Director: Hugh Wilson
Writers: Olivia Goldsmith, Robert Harling
Stars: Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton
Synopsis: Reunited by the death of a college friend, three divorced women seek revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women.
Some films become more enjoyable with age, and The First Wives Club is firmly in that category for me. Released in 1996, the comedy brought together the dramatic Diane Keaton, the glamorous Goldie Hawn, and the hilarious Bette Midler as three college friends reunited by heartbreak, betrayal, and the sudden death of another friend. What follows is a wonderfully chaotic revenge story, but beneath the jokes and outrageous situations lies a film about friendship, female independence, and women refusing to accept being discarded. Nearly 30 years later, it remains a five-star favorite of mine because it is genuinely funny and has something meaningful to say. It’s wrapped in sharp one-liners, brilliant performances and an enormous amount of personality.
At the center of the film are Annie, Brenda and Elise, three women who discover that their ex-husbands have left them for younger women. Rather than allowing themselves to become bitter victims of their circumstances, they decide to fight back. Their plan grows increasingly ambitious, taking them from revenge against their former husbands to creating opportunities for themselves and other women. I love that the friendship is just as important as the revenge. These women don’t always agree; they have their insecurities, and they occasionally drive each other completely mad (there’s a dramatic but funny scene where they fight, and an Oscar is thrown across the room), but when it matters, they show up for one another.
It’s also refreshing to watch a comedy that is so unapologetically interested in women’s lives. The film tackles ageing, marriage, divorce, sexism, self-worth and financial independence, yet somehow manages to do it without losing its sense of fun. The message about women taking control of their own lives is still incredibly satisfying, particularly because the characters aren’t presented as perfect examples of empowerment. They’re messy, emotional, vain, frightened and occasionally ridiculous. In other words, they’re human.
The chemistry between Keaton, Hawn and Midler is a huge part of that. Each brings a completely different comic energy to the group, which makes their scenes together so enjoyable. Diane Keaton’s nervous, slightly chaotic delivery is particularly brilliant, while Goldie Hawn brings an effortless sharpness and Bette Midler has the kind of larger-than-life confidence that makes even the most ridiculous moments work.
The supporting cast deserves plenty of credit too. Maggie Smith is absolutely wonderful as Gunilla Garson, delivering every line with the kind of elegant disdain that only she could manage – probably a role that helped her get scouted for Downton Abbey. Sarah Jessica Parker is also fantastic as the younger woman who becomes involved with Brenda’s ex-husband. Her performance is deliberately exaggerated, but that’s precisely why it works. She’s ridiculous, irritating, and completely committed to the character.
There are so many memorable moments throughout the film, but my favorite is the scene where the women are hiding in Brenda’s ex’s apartment and end up escaping down the side of the building in a window cleaner’s basket. It is such a clever piece of comedy because the situation is completely absurd, yet the performances sell every second of it. Diane Keaton’s facial expressions are absolutely priceless. She looks genuinely horrified by what is happening, while simultaneously having the kind of physical comedy that makes it impossible not to laugh. It’s one of those scenes where the actors aren’t afraid to look silly.
I sometimes wonder whether actors are simply too conscious of their appearance to throw themselves into comedy like this anymore. There is something wonderfully unglamorous about watching Keaton, Hawn and Midler get themselves into ridiculous situations without worrying about whether they look elegant. One modern exception that immediately springs to mind is Kaitlin Olson in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She has that same fearlessness when it comes to looking ridiculous for the sake of a laugh. She isn’t afraid to make herself the butt of the joke, pull an outrageous expression, or completely abandon any concern about looking polished.
What makes The First Wives Club a five-star comedy for me, though, isn’t just the comedy. It’s the warmth underneath it. The friendship between these women feels like the real love story of the film. They are there for each other when their marriages fall apart, when their confidence disappears, and when they need someone to remind them that their lives aren’t over simply because their relationships have ended. I also love that their ultimate victory isn’t simply about getting revenge. It’s about building something of their own. The women move from being defined by their husbands to creating a future where they have financial independence and the ability to help other women.
The ending sequence where the three friends perform a routine they once did at college, singing and dancing down the street is still one of the most fun and uplifting endings to a film I’ve ever seen. Nearly three decades on, The First Wives Club remains gloriously funny, wonderfully performed and surprisingly empowering. And if nothing else, it proves that sometimes the best way to deal with heartbreak is to get your friends together, put on a fabulous outfit and make an absolutely enormous amount of trouble.
