SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
Political prisoner Valentín (played by Diego Luna) has his daily routine upended when the prison system throws a window dresser accused of public indecency, Molina (Tonatiuh), into his cell. Trying to make conversation, the flamboyant movie lover begins to share about his favorite film starring his favorite starlet, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Being the reserved personality that he is, Valentín is quickly annoyed by his new cellmate and tries to insist that he passes his endless days by reading. Eventually Molina piques Valentín’s interest and the two form a bond, protecting each other from constant interrogation techniques used by the authorities looking to get valuable information regarding the growing civil unrest.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Lopez and Luna may headline the marketing but KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN is Tonatiuh’s movie… and he absolutely shines! When you leave the theater, you can’t shake the feeling that you just saw a “star is born” type of moment for the USC alum. He shows range, depth and heart in a role that calls for all of it, at different times, in different ways.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN is going to bomb. It’s a musical (which general audiences typically don’t care for), Lopez has top billing (and her reputation for not picking quality scripts is well deserved) and there’s a strong LGBTQIA+ presence (which, unfortunately, will turn some audiences off). Basically, it’s set up for failure.
Of course, box office numbers don’t necessarily translate to quality. Just look at JURASSIC PARK REBIRTH. Average movie, at best, but pulled in nearly a billion dollars. So, if a bad movie can do well, then clearly the opposite can be true. And that will be the case here.
I am not a fan of musicals but there’s one main reason why. When a song breaks out — especially during a heartfelt scene — it suspends my ability to believe what I’m watching is real and not a produced piece of art. My brain just can’t make that leap. But the way director Bill Condon lays this out battles that problem head on. Just about every musical number is set in a fantasy world while the regular dialogue is set in the real one. It’s a perfect way to compartmentalize the normally unbelievable aspect of the genre, allowing the non-musical fan (such as myself) to truly enjoy what’s on the screen without being reminded to judge it every 12 minutes or so.
As good as the film is, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. At a pivotal part in Valentín and Molina’s bonding, when the audience should be absolutely lost in the tension, there’s a cringe-worthy exchange that absolutely derails the moment. It’s the film’s biggest blemish and it’s of the unforgivable variety, impacting your overall impression despite only taking a few seconds.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN has great characters, catchy songs, self-deprecating dialogue and compartmentalized musical numbers. Throw an award nomination-worthy performance by Tonatiuh in the mix and what you end up with is the best musical of the 2020’s not named WICKED.
JKG SCORE: 7.5
NOTE: Tonatiuh uses both he/him and they/them pronouns. We felt the review flowed better to the reader by using “he/him” since “they” could suggest that we were talking about multiple actors. Therefore, we consciously choose to use “he.”
Untitled Film Project 