Kiss of the Spider Woman
Island Pictures | Release Date: July 26, 1985 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Don't be too quick to jump on Hurt with complaints of old-fashioned gay stereotyping. Only with a development well into the movie will the audience realize the layers he brought to Molina's role-playing. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyF. X. Feeney
Leonard Schrader adapted the screenplay from the novel by Manuel Puig, and his fearless willingness to explore every corner of human nature serves what is greatest and sweetest in the performances of William Hurt and Raul Julia. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Each man winds up owing the other -- and the enormity of the sacrifices they make on one another's behalf are quite moving and have not been duplicated in the movies since. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Tells one of those rare and entrancing stories where one thing seems to happen while another thing is really happening. Read full review
80
VarietyStaff (Not credited)
Some will find him (Hurt) mesmerizing, others artificially lowkeyed. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
Powerful, sensuous and thematically hokey transsexual adventure. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
One of the most intriguing prison dramas ever put on film.
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
It packs an emotional punch despite shortcomings of story and style. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
The film's theme of acceptance is undercut considerably by Hurt's overcalculated performance. Read full review
70
Village VoiceLeslie Camhi
Appears strangely dated, and its unspecified location seems existentially hokey. Read full review
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80 Critic Reviews

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