The First Wives Club - Dietrich Theater Lasting Legacy series (Diane Keaton)
- Matt Palmer
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
The other movie that I checked out for this edition for the theater’s Lasting Legacy series is the 1996 movie “The First Wives Club” - featuring the late Diane Keaton.
Disheartened over the marriage of her ex-husband to a younger woman, a middle-aged woman plunges to her death from her penthouse. At the woman’s funeral, her college friends reunite for the first time in three decades.
When they discover the reason for her friend’s suicide, they realize that all of their ex-husbands have taken them for granted - and deciding it’s time for revenge, they make a pact to get back at their exes.
“The First Wives Club,” which also turns 30 this year, ended up being a commercial success, despite the mixed initial reviews from critics and many expecting it to be not that big of a hit. The 1996 movie resonated with audiences as a cathartic, humorous, and empowering “revenge” comedy for women. When it was initially released, overall audiences loved the iconic trio of Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler - and they worked incredibly well in this movie.
The on-screen chemistry between the three lead actresses is one of the many reasons why people enjoyed the movie when it was first released and the chemistry is simply great. Throughout the movie, their comedic styles - Midler’s brassy theatricality, Hawn’s physical comedy and Keaton’s neurotic charm - really complemented each other perfectly. Also, the memorable “You Don’t Own Me” musical finale (which is also something their group used to do in their college days) still remains a stand-out favorite moment among fans.
The movie’s core premise - three jilted ex-wives getting back at their husbands - is simply just fun entertainment. The schemes that their characters come up with throughout the movie are clever yet fun rather than anything truly malicious. There’s also the late Maggie Smith (whom I forgot was in this movie) who appears in a few
scenes as an older socialite who really steals the show in the few scenes she’s in.
“The First Wives Club" still can resonate with the movie’s demographic through themes of female empowerment and friendship. Even the previously mentioned “You Don’t Own Me number at the end serves as a powerful anthem of strength.
Released in 1996, “The First Wives Club” is a cult classic comedy that serves as a humorous, satirical ode to female empowerment, friendship and resilience, while also focusing on reclaiming confidence and independence. Its legacy also lies in defying industry norms by proving that movies led by mature women could be huge hits as this movie grossed $181 million worldwide.
MPA: Rated PG for thematic elements, some mild language and sensuality (runtime 103 minutes)
The Dietrich Theater will be showing "The First Wives Club" for their Lasting Legacy series on March 25 at 1 pm and 7 pm.
Streaming service: Paramount Plus/various PVOD services (as of writing this review)
In an interview Bette Midler mentioned that all three main cast members wanted to make a sequel, but the studio was not agreeable as they viewed the success of this movie as a "fluke." Midler also said that just before the movie opened she was told it would not do very well because it was competing against action movies with male stars
such as Bruce Willis. This movie opened at number one and out-grossed those action movies.
Timothy Olyphant, who had impressed with local stage work, made his feature film screen debut as the youthful film director Brett Artounian who is considering Elise (Hawn) for her first mother role in his film.
All three lead actresses celebrated their fiftieth birthdays during the making of the movie.
Despite the fact that this movie grossed over $105 million in the U.S. alone, Paramount Pictures refused to make a sequel.
Included among the American Film Institute's 2004 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies for the song "You Don't Own Me."
Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker appeared in Hocus Pocus (1993), where both characters also shared a romantic partner with disastrous results.
Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker appeared in The Family Stone (2005).
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