The First Wives Club
Three abandoned wives transform marital betrayal into a stylish, funny campaign for friendship, revenge, and financial independence.
Overview
Three friends turn heartbreak into hilarity as they plot revenge on their ex-husbands.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- glamorous
- irreverent
- girls night
- nostalgic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the star trio spirited and harmonious, while considering the glossy revenge comedy uneven and increasingly silly.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The three divorced wives devise a devious plan to hurt their ex-husbands financially after being replaced by younger women.
Elise, Brenda, and Annie reunite after their marriages collapse and use their shared history to support one another.
The film is tailored to Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton, with the trio's star performances driving its appeal and plot.
The wives seek to turn the consequences of divorce into financial leverage against their former husbands.
Films like The First Wives Club, and why
9 to 5
shares a female ensemble, workplace-adjacent social satire, and comic resistance to sexist power structures
The Other Woman
shares a female buddy dynamic, revenge comedy, and stylishly heightened treatment of relationship betrayal
Waiting to Exhale
shares a reunion of women, romantic fallout, and witty ensemble drama centered on friendship and self-reinvention
Movie Details
- Director
- Hugh Wilson
- Release Date
- 1996-09-20
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (850)
Cast
- Goldie Hawn
- Bette Midler
- Diane Keaton
- Maggie Smith
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Dan Hedaya
- Stockard Channing
- Victor Garber
- Stephen Collins
- Elizabeth Berkley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The First Wives Club about?
- Three abandoned wives transform marital betrayal into a stylish, funny campaign for friendship, revenge, and financial independence.
- What is The First Wives Club like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The First Wives Club as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The First Wives Club violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The First Wives Club.
- What did critics think of The First Wives Club?
- Critics broadly found the star trio spirited and harmonious, while considering the glossy revenge comedy uneven and increasingly silly.
- Which films are like The First Wives Club?
- Films with a similar feel include 9 to 5, The Other Woman, and Waiting to Exhale.
- How long is The First Wives Club?
- The First Wives Club runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch The First Wives Club?
- In United States, The First Wives Club streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
