The First Wives Club (1996)
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Three divorced women form a club to seek retribution against their ex-husbands for leaving them for younger women.
The story
In 1969, three friends promise to stay connected, but by the present day, they have lost touch until the suicide of a mutual friend reunites them. The three women, Annie, Elise, and Brenda, find themselves in various predicaments following their respective divorces. Annie is struggling with low self-esteem, Elise is a fading actress battling alcoholism, and Brenda is facing financial troubles. Upon discovering the common thread of their husbands' betrayals, the three women decide to form the 'First Wives Club' to pursue 'justice' over revenge, using one of their properties as a base to reclaim their lives and confront their former husbands' actions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the suicide of their friend Cynthia, three women—Annie, Elise, and Brenda—reunite and realize they have all been abandoned by their husbands for younger women. They form the 'First Wives Club' to seek justice. Annie discovers her husband's business troubles and buys out his partners; Elise uncovers that her ex-husband's new girlfriend is a minor; and Brenda uncovers her ex-husband's fraudulent business dealings and forces him to relinquish his company. The three women eventually reconcile their differences and decide to use their resources to establish a crisis center for women in Cynthia's name. The film concludes with the women celebrating their victories, with Annie and Elise finding new paths and Brenda reconciling with her son, while the trio performs a final musical number together.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Hugh Wilson
- Writers
- Robert Harling · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bette Midler · Brenda Morelli-Cushman; Goldie Hawn · Elise Eliot-Atchison; Diane Keaton · Annie MacDuggan-Paradis; Maggie Smith · Gunilla Garson Goldberg; Dan Hedaya · Morton "Morty" Cushman; Bronson Pinchot · Duarto Feliz; Stockard Channing · Cynthia Swann-Griffin; Sarah Jessica Parker · Shelly Stewart
- Genres
- comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- empowerment; sisterhood; divorce; female friendship
- Tone and mood
- comedy; glamorous
- Premise and plot tags
- revenge; divorce; women's empowerment
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith
- Content notes
- alcoholism
- Reception
- The film was a surprise box-office success and developed a cult following among middle-aged women, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Music Score · nomination
- Production trivia
- The final scene was filmed in a single take.; The film was based on a novel by Olivia Goldsmith.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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