazzling, show-stopping musical that, while not perfect, had my audience clapping after a few of the onscreen performances.

Condon has rarely disappointed when it comes to the razzle-dazzle aspects of musicals. “I pity the people who don’t like musicals” is a line he wrote into the film, after all. He’s experienced in captivating us with imaginative and fiery musical sequences. Kiss of the Spider Woman is not unlike Chicago — which Condon also directed and adapted from Ebb and Kander — in its ability to go back and forth between the reality the characters face and the illusion of a different life.

Kiss Of The Spider Woman’s Cast Is Fantastic

Tonatiuh & Diego Luna Have Great Chemistry, While Jennifer Lopez Shines Bright

Molina wants nothing more than to live a life of excitement, to escape from the confines of a cell and society. Valentín, on the other hand, is committed to the cause. He doesn’t see the point in listening to a fantasy when he must focus on what’s real. There’s a push and pull between them and they start on shaky ground, with Valentín dismissive of Molina before growing fond of his cellmate.

Tonatiuh and Luna are great together, though some of the prison scenes can feel a bit contrived. Tonatiuh infuses Molina with a grand sense of optimism, daring to dream about a different world while also beginning to genuinely care about Valentín despite orders from the warden (Bruno Bichir) to glean information from the activist.

Luna’s Valentín is closed off at first, but it’s hard to avoid interacting with Molina and before long, he starts to want Molina to finish the tale when the reality of his life grows grimmer. Luna plays his character as a hard-on-the-outside but soft-on-the-inside type of guy. He has his hopes and dreams, but he doesn’t dare hold onto them, whereas that’s all Molina has. The two are wildly different, but Kiss of the Spider Woman brings them together nicely.

But while Luna is dependably good and Tonatiuh is a revelation, it’s Lopez who steals the show. She plays Luna playing Aurora and the Spider Woman, whose flashy final musical number is so good it got cheers at my Sundance screening. Lopez is everything Molina describes Ingrid to be: stunning, beguiling, confident, and thrilling. She exudes charisma and embraces the campy dialogue like a pro. This is Lopez’s moment and she gets just enough of the spotlight to shine without overshadowing Luna and Tonatiuh’s characters.

Kiss Of The Spider Woman Is Entertaining But A Bit Shaky

The film’s opening is a bit jarring, but as the musical aspects emerge, the prison scenes begin to play more naturally, as though it needed the fantasy element to maintain it. Condon never perfects the balance between the characters’ political reality and the fantasy, at least not until they start reflecting each other more in the final third of the film. I admit I wasn’t very invested in Molina’s subplot with the warden and it failed to build the proper tension with Valentín because we knew early on that it wouldn’t matter and they’d get close.

It’s the development of their romance that works best alongside Aurora’s own love life. Like Molina, I missed when Lopez wasn’t onscreen, as the musical scenes are easily the best part of the film. They’re exquisite while the world built around them doesn’t soar to the same heights. It isn’t until the second half of the film that Molina and Valentín’s stories really take off, but the result is well worth the wait. Ultimately, though, Condon has made a good musical. It’s not at the same level as Chicago, but its strongest moments tend to overshadow its weaker ones.

The star power is immense and the songs, though not all of them memorable, elevate the narrative. The dynamic between the characters kept me interested, even when certain moments lingered too long or fell flat. It may not be the best musical ever made, Kiss of the Spider Woman is entertaining and invites us into its fantasy in a bid to forget reality for a while. And for the two hours I was watching, I did.

Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.