Bill Condon, left, Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh attend a special screening of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" at The Shed on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” comes so close to working the whole time, it becomes a frustrating example of a tricky project that everyone aboard almost pulled off.

Set in 1980s Argentina, Valetin, a political prisoner (played by Diego Luna) and Molina, a gay hairdresser (played by newcomer Tonatiuh) share a cell together. To kill time and distract one another from the horrors around them, Molina tells Valetin the plot of his favorite B-movie, which stars Aurora Luna (played by Jennifer Lopez). Musical numbers fade into real life, as Molina hides a secret from Valentin that could ruin their friendship.

The original 1985 film (based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel), directed by Hector Babenco, is one of the most grueling and boldest dramas of its decade. What stars William Hurt and especially Raul Julia achieved there is extraordinary.

The 1993 Broadway musical adaptation, which this latest version is closely based on, sounded like a terrible idea, akin to a song and dance version of “Midnight Express” (1978). Instead, with the legendary Chita Rivera in the title role and gaining a Tony for her efforts, the show is a knockout and one of my all-time favorite musicals.

The novel and ’85 film took place in the 1970s, with the fantasy sequences depicting a tacky Nazi-themed melodrama. Here, the material is updated to the 1980s, to indulge in color saturation and the likes of “Cat People” (1982). While the political angle has a universal ability to move us (the story could take place anywhere and still be sadly contemporary and relevant in its themes), it’s the unlikely friendship at the center that still gives the story its beating heart.

The latest retelling has great musical numbers but has a truncated version of the crucial “reality” part of the story, which is a problem.

Tonatiuh and Luna grew on me, as their performances were different enough from the choices made by Hurt and Julia that I was able to lose myself to their interpretations.

Condon makes the choice to reverse the emphasis: In the Babenco film, the fantasy sequences had a tacky look but were brief and didn’t monopolize the central relationship. Here, the prison scenes are clearly on hand to bookend the musical numbers, which are filmed in loud colors to evoke a Technicolor musical.

“Gods and Monsters,” Condon’s 1998 drama about the real and imagined life of “Bride of Frankenstein” filmmaker James Whale, is his masterpiece and an interesting counterpart. Once again, Condon is reminding us that movies can literally and figuratively allow us to escape.

Lopez often seems to be mimicking Rivera, which isn’t a bad choice — one icon portraying another. I wouldn’t have thought Lopez’s vocal range was a good match for the songs, but she nails it and is riveting in her dance sequences as well. It isn’t until Lopez dons the costume of the title character in the third act that the film starts to lose its grip.

The epilogue, a key, devastating part of the story, feels watered down here (it hit much harder in the original film).

Condon clearly had his heart in the big musical numbers but, to his credit, he doesn’t shy away from the grisly physical details of the prison sequences. I applaud him for cutting the needless “Over the Wall” number but leaning into the iconic “Where You Are.”

A key problem is that, while the topic is cinematic escapism, the staging is theatrical. Babenco’s film felt like a real movie, whereas this resembles a filmed Broadway production and can’t always overcome the staginess of the setting.

Condon’s best films, which include “Dreamgirls” (2006) and “Mr. Holmes” (2015), reflect on the relationship between the art and the artist, as well as how one’s imagination can reshape a sad reality. Despite those aspects obviously at work here, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” doesn’t hit as hard as it should. There are great scenes, and the three leads are impressive, but this will work best for those who have never heard of the prior novel, movie or stage show.

(2.5 out of 4 stars)

Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawai’i Maui College.