The First Wives Club
Directed by	Hugh Wilson
Produced by	Scott Rudin
Written by	Olivia Goldsmith Robert Harling
Starring	Bette Midler Goldie Hawn Diane Keaton Maggie Smith Sarah Jessica Parker Elizabeth Berkley Dan Hedaya Stockard Channing
Music by	Marc Shaiman
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	September 20, 1996
Running time	103 min.
Language	English
Budget	$26,000,000
IMDb profile

The First Wives Club is a 1996 movie directed by Hugh Wilson based on the novel by Olivia Goldsmith. It stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorced women who seek revenge on their husbands who left them for younger women. Image File history File links To the uploader: If possible, do not use this tag; please replace it with one of {{movieposter}} or {{sportsposter}} or {{eventposter}} or {{politicalposter}}. This is a copyrighted poster. ... Hugh Wilson (b. ... Olivia Goldsmith (1949 - January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992). ... Sir Robert Harling(???- 9th September, 1435) was an early member of the landed gentry, soldier and political strongman. ... Bette Davis Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965), is a Golden Globe and Emmy winning American actress and an Emmy-winning producer, with a portfolio of television, movie, and theatre performances. ... Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972) is an American television, film, and stage actress. ... Dan Hedaya Dan Hedaya is a prolific character actor who was born on July 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York to a Sephardic Jewish family. ... Stockard Channing press kit photo Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard on February 13, 1944) is an American actress. ... Marc Shaiman (born October 22, 1959) is a composer, lyricist, arranger and performer for films, television and theatre. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1997. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Hugh Wilson (b. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Olivia Goldsmith (1949 - January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992). ... Bette Davis Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... For the record label, see Divorce Records. ...

The movie helped R&B singer Puff Johnson score a world-wide hit with the movie's theme song "Over & Over". Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... Puff Johnson is an African American, singer, song-writer. ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ...

Composer/arranger Marc Shaiman was nominated for an Oscar for his score. Marc Shaiman (born October 22, 1959) is a composer, lyricist, arranger and performer for films, television and theatre. ...

Plot

Elise Elliott (Goldie Hawn), Brenda Cushman (Bette Midler), Annie Paradis (Diane Keaton), and Cynthia Griffin (Stockard Channing) were best friends at Middlebury College during the 1960s, but marriage and children force them to drift apart. Decades later, Cynthia commits suicide because her husband has divorced her, having left her for a younger woman. The three remaining women reunite at her funeral. Subsequently, we learn that their husbands are divorcing them too, and like Cynthia's ex-husband, taking up with younger women. Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Bette Davis Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Stockard Channing press kit photo Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard on February 13, 1944) is an American actress. ... Middlebury College is a private, small, highly selective liberal arts college located in the rural New England shire town of Middlebury, Vermont, United States. ... It has been suggested that The Pros of suicide be merged into this article or section. ...

All three had helped their husband's careers, and all three feel they are being shafted. They plan to get revenge by ruining their husbands careers. Brenda plans to expose her ex-husband Morty's (Dan Hedaya) income tax fraud, Elise plans to reveal that Bill's (Victor Garber) mistress is a minor and ruin his reputation. Annie buys out Aaron's (Stephen Collins) partner taking half of his advertising business. Deciding that revenge would make them no better than their husbands, they instead use these situations to push their men into funding the establishment of a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding abused women, in memory of Cynthia. Dan Hedaya Dan Hedaya is a prolific character actor who was born on July 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York to a Sephardic Jewish family. ... Victor Joseph Garber (born on March 16, 1949 in London, Ontario, Canada) is a six-time Emmy award nominated Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. ... Stephen Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American actor. ... A non-profit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes, without concern for monetary profit. ...

It is important to note that the plot of the movie diverges significantly from that of the novel. In the novel, the wives also seek revenge on Cynthia's ex-husband Gil (James Naughton), each wife has a romantic subplot, and the children have more significant roles. James Naughton (b. ...

Cast

• Diane Keaton - Annie Paradis
• Bette Midler - Brenda Cushman
• Goldie Hawn - Elise Elliot
• Stephen Collins - Aaron Paradis
• Dan Hedaya - Morton Cushman
• Victor Garber - Bill Atchison
• Marcia Gay Harden - Dr. Leslie Rosen
• Sarah Jessica Parker - Shelly Stewart
• Elizabeth Berkley - Phoebe LaVelle
• Stockard Channing - Cynthia Swann Griffin
• Maggie Smith - Gunilla Garson Goldberg
• Bronson Pinchot - Duarto Felice
• Ari Greenberg - Jason Cushman
• Jennifer Dundas - Chris Paradis
• Eileen Heckart - Catherine MacDuggan
• Philip Bosco - Uncle Carmine Morelli

Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Bette Davis Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Stephen Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American actor. ... Dan Hedaya Dan Hedaya is a prolific character actor who was born on July 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York to a Sephardic Jewish family. ... Victor Joseph Garber (born on March 16, 1949 in London, Ontario, Canada) is a six-time Emmy award nominated Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. ... Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965), is a Golden Globe and Emmy winning American actress and an Emmy-winning producer, with a portfolio of television, movie, and theatre performances. ... Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972) is an American television, film, and stage actress. ... Stockard Channing press kit photo Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard on February 13, 1944) is an American actress. ... Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (born 28 December 1934), better known as Dame Maggie Smith, is a two-time Academy Award, and Emmy-winning English film, stage, and television actress. ... Bronson Pinchot (right) as Balki with Mark Linn-Baker as Larry on Perfect Strangers. ... Eileen Heckart was an American actress of stage, screen and television. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Trivia

• Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton were all born within 45 days of each other, and celebrated their 50th birthdays together while filming this movie.
• "The First Wives Club" is the second time that Diane Keaton and Jennifer Dundas (Lowe) have played mother and daughter. The first time was in "Mrs. Soffel" in 1984, when Dundas was still being billed as Jennie Dundas.
• Jon Stewart had a small part in the film but it was left on the cutting room floor.
• When the three ladies meet after the funeral, they are talking about Elise's plastic surgery. Brenda asks Elise whether she got "a little bit or the full enchilada?" Originally, the line was filmed as "...or the full Ivana?" but was redubbed in post-production (and noticably corrected with a different camera angle towards the end of the line, obscuring Brenda's mouth) once Ivana Trump was cast in a cameo.
• Hugh Wilson cast his daughter, Cannon, for the crew of the commercial that Morty is shooting when they come kidnap him.
• Doctors created Goldie Hawn's simulated collagen treatment by injecting her lips with a harmless saline solution. Though temporary, Hawn later remarked in interviews that the experience was quite painful and that it had discouraged her from ever getting collagen for real.
• In an interview, Bette Midler mentioned that all three main cast members wanted to make a sequel, but the studio was unwilling to go ahead with a sequel because they viewed the success of this film as a "fluke". Midler also said that just before the movie opened, she was told it would not do very well because the film was competing against action movies with male stars such as Bruce Willis. This film opened at number one and out-grossed those action movies.
• The theatrical trailer features snippets of scenes that were not included in the final film.
• This film is Timothy Olyphant's screen debut.
• Ironically, Goldie Hawn, who played a woman who divorced her husband and her ex-husband ends up with a younger woman, divorced her husband and since 1982 have been living with Kurt Russell who is younger than she is.
• Heather Locklear appears in a no-line scene (the funeral scene) during the first half of the film. She plays the younger woman for whom Stockard Channing's husband left her.
• Coincidentally, Diane Keaton and Stephen Collins appear together as on-screen couples in both this movie and Because I Said So (2007).

Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz on November 28, 1962) is a nine-time Emmy-winning American comedian, satirist, actor, author, and producer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hugh Wilson (b. ... Convenience store window poster featuring American actor Bruce Willis. ... Timothy Olyphant (born May 20, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American actor. ... Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. ... Heather Deen Locklear (born September 25, 1961 in Westwood, California) is an American actress, best known for her role as the vixen Amanda in Melrose Place. ... Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. ... Stephen Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American actor. ... Because I Said So is a 2002 Canadian talk show television series hosted by former lawyer, stand-up comedian, and actress Maggie Cassella. ...

External links

• The First Wives Club at the Internet Movie Database