Jennifer Lopez to Star in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Film — Page 25

With the exception of "So What?" I think the book songs to Cabaret are pretty mediocre, and I don't need another movie adaptation, especially since the original is a genuine masterpiece. I like characters bursting out into song, too, but Cabaret, Pennies From Heaven and Chicago all used the stage-performance-or-private-fantasy-as-metaphor to their advantage.

The wider audience seems to have a real problem with the traditional style, in spite of two staggering exceptions: Grease and Wicked. I think it would be especially hard to pull it off with Kiss of the Spider Woman, considering the gritty and violent conditions under which the characters live.

But that doesn't mean the movie version Condon made utilized this structure successfully. The rest of us still have to wait until we can judge for ourselves. Apart from Jennifer Hudson, I couldn't stand his movie of Dreamgirls, but I'm just hoping for the best and waiting...impatiently. 

I will say I do think the "book" songs to Spider Woman are among their best, so I'll miss them.  In one interview, Condon says that John Kander considered it his most operatic score (which he explained as most truly integrated) so of course was sad to see that go, but understood.  I admit that part of my way of thinking is... I never saw any movie being made of this work at all so am happy with what we get and if it exposes anyone to the show (of course we did get that episode of Riverdale spin-off Katy Keane where one character performed their one person version of the musical, but, umm, yeah.)

Joevitus said: " I think it would be especially hard to pull it off with Kiss of the Spider Woman, considering the gritty and violent conditions under which the characters live. "  Right, I think that's part of the thinking (and even was for the film of Cabaret where there was some worry about a musical trivializing the rise of the Nazi party.)  Of course most of us don't feel that way, but it still seems to be a barrier for modern movie goers.  Wicked benefits from being a fantasy, and really some other movie musicals like Hairspray or, yes, Grease, are basically fantasies too.  If they DID keep the book songs for Spider Woman it would also probably have to be a much more expensive production with some way of making the prison scenes in their own way also stylized...

Review:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2025/10/08/kiss-spider-woman-movie-review-jennifer-lopez/86478402007/

Updated On: 10/8/25 at 01:43 PM

It’s currently at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, that can change. But I don’t know where that comment is coming from

KrupYou said: "Early numbers are a disaster. We are talking CATS bad......

Heartbreaking. I wanted this to be huge and return to broadway"

Well what exactly were we expecting? Because Cats numbers would make this profitable, it's only cost $30M versus Cats' $100M.

KrupYou said: "Early numbers are a disaster. We are talking CATS bad......
Heartbreaking. I wanted this to be huge and return to broadway"

HUh?  It doesn't open until Friday 10/10 although some theaters seem to have first public screenings tomorrow. Thre are NO box office returns on movies that have not even opened yet.

Updated On: 10/8/25 at 03:09 PM

Ouch.

Jennifer Lopez dazzles in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ — until she sings

bwaylyric said: "Ouch.

Jennifer Lopez dazzles in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ — until she sings"

And yet the icon given to that review is an ovation (SFChronicle has that icon as a recommendation) which is confusing...

But yeah I don't think anyone involved thinks this is gonna be a Chicago.

TotallyEffed said: "With the exception of the incredibly unfortunate censorship (which they had no control over), I think Streetcar is about as perfect of an adaptation as anyone could have asked for. If only they’d had foresight to shoot the censored parts as written to tuck away in the vault until they could be shown.

There no way Sweet Charity could ever work successfully as a film (or even fully as a stage show) as long as the masterpiece Nights of Cabiria exists. What wasthe point of ever trying to remake it?! I love the score but for me,Sweet Charity has never been able to creep out of the shadow of the Fellini film. You can’t improve upon perfection."

Yeah, but that “Rich Man’s Frug” was worth the price of admission. Suzanne Charny, anyone…

Updated On: 10/8/25 at 11:15 PM

I find them such completely different pieces, I guess I never really thought of SC working or not working compared to Nights of Cabira

Speaking of this playing on fewer screens, usually here in Canada any wide US release gets a release in Canada on the same date, but I just now realized we aren't for Kiss of the Spider Woman.  Distribution seems to be here through Mongrel Media who have a release date of October 17 but I still don't see it listed at ANY Canadian cinemas I've checked out in their upcoming film listings...

Replying to Eric's post about movie times in Canada - unless it is a big event movie where they sell seats to the Thursday preview screenings, Cineplex generally doesn't list movie times for sale until the Wednesday of the week of release.

I'm heading down to Las Vegas today and it looks like the Palms has a big multi-plex which is the closest to where I'm staying that has showtimes for this listed.  The weather report is calling for rain tomorrow.  I was going to try to get to one of the outlet malls, but maybe the matinee?  Or I could do an 11am Tron.  No I'm joking -that looks like a bigger POS than this could possibly be.  I'm also NOT seeing the travesty of Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. Am booked for Steve Martin & Martin Short/Stevie Nicks/Suffs @ Smith Center

EricMontreal22 said: "Speaking of this playing on fewer screens, usually here in Canada any wide US release gets a release in Canada on the same date, but I just now realized we aren't for Kiss of the Spider Woman. Distribution seems to be here through Mongrel Media who have a release date of October 17 but I still don't see it listed at ANY Canadian cinemas I've checked out in their upcoming film listings..."

 

theatretenor2 said: "Is the general context of Dressing them Up lost or is it just the song that was cut? I think it's important in the storytelling of Molina."


He speaks a few of the lyrics like they did in RENT…