Jennifer Lopez to Star in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Film- Page 13

[BJR]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 11:49am

I'm as excited and nervous as others, as I love the show. But these reviews are a pretty great start.

A solid positive from variety, and THR being mixed to positive, with plenty of pull-quote praise for the performances.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 12:41pm

Having seen the original Broadway production several times, both with Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams, I will admit, though I do love the musical the only portions I ever bother to listen to on the cast recordings are Aurora's numbers so I'm thrilled these sequences are being raved about in the film adaptation.  You can just keep the musical fantasy sequences with Jennifer Lopez and cut all the other songs and I'm a happy boy.   

[Musical Master]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 1:26pm

It's a shame that the score is cut into ribbons, but the musical numbers involving Lopez is getting some positive notices in some of these reviews. Tonatiuh sounds like they're a star in the making judging from the reviews and I'm glad that they are getting well deserved attention. As for the film itself, for me it's going to be a wait and see kind of movie musical; Bill Condon is certainly a hit and miss kind of director and I'm hoping that at least it's decent. Please let this not be another Nine situation.

I will say that any movie musical that has to follow up Wicked is going to be quite an uphill battle to climb out of, that's for sure.

Updated On: 1/27/25 at 01:26 PM

[shomeika]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 3:39pm

I wonder if "Dear One" made the cut?  It's amazing. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 3:55pm

shomeika said: "I wonder if "Dear One" made the cut? It's amazing."

 

The character of Molina's Mother is not listed in the IMDB credits, so it seems unlikely it made the cut (unfortunately). Same thing with "You Could Never Shame Me".

 

[marytylermoore]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 3:55pm

Updated On: 1/27/25 at 03:55 PM

[marytylermoore]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 3:56pm

shomeika said: "I wonder if "Dear One" made the cut? It's amazing."

It's gone

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 4:04pm

One of the reviews posted that it's reconceptualized as a song called "Querida".

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 4:44pm

Why are critics even allowed to review it right now?  Do they not have to wait until the movie it released?  I thought showing at the festival was just to build buzz and get a distributor, not to open it up to critical review.

Does anyone have a full list of the songs that made the cut?  The reviews mention several.  I'm really sad we'll get none of the "over the wall" stuff, no The Day After That, etc.  I hope we get some version of Anything for Him, even if it's just Aurora's part.  But the more I think about it, the more I think this may have been the right choice for adapting this show to film. The best stage-to-screen adaptions aren't afraid to make significant cuts and changes in order to serve the new medium - and here, given the fantasy world is so clearly distinct from the prison world, the choice they made makes cinematic sense. 

[BJR]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 5:56pm

Rentaholic2 said: "Why are critics even allowed to review it right now? Do they not have to wait until the movie it released? I thought showing at the festival was just to build buzz and get a distributor, not to open it up to critical review.

Because they're reviewing the premiere at Sundance. Festivals are open to critics. And it looks like it'll help it find one, after these good reviews.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 6:22pm

Rentaholic2 said: "Why are critics even allowed to review it right now? Do they not have to wait until the movie it released? I thought showing at the festival was just to build buzz and get a distributor, not to open it up to critical review."

Because they're public screenings that anybody could attend. There's also not any way to build buzz for the project if you shut out the press to it.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/27/25 at 8:23pm

These reviews are wildly mixed, but I suppose the original musical did not please everyone either. In the very least, it sounds like they didn’t f*ck it up, and several reviews have called Tonatiuh’s performance “star-making.” I look forward to seeing it.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 12:22am

Rentaholic2 said: "Why are critics even allowed to review it right now? Do they not have to wait until the movie it released? I thought showing at the festival was just to build buzz and get a distributor, not to open it up to critical review.

Does anyone have a full list of the songs that made the cut? The reviews mention several. I'm really sad we'll get none of the "over the wall" stuff, no The Day After That, etc. I hope we get some version of Anything for Him, even if it's just Aurora's part. But the more I think about it, the more I think this may have been the right choice for adapting this show to film. Thebest stage-to-screen adaptions aren't afraid to make significant cuts and changes in order to serve the new medium - and here, given the fantasy world is so clearly distinct from the prison world, the choice they made makes cinematic sense."

 

I heard they found a distributor

[Listener]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 12:58am

I hope it comes out soon. I honestly need a new movie musical to restore some of my faith in the medium.

Wicked has been...a lot to deal with. The gushing of the last few weeks was overkill. I'd rather see an underdog film pleasantly surprise me. Hope it will!

[joevitus]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 9:51am

I guess I feel pretty much the same way, but even if a number of people end up liking it, there's no way it works as any sort of counterbalance against Wicked, or proof that "good musicals" are still in demand. It isn't going to attracted anywhere near the audience that would be required to do so.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 1:39pm

Jennifer Lopez, Bill Condon, & More Talk KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN at Sundance World Premiere

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 8:06pm

My worry is they'll want to hold onto it till the Fall in hope of award interest in Jlo and Tonatiuh...

Here's the Guardian's review. I bristle at negative comments about the music being unmemorable and not up to what they'd expect from Kander and Ebb (ie Chicago and Cabaret) I admit, I shouldn't be surprised as film critics invariably seem to say this about every modern Broadway score that isn't super well known to non theatre fans (Wicked notably got reviews that made the score out to be a classic--a sharp reversal from the initial Broadway reviews) but grrr:

" The songs themselves, from legendary Cabaret and Chicago duo Kander and Ebb, are largely rather forgettable with some often distractingly ungainly lyrics (an earworm exception is the fantastically slinky title song) "

(I wonder what lyrics he finds ungainly...  Never mind that what seems to have been kept for the film are the pastiche scores where Ebb meant some of the lyrics, anyway, to stick out...)

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/27/kiss-spider-woman-movie-review-jennifer-lopez?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3QZH4VsW52_Nv5gREwTF9xmhXP3rry6-AwlEGSr7umiZALjwkboLLGjBs_aem_DBsfQgXBKuSGF_B7lFk_LA

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 8:28pm

EricMontreal22 said: "I bristle at negative comments about the music being unmemorable and not up to what they'd expect from Kander and Ebb (ie Chicago and Cabaret) I admit, I shouldn't be surprised as film critics invariably seem to say this about every modern Broadway score that isn't super well known to non theatre fans (Wicked notably got reviews that made the score out to be a classic--a sharp reversal from the initial Broadway reviews) but grrr"

I remember that was one of many complaints critics had with Rob Marshall's adaptation of Nine. Even Richard Roeper, who gave the movie itself a rave, had that qualm, but it was only a minor one for him.

 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 8:30pm

Right.  We can argue that these movies don't do justice to what from the score they include, but regardless, it seems to be all too common with movie musical adaptations of lesser known (to the mainstream) musicals.  That said, I remember most critics felt that the score for Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame also were a wash when it came out, and that was an original screen work...

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 8:35pm

Also, one of the reviews, I can't remember which since they're all now a blur to me, claimed that a couple of songs in the film were songs that were cut before opening of the musical.  I mean there's a lot of material (especially from the movie within the musical) that was cut between the Purchase original and the eventual Livent version of the show, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess this was just the reviewer being wrong?

[thinton]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 8:51pm

I spoke with the music producer, Matt Sullivan, at the premiere carpet on Sunday, and he said that three songs were "resurrected" from Purchase.  More info is in my story here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Jennifer-Lopez-Bill-Condon-More-Talk-KISS-OF-THE-SPIDER-WOMAN-at-Sundance-World-Premiere-20250128

There are also direct comments from Bill Condon and others addressing why they cut the songs they did.  The article includes so many great quotes from the cast and creatives, most of which are exclusive, so I'd definitely recommend checking it out for more details about the movie.  

Updated On: 1/28/25 at 08:51 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 9:19pm

thinton said: "I spoke with the music producer, MattSullivan, at the premiere carpet on Sunday, and he said that three songs were "resurrected" from Purchase. More info is in my story here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Jennifer-Lopez-Bill-Condon-More-Talk-KISS-OF-THE-SPIDER-WOMAN-at-Sundance-World-Premiere-20250128."

Thanks for pointing me towards your piece--great read!

OK, I know the Purchase score and changes relatively well, so now I'm curious, especially since no one has mentioned this.  Of course it doesn't mean three complete numbers have been used from Purchase, but...

 

[starlightlocamotion]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 9:29pm

I watched an interview with Condon, where he says they use a Kander & Ebb trunk song for Lopez’s final number? 

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/28/25 at 11:53pm

“ Not only does Lopez get the role of a lifetime in Spider Woman — Condon confirmed he wrote the part specifically for her — she also got the opportunity to perform a song by the show’s original composers John Kander and Fred Ebb. The track, “Never You,” was unearthed by Bill Condon who dug through the Kander archives. “I found out today listening to Bill that he did the deep dive,” Lopez explained of the reveal which she learned during their Sundance press day. “I thought they had written this specifically for Kiss of the Spider Woman, but what he did was a deep dive into all the Kander and Ebb songs that they wrote that had never been heard and never been used. He found ‘Never You’ and put it in [the film], which was my favorite song. Oh my God — it’s such a beautiful song.” Being the first performer to sing it on screen came with a “huge responsibility,” said Lopez, who revealed that Kander joined her in the studio when she recorded it. “It was amazing because he was sitting there — he is 97 years old — and I didn’t think he would come to the pre-records or any of the filming. He was just in tears listening to me sing, and it was just amazing. I couldn’t believe my life at that moment. It was a dream.” “
 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jennifer-lopez-movie-musical-kiss-of-the-spider-woman-audition-lost-roles-1236118898/

[Ensemble1736545253]

Posted: 1/29/25 at 12:30am

Robbie2 said: "Rentaholic2 said: "Why are critics even allowed to review it right now? Do they not have to wait until the movie it released? I thought showing at the festival was just to build buzz and get a distributor, not to open it up to critical review.

Does anyone have a full list of the songs that made the cut? The reviews mention several. I'm really sad we'll get none of the "over the wall" stuff, no The Day After That, etc. I hope we get some version of Anything for Him, even if it's just Aurora's part. But the more I think about it, the more I think this may have been the right choice for adapting this show to film. Thebest stage-to-screen adaptions aren't afraid to make significant cuts and changes in order to serve the new medium - and here, given the fantasy world is so clearly distinct from the prison world, the choice they made makes cinematic sense."



I heard they found a distributor"


 

Can I ask, where did you hear this? Source? Do you know someone who’s at the festival?