Opening

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—— The Hangover Part III May 23
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Spider (2002)

tomatometer

85

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 130
Fresh: 111 | Rotten: 19

Ralph Fiennes is brilliant in this accomplished and haunting David Cronenberg film.

89

Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 4

Ralph Fiennes is brilliant in this accomplished and haunting David Cronenberg film.

audience

66

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 20,169

My Rating

Movie Info

Ralph Fiennes plays a grown man haunted by his childhood in David Cronenberg's stylized psychological drama Spider. Upon his release from a mental institution, Spider (Fiennes) takes up residence in a halfway house. Paranoid, quiet, and forever making notes, Spider spends much of the film remembering scenes from his youth, specifically a horrific event from his childhood that occurred after he came to believe that his father (Gabriel Byrne) was having an affair on his mother (Miranda

Jul 29, 2003

$1.3M

Sony Pictures Classics - Official Site External Icon

Cast

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All Critics (146) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (117) | Rotten (20) | DVD (22)

This is one of the director's most accomplished films.

April 26, 2003 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
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It's a pleasure to watch such an understated treatment of potentially sensational subject matter.

April 24, 2003 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News
Dallas Morning News
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Although languid to a fault, Spider offers some payoff for those with enough patience to stick it out.

April 11, 2003
Arizona Republic
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Definitely a trip into unexplored territory.

April 10, 2003
Orlando Sentinel
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Spider isn't nearly as disturbing as it is intriguing, despite its subject matter.

April 4, 2003
Detroit News
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Cronenberg has made a sad character study that also works as an intellectual thriller. He leaves the viewer feeling a lot like Dennis Cleg: haunted.

March 28, 2003 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Bee
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Pocas veces la locura ha sido retratada de una manera tan subjetiva y contundente, algo que no sorprende viniendo de la mano de David Cronenberg.

November 20, 2008 Full Review Source: Uruguay Total
Uruguay Total

Spider deserves much more than it'll probably get, it's a fine and enjoyable film from a cinematic master.

June 21, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Scouts
Film Scouts

... the film's slow, toilsome journey does not lead to any particularly shocking or interesting revelations.

January 15, 2005
Looking Closer

What Cronenberg achieves ultimately in his latest mind bender is the full-scale distraction of his audience.

December 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Bangitout.com
Bangitout.com

Cronenberg pieces together a compelling portrait of madness, but one which lacks the poignancy to be a rich, moving character study.

September 30, 2004 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Alternative

Fails to connect with its audience and concludes in a contradictory and jumbled fashion.

August 13, 2004 Full Review Source: Oregon Herald | Comment (1)

Cronenberg remains remarkably faithful to McGrath's vision. His success lies in his willingness to give himself over to the effect and atmosphere of the novel.

April 21, 2004 Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife

This sorta over-ripe Freudianism is, like, so-o-o-o yesterday.

January 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Cinemania | Comments (3)

Audience Reviews for Spider

Spider is a film that has all the potential to be fascinating study of mental-illness, but instead director David Cronenberg practically turns it to an extremely slow and painfully pointless film to sit through.
Spider does not offer anykind of insight into it's main character's psyche. All we get is Ralph Fiennes mumbling his lines on his own. Maybe that is the way that Cronenberg intended it to be, but anyhow it leaves viewer cold and outside.
Cronenberg's typical style does not especially help the film either. As usually he underplays the whole film and leave all the nuances out from his film. Spider is a boring and pointless hour and a half. It begins from nowhere and ends to nowhere.
I admire the subject matter here and i admire what Cronenberg is reaching with this film, but it is still one of the biggest failures in great director's filmography.
December 9, 2011
emilkakko

Super Reviewer

Im in the middle of watcing it right now, and while it is interesting it is slow and RALPH FIENNES! :( I love your vioce and you murmer throughout the whole movie, I mean I understand its his charcter but it is unfortunate. Still his performance as always is great. I curious as to how this movie will end.
January 8, 2011
MissMorganLeee
Morgan Salem

Super Reviewer

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Latest News on Spider

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