The First Wives Club (1996)

Director:

Hugh Wilson

Writers (WGA):

Olivia Goldsmith (novel)
Robert Harling (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Getting even... this fall.

Plot:

Reunited by the death of a college friend, three divorced women seek revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Midlife Crisis | Suicide | Reference To Sean Connery | Yuppie

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Bette Midler	...	Brenda Cushman
Goldie Hawn	...	Elise Elliot
Diane Keaton	...	Annie Paradis
Maggie Smith	...	Gunilla Garson Goldberg
Dan Hedaya	...	Morton Cushman
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Shelly Stewart
Stockard Channing	...	Cynthia Swann Griffin
Victor Garber	...	Bill Atchison
Stephen Collins	...	Aaron Paradis
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Phoebe LaVelle
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Dr. Leslie Rosen
Bronson Pinchot	...	Duarto Feliz
Jennifer Dundas	...	Chris Paradis
Eileen Heckart	...	Catherine MacDuggan
Philip Bosco	...	Uncle Carmine Morelli

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, some mild language and sensuality.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #34443) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Theatrical trailer features snippets of scenes that were not included in the final film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the three women have lunch after the funeral, Annie says Elise has not changed in the 20 years since they graduated but when she talks about Aron, she says they had been married for 25 years.

Quotes:

Phoebe LaVelle: Hi, I'm Phoebe. I've seen all your movies and I want to be just like you. Only, me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Nip/Tuck: Lulu Grandiron (#5.12)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Think

Pathetic novel-to-movie rendering

I found this movie frustrating. I read Olivia Goldsmith's novel and found it deep, emotional, and justified in its revenge. The novel involves much deeper issues, like a father taking money from his retarded daughter, a man who beat his wife and forced her to allow their daughter to die following an accident, a man who refuses to support his children, et cetera.

This movie focuses on petty revenge because they are not happy with being discarded for twenty year olds. It has NONE of the book's depth, characters, or deep emotional satisfaction in revenge. It has nothing more than cheap satisfaction and cheap revenge. I watched it once and would never look at it again.