Jennifer Lopezhas never gotten a lot of love from fans or critics when it comes to her acting career, but all that seems to be changing thanks to her most recent performance inKiss of the Spider Woman, whichis getting rave reviews coming out of Sundance this past weekend. Lopez has been nominated for more Golden Raspberry Awards than she has Golden Globes in her 30-year career in Hollywood, but next year’s Oscar buzz has already started thanks to director Bill Condon’smusicalthriller, in which Lopez stars as Ingrid Luna.
Fans and critics have been singing the praises of Lopez sinceKiss of the Spider Woman’s debut on Jan. 26, with Pete Hammond fromDeadlinecalling it “the role she was born to play,” while at the same time mentioning that the movie itself is “a master class in how to find the cinematic soul of a Broadway musical while still doing it justice on screen 30 years later.” David Rooney fromThe Hollywood Reporterechoed those sentiments, callingKiss of the Spider Woman"one of the best roles" of Lopez’s career, adding:
“She looks sensational in Colleen Atwood’s stunning costumes, and the verve she brings to her songs lifts the entire movie. It’s a part that calls for a larger-than-life presence, and Lopez supplies it.”
Another viewersaidKiss of the Spider Woman"puts so many musicals to shame," and called it the “antiEmilia Pérez,” nodding to criticisms of Netflix’s recently Oscar-nominated musical.
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Kiss of the Spider Womanis based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Puig, and is the third adaptation of the source material following the award-winning 1985 film that starred William Hurt, Raul Julia, and Sônia Braga, and the Tony-winning Broadway musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb. It’s Condon’sfourth musical in his careerthat he’s either written or directed, and follows in the footsteps of his other hits likeChicago,Dreamgirls, andThe Greatest Showman.
Jennifer Lopez Tears Up At ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Premiere
While fans and critics have been singing the praises of Lopez since seeingKiss of the Spider Woman, the actress herself had a lot to say following the film’s Sundance premiere. She took the stage with microphone in hand (seen above), dressed in a gorgeous spider web dress while saying that her role as Ingrid Luna was a “dream come true” as she held back tears.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. The truth is, when you talk about being in musicals, the reason that I even wanted to be in this business was because my mom would sit me in front of the TV, [West Side Story] would come on once a year, on Thanksgiving, I remember. And I was just mesmerized, and I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ That was always my goal, and this is the first time I actually got to do it, so it’s a big deal. [Bill Condon] made my dream come true. I think of Chita Rivera, I think of Fred Ebb, I think of Terrence McNally and all of the love that they poured into this, and it’s just an honor to be able to be part of this movie.”
There’s no word yet on whenKiss of the Spider Womanwill see a wide theatrical release, but with its Sundance buzz, we’re confident a major studio will pick it up to distribute later this year. In the meantime, you can still catch Lopez in one of her many 2024 films,includingUnstoppable, which is streaming now on Prime Video.
Unstoppable
