Starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuah, and Tony Dovolani
Directed by Bill Conden
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
This week, we're jumping closer to the here and now to cover two adaptations of 80's and 90's Broadway musicals in the 21st century. This one's trip to the big screen was almost as tortured as its central couple. It began as a 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Pug and had been adapted as a play in 1983 and an Oscar-winning film in 1985. The 1993 stage musical gave Chita Rivera one of her definitive roles as Aurora, the movie star in the stories woven by gay window dresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuah) while in prison. How well does the current film version measure up, especially in the current political climate? Let's begin by introducing Molina as he gets a new roommate in prison and find out...
The Story: Molina's new cell mate is Valentin Arregui Paz (Luna), a revolutionary who was jailed for his work with a revolutionary group. Valentin is annoyed by Luis at first, but finally lets him tell the story of his favorite Hollywood musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman. In the film, Aurora (Lopez), a glamorous magazine publisher who has never truly been in love, finally falls for Armando (Luna), a brilliant photographer. They return to the town where they were both raised for a photo shoot. This cements their relationship, but it also brings in Armando's old flame Paulina (Aline Mayagoita) and the gangster Johnny Desidero (Dovolani), whom Armando owes old debts to.
Molina, as it turns out, is spying on Valentin for the warden in exchange for parole, so he can return to his sick mother (Graciela Daniele). He's supposed to get information from him while taking care of him after he's poisoned, but he ends up falling for him. Molina continues the story as their relationship deepens, revealing how the village is protected from evil spirits by the Spider Woman (Lopez), who demands the sacrifice of a native woman's lover. Aurora is afraid it'll be Armando and pushes him away, not realizing her assistant Kendall (Tonatiuah) loves Armando, too. Kendall betrays both of them to Johnny after Aurora admits her love. Paulina helps them escape into the jungle, where the Spider Woman gets her sacrifice...but not the man she expected.
As the story ends, so does Molina's time in the prison. He got his longed-for parole, but he's a changed man. So is Valentin. Molina's ready to admit that he can't hide in dreams forever, and maybe Kendall isn't the only one willing to make a sacrifice, while Valentin realizes that the imagination can be a very powerful place to be, and there's more than one type of love in this world.
The Song and Dance: Jennifer Lopez wanted to make this movie for years, and while she certainly goes to town in the gorgeous numbers, the real heart here is the surprisingly sweet love story between Luna and Tonatiuah. The men are gentle and charming in their banter in the prison despite the brutal setting, and utterly gorgeous in the musical numbers. The use of color here is stunning, whether it's the lush Technicolor jungle or the pop of pastel on Luis' robe and the old movie posters in the prison cell. Gorgeous costumes, too, with Argentina in 1983 and South America by way of Hollywood in the late 40's equally well-represented.
The Numbers: We open with "Prologue," as we get an explanation for the story to come. Our first Technicolor chorus number is "Her Name Is Aurora," as Aurora dances her way through men and life in gorgeous costumes, wondering why she can't fall in love. We hear it again at the nightclub where Aurora meets Armando and falls in love with him...and Molina imagines Valentin as Armando. Aurora sings about how "I Will Dance Alone"...but Molina performs it, too, as he's equally worried that he's doomed to a life of loneliness. Armando and Aurora sing about how he's "An Everyday Man," both in the town and in his workroom as they develop the photos. Molina as Kendall drapes himself in Aurora's beads and perfumes, singing about how "She's a Woman," the pinnacle of soft perfection that he wants so much to be.
"Where You Are" brings in Aurora to remind Molina, frightened of the beatings in the prison and worried for Valentin, insists that it's better to be "Where You Are" and live in your head than deal with the troubles outside. Two men in the compound sing "Dear One (Quiredo)" during a rest period as Valentin begins to wonder about his feelings for Molina. "I Do Miracles" insists Aurora when Armando has been beaten nearly to death and she's caring for him at a house in the jungle...and Valentin sees his beloved Marta when Molina encourages him to use his imagination to get through the pain of the beatings.
"A Visit" brings in Aurora's Spider Woman persona as she sings to Molina about how she wants him...or his lover...and needs the sacrifice. "Gimme Love" is the Gene Kelly-esque dream ballet. Aurora imagines herself in a red artwork-stage-like nightclub set as she dances with the chorus boys, then with an Armando who looks distinctly like Kelly in most of his ballets. It degenerates into a nightmare, with Aurora hounded by men in animal masks...just as Molina is beaten. Aurora and Armando embrace in the jungle as she claims that it was "Never You" who walked away from her. Kendall makes his sacrifice to the tune of the Spider Woman performing the title song. The movie ends with Molina's own sacrificial death...and his final dream, as he imagines himself as the object of beauty he always wanted to be "Only In the Movies."
Trivia: The original Broadway show debuted in 1993 (after a run in London the year before), with Chita Rivera in her last great stage role as Aurora. It was a hit, running two years in New York and a year in London. It hasn't been seen in either city since, but does occasionally turn up in regional stagings.
The movie is dedicated to the memory of Fred Ebb (who died in 2004), original musical writer Thomas McNally (who died of Covid in 2020), and Chita Rivera (who died in 2024 during production).
What I Don't Like: As with the film version of Chicago, almost all of the musical numbers set in the prison were eliminated to further establish the line between reality and fantasy...but it means we don't get to know the two men as well as we'd like. Frankly, Valentin's right. Their touching romance in the gray prison is far more interesting than Aurora's Hollywood camp fluff, and frigid, stiff Lopez, while fabulous in the musical numbers, lacks Rivera's spicy old-time glamour. Also, keep in mind that, despite the lavish musical numbers, the language, sexuality, and general themes makes this very much a Technicolor romp for adults.
The Big Finale: I can kind of understand why this isn't doing well in theaters. This is the kind of movie you're either really going to get, or really won't get at all. At the very least, it's far better than last year's prison-set fantasy musical with similar themes, Joker Pas et Deux. Highly recommended for fans of Lopez, Luna, the Technicolor Hollywood fantasies this refers to, gay cinema, or those with a taste for adventurous musicals that go way outside the box.
Home Media: Currently for streaming pre-order at Amazon Prime.
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