Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
After years of helping their hubbies climb the ladder of success, three mid-life Manhattanites have been dumped for a newer, curvier model. But the trio is determined to turn their pain into gain. They come up with a cleverly devious plan to hit their exes where it really hurts - in the wallet!
The First Wives Club is carried almost entirely by the charisma and chemistry of its three leads — Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton — who elevate fairly thin material through sheer comic timing and star power, earning an above-average acting mark. The revenge-comedy plot is serviceable but formulaic, hitting predictable beats from a well-worn template with few genuine surprises. Cinematography is functional Manhattan gloss, competently shot but unremarkable for the era or genre. Novelty is low — the premise of wronged women getting even was not fresh by 1996, and the execution hews closely to genre convention. The ending delivers crowd-pleasing satisfaction with the musical number, which is fun but somewhat abrupt as a resolution to the narrative threads.