Director Condon is good at musicals as proven by his Dreamgirls film and his other Kander/Ebb musical adaptation, the Oscar winning Chicago. I feel he's done it again, bringing Kander and Ebb's musical version of Kiss of the Spider Woman to the big technicolor screen with pizzaz and pathos.
Jennifer Lopez, as the title character is the marquee name, and she shines here in a scene stealing role that sets her as queen of the silver screen, a title she lives up to and more. But this is Tonatiuh's film. His performance as Molina (the role that won William Hurt his Oscar) is easily one of the best performances of the year. He is mesmerizing and captivating in every moment, bringing an authenticity and creativity to the role. He made the film for me. Poor Diego Luna, who gives a strong performance, but is completely eclipsed by his co-star in his breakout role.
Condon's approach, similar to his work in Chicago, is to use the musical numbers in the fantasy world, keeping the prison moments grounded in reality and the imagined world of an old fashioned movie musical is the escape and liberation. His staging is pure 50 musical magic, from the costumes to the art direction, to the melodrama. It's all delicious and rich. Condon has taken the musical, incorporated elements from the novel and the 80s film adaptation, to create something truly lovely and what might be my favourite of the tellings of this tale.
My only real critique is that the music isn't Kander and Ebb's best work. There is nothing near a Cell Block Tango or a Willkommen, very few of the songs stick with you or capture your heart. Still, Tonatiuh and Lopez are both outstanding as they perform the musical numbers which papers over the weakness of the source music.
Still Kiss of the Spider Woman is gorgeous, tragic, spectical and I am here for it. It is also a showcase for an incredible new talent in Tonatiuh and perhaps the role Jennifer Lopez was born to play.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Bruno Bichir, Tony Dovolani, Aline Mayagoitia
Writer/Director: Bill Condon
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