First Wives Club 1996, Rated PG Paramount Home Video

Buy it from

Starring Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Bette Midler.

Before I screened this film, I was anticipating some anti-male sentiment, with some good natured male bashing. I was expecting a sort of Thelma & Louise thing, but funnier, and with less police. Good Lord, was I wrong. The First Wives Club, based off the novel by Olivia Goldsmith, is a vengeful, dastardly, evil, pull-no-punches film. And with three very likable leads, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn, this turns into one engaging film.

The plot, if you want to call it that, is this: the girls want to get revenge on their ex-husbands who left them for younger, bouncier women. There is only one albeit minor flaw with this film; the on-screen action revolving around the 'club' mentioned in the title is unbelievable at best. The girls desire to deliver pain to their ex's is plausible, them having business cards made up is not. Like the Old Milwaukee commercials where four guys are standing around and suddenly the Swedish bikini team parachutes in, the first wives club that Midler, Keaton, and Hawn have formed is one of those things everyone fantasizes about doing, but in reality never would, or could, do anything about.

Despite the unrealistic nature of the first wives club though, The First Wives Club is very enjoyable because of the witty banter between the three leads, the delicious barbs they throw at their ex's, and the downright funny situations that the girls get themselves into. One of my favorite actors, the under-used and under-rated Dan Hedaya is also thrown into the mix, and brings his own slow and humorous style to the screen.

Entertaining and slightly mushy? Yes. Boring and not worth a look? No. The First Wives Club isn't Citizen Kane, but has more charming female leads planning more deviously deceptive ways to hurt men than Citizen Kane as well. This was a good film, and would make for an excellent date movie.