Why is “Kiss of the Spider Woman” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language, sexual content and some violence.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes one sex scene between two men with partial nudity, an implied sex scene, a sex act reenacted as a distraction, several kissing scenes and near-kissing scenes, several dance sequences with partial non-sexual nudity, scenes of torture and references to torture in prison, two men being poisoned in prison, references to citizens of Argentina being murdered and disappeared, several arguments and at least 12 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

---

On the eve of the 1983 fall of the corrupt Argentinian government, where murders and arrests of citizens for speaking out were commonplace, two men (Diego Luna and Tonatiuh) share a cell in a prison and develop a bond that helps them survive, as one recounts the story of his favorite movie to distract them from their fate. Also with Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, Aline Mayagoitia, Driton ‘Tony’ Dovolani and Lucila Gandolfo. Directed by Bill Condon. [Running Time: 2:08]

Kiss of the Spider Woman SEX/NUDITY 6

 – Two men lie in bed and kiss, one thrusts from behind the other and they are shown shirtless (we see their bare chests, shoulders and abdomens). A man embraces and caresses another man when he cries about suffering; they lie together in a bed and sex is implied. A man pretends to be performing oral sex on another man in a prison cell to distract the guards.
► Two men kiss tenderly. In a movie sequence, a woman kisses a man and he twitches and collapses (presumably dying from a kiss from the spider woman). Two men hug. A man in a prison cell imagines a woman singing to him and caressing his face. A man and a woman kiss lovingly. A man and a woman dance, embrace and nearly kiss. A man kisses a woman on the shoulder. A woman caresses her own body while singing and making suggestive movements. Two men meet and talk on a park bench and one asks the other if he got his letters while he was in prison; he asks the man if he thought of him and the other man leaves.
► A man talks about a man that he has romantic feelings for, and that the man is married with children. Two prison guards threaten a prisoner and make sexually suggestive remarks to him. A man talks about the man of his dreams. Song lyrics include, “Let’s make love,” and “Kiss.” A man tells another man that he is not his type. A man says that he is serving an 8-year prison sentence for public indecency and describes that it was with another man. A man talks about two people’s fingers touching and that they tingled with electricity. A man and woman sing about kissing, and he kisses a photograph of the woman. A man talks about being gay and that people tell him that the right woman would convert him. A song describes a woman having kissed many men. A man makes a sexual remark after eating a roasted potato. A man says of a gay man, “He’s a woman in love.” A man tells another man to stop making erotic descriptions while reenacting a movie. A man refers to “gender as a social construct.”
► Men and women dance together at a gala. A man urinates in a prison cell toilet and we hear the stream. A man washes another man’s back.
► A woman wears low-cut dresses that reveal deep cleavage in several scenes. A woman wears dresses that are slit to the hips and reveal her bare legs to the hips and part of her undergarment while dancing and spinning. Women at a gala and a club wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage and bare backs. A man wears a crop tank top that reveals part of his bare abdomen. A man wears a T-shirt and briefs that reveal his bare legs to the hips. A woman wears a very short coatdress during a musical number (we see her legs to the upper thighs and part of her undergarment). Men wearing tank T-shirts or shirtless dance in several dance numbers (we see bare shoulders, chests and abdomens).

Kiss of the Spider Woman VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – Two men talk in a crowded movie theater; several armed men enter and chase the two men onto the street, one man falls and the other gets into a waiting vehicle, someone in the vehicle shoots the man that had fallen twice in the chest (we see the bloody wounds) and he falls to the ground (a pool of blood spreads under him). A prisoner is held at a cell door and we see that he is dead after being tortured; his face and eyes are discolored and his mouth is agape. A prison guard strikes a man in the stomach with a club and the man is dragged out of his cell; we hear him yelling and see him in an interrogation room where a device that delivers shocks of electricity is used (we see the man unconscious later with deep bloody gashes on his face, abdomen and arm). A prisoner that has been beaten and tortured is held at a prison cell door by two guards and we see his bloody face. A person is carried on a stretcher in a prison yard (it’s not clear if he is alive or dead). A man says that he had not been fed for three days in prison.
► A man groans in pain and says that he has been poisoned; he stands up abruptly and says that he defecated on himself and another man helps him take off his pants (we see his partial bare legs) and cleans him (we see feces-stained clothing). A man moans in pain and is taken to the prison infirmary after eating poisoned food (he recovers).
► Two prison guards threaten a prisoner and make sexually suggestive remarks to him. A prison warden orders a prisoner to give him information about his cellmate and threatens to not sign his parole order if he does not. A man rides a bus through a city where we see military vehicles and soldiers harassing people. A man is told that his mother suffered a heart attack. A man describes being gathered to listen to a political official and that people around them were armed and opened fire killing 47 people, one of whom was his 14-year-old sister.
► In a movie sequence, a woman kisses a man and he twitches and collapses (presumably dying from a kiss from the spider woman). In a movie sequence, a man and a woman in a car speed through a jungle. In a movie sequence, we hear that a man has been beaten by gangsters and he is shown motionless with a bloody gash on his head. A panther snarls in a movie, we hear yelling and see what looks like intestines and blood (after an apparent attack on someone).
► Several paintings of animals with bloody teeth and claws are seen in a movie sequence and a story is told about the beasts attacking villagers unless a sacrifice was made. A woman with long fingernails stands against a large spider web in a few scenes.
► We read that in Argentina 30,000 citizens were killed or imprisoned. A man says that he is serving an 8-year prison sentence for public indecency. A man asks another man if he is a political prisoner. A man says that his father died when he was 4 years old. A song’s lyrics instruct, “Learn how to be not where you are.” A man says, “No one is supposed to leave alive,” about a prison. A man says, “Homosexuals always die in the movies. They usually kill themselves.” A man argues with another man telling him to stop talking because he is reading and studying.
► A man puts his fingers in another man’s mouth causing him to vomit (we hear him retching; we do not see goo). A man urinates in a prison cell toilet and we hear the stream; another man in the cell pours a bucket of water in the toilet to flush it. Two men argue about taking man bites vs. lady bites of food while eating.

Kiss of the Spider Woman LANGUAGE 6

 – About 12 F-words and its derivatives, 8 sexual references, 9 scatological terms, 1 anatomical term, 1 mild obscenity, 7 derogatory terms for gay people, name-calling (bad influence, traitors, hypocrite, animal, stupid, monster, macho, two-bit gangster, stuck-up, degenerates, informer, miserable, sissies, people like you, queen, frigid, particular, stubborn), exclamations (lighten up, shut-up, never trust a closeted queen, you make me sick, [mild obscenity deleted] in a handbasket), 6 religious exclamations (e.g. God no, oh Lord, oh God, oh sweet Jesus, I swear to God, thank God). | profanity glossary |

Kiss of the Spider Woman SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man is given a sedative after eating poisoned food. People drink liquor and champagne in a few gala and club scenes, people drink wine with a meal, and a woman drinks a drugged cocktail. A woman smokes cigarettes in several scenes, a man smokes a cigar, people smoke cigarettes in a few gala and club scenes, and a man rolls a cigarette.

Kiss of the Spider Woman DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Argentina, fascism, authoritarianism, distraction from reality, humiliation, pity, finding true love, equality, betrayal, death squads, people being “disappeared,” civil war, Ronald Reagan, miracles, weakness, fantasy, gender roles, commitment, propaganda.

Kiss of the Spider Woman MESSAGE

 – The struggle is not over until all men are free.