The First Wives Club (1996)
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39% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
66% of users liked it
(61,724 ratings)
Three women plot revenge on their two-timing husbands in this comedy. Brenda (Bette Midler), Elise (Goldie Hawn), and Annie (Diane Keaton) were close friends in college, but 27 years after graduation they've lost touch with each other, and it's not until a mutual friend of the three commits… More Three women plot revenge on their two-timing husbands in this comedy. Brenda (Bette Midler), Elise (Goldie Hawn), and Annie (Diane Keaton) were close friends in college, but 27 years after graduation they've lost touch with each other, and it's not until a mutual friend of the three commits suicide that they meet at the funeral for the first time in years. It seems that their friend grew despondent after her husband left her for a younger woman, and all three find themselves in similar situations. Elise is an actress who finds herself out of work now that she's seen the shady side of 40, and her husband and producer Bill (Victor Garber) is demanding a divorce (and half of her fortune). Brenda helped her husband Morton (Dan Hedaya) open a profitable chain of discount electronics stores, but now that his commercials have made him a minor celebrity, he's taken up with a much younger (and thinner) woman. Annie has allowed her husband Aaron (Stephen Collins) to use her as a doormat throughout their marriage, and she's at a loss now that he's leaving her. After comparing notes, Brenda, Elise, and Annie decide that it's time to do something about their problems, and they hatch an elaborate blackmail scheme that will win them control of their ex-husband's businesses and allow them to do something positive with the money they helped earn. Heather Locklear and Ivana Trump both make cameo appearances. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Hugh Wilson
- Written By
- Robert Harling
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Sep 20, 1996 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 1, 1998
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Funny film with the three leads in top form.
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Fred Topel, About.com
Suprisingly funny lighthearted comedy dealing with divorce. Lackluster conclusion, but good "feel good" tone.
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
"glossy fluff, impeccably cast and performed"
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Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
More entertaining than it ought to be, considering how sloppily it was put together.
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Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Trite, labored, and much too nice.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Bette Midler
as Brenda Morelli Cushman
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Goldie Hawn
as Elise Elliot Atchison
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Diane Keaton
as Annie McDuggan Paradise
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Maggie Smith
as Gunila Garson Goldberg
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Dan Hedaya
as Morton Cushman
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Bronson Pinchot
as Duarto Feliz
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Marcia Gay Harden
as Dr. Leslie Rosen
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Elizabeth Berkley
as Phoebe La Velle
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Philip Bosco
as Uncle Carmine Morelli
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Stockard Channing
as Cynthia Swann Griffin
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Stephen Collins
as Aaron Paradise
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Jennifer Dundas
as Chris Paradise
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Victor Garber
as Bill Atchison
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Eileen Heckart
as Catherine MacDuggan
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James Naughton
as Gil Griffin
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Sarah Jessica Parker
as Shelly Stewart
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Rob Reiner
as Dr. Morris Packman
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Ari Greenberg
as Jason Cushman
- Ivana Trump
- Heather Locklear



