The First Wives Club ***½ (1996, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton) – Classic Movie Review 1,435

Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton star as middle-agers plotting revenge after being dumped by their hubbies for younger wives, in the often hilarious 1996 comedy film The First Wives Club.

Bette Midler (as Brenda Cushman), Goldie Hawn (as Elise Elliot) and Diane Keaton (as Annie Paradis) star as middle-agers plotting revenge after being dumped and divorced by their hubbies in favour of younger wives in director Hugh Wilson’s tart, camp and often hilarious 1996 comedy The First Wives Club.

It is a good premise and there is a good script, delivered with plenty of nice, bitchy lines. Reunited after the death of a college friend, the trio come up with a clever and devious plan to hit their exes where it really hurts – in the wallet.

Only a few sags in Robert Harling’s generally spirited screenplay slightly let the show down. But nothing is going to stop the feisty, redoubtable ladies, who bash it home to victory.

The original source novel author Olivia Goldsmith made £5 million for her rights from the movie, but tragically she died on January 16, 2004, after never recovering from a coma with anaesthetic problems after a facelift.

Dan Hedaya (as Morton Cushman), Victor Garber (as Bill Atchison) and Stephen Collins (as Aaron Paradis) co-star as the husbands, and Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkeley and Marcia Gay Harden play their lovers, with Maggie Smith, Stockard Channing, and Bronson Pinchot also starring.

Jennifer Dundas, Eileen Heckart, Philip Bosco as Uncle Carmine, Rob Reiner, James Naughton, Debra Monk, Kate Burton, Heather Locklear, Edward Hibbert, Olivia Goldsmith, and J K Simmons all also appear. It’s quite a cast! A cornucopia of talent.

And it is Timothy Olyphant’s first big-screen appearance in a two-minute bit part as Brett Artounian. Born: May 20 1968.

Plus there are cameo appearances from Gloria Steinem, Ed Koch, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ivana Trump, author Olivia Goldsmith, and director Hugh Wilson.

The First Wives Club became a surprise box-office hit, especially among middle-aged women (unsurprisingly), grossing $181,490,000 worldwide, helping to revitalise the stars’ careers.

It was shot over three months at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York City, between December 4, 1995, and March 19, 1996, as well as on 60 locations.

Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn were first cast, with Midler wanting to play the more glamorous role of Elise, which eventually went to Hawn. The role of Annie later went to Diane Keaton, who was cast by producer Scott Rudin while they were working on Marvin’s Room.

Philip Bosco

Philip Bosco, Tony winner and much admired actor, died at 88 on 3 December 2018. RIP. He acted in Working Girl as Oren Trask, as Curly in The Money Pit and in the 2007 The Savages, among many other notable films.

Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall; January 5, 1946 – October 11, 2025)

Diane Keaton died in California on October 11, 2025, aged 79.

She appeared in eight films with Woody Allen, and won an Oscar, a BAFTA, and two Golden Globes.

Goldie Hawn wrote on October 12 2025: ‘I was blessed to make First Wives Club with you, our days starting with coffee in the makeup trailer, laughing and joking, right through to the very last day of filming. It was a roller coaster of love. We agreed to grow old together, and one day, maybe live together with all our girlfriends. Well, we never got to live together, but we did grow older together. I’m going to miss the hell out of you. I love you.’

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1,435

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