The First Wives Club (1996)
The comedy classic THE FIRST WIVES CLUB (1996) was adapted from Olivia Goldsmith’s 1992 novel of the same name by two gay screenwriters, Robert Harling (STEEL MAGNOLIAS) and an uncredited Paul Rudnick (IN & OUT / JEFFREY / SISTER ACT).
THE FIRST WIVES CLUB
1996. USA.
Director: Hugh Wilson
Screenplay: Robert Harling & Paul Rudnick
Based on: “The First Wives Club” (1992) by Olivia Goldsmith
Starring: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Bronson Pinchot, Marcia Gay Harden, Maggie Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Victor Garber, Elizabeth Berkley, Stockard Channing, Jennifer Dundas, and Lea DeLaria
THE FIRST WIVES CLUB follows three women who reunite after the passing of their college friend. While catching up they discover they have one thing in common; their husbands left them for younger women. Tired of being ill-treated, the trio work together to get revenge on the philandering men. However, they soon realize revenge isn’t as fulfilling as they’d hoped, and instead work toward a greater goal of opening a crisis centre for women.
In the film, the lead characters, Annie (Diane Keaton), Brenda (Bette Midler) and Elise (Goldie Hawn), love their gays: Annie has a lesbian daughter who she actively supports, Brenda has a gay best friend, and Elise shows appreciation for her lesbian fans when the trio visit a gay bar (she dances with queer comedy icon Lea DeLaria in one especially memorable moment).
Annie (Diane Keaton) and her daughter Chris (Jennifer Dundas).
What is so surprising about THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is how queer-positive it was despite the looming hom0ph0bia of the AIDS pandemic. Queer content in mainstream films was rare at this time and when it did pop-up there were almost always problematic elements involved. This is one of the reasons having queer writers was (and still is) important, because sometimes they’d seize an opportunity to twist the usual tropes and include some happy, well-adjusted, queer characters.
I saw THE FIRST WIVES CLUB in theatres with my best friend in 7th grade in 1996 and we both obsessed over it afterward – unsurprisingly, a few years later we’d both come out to each other. We still quote it all these years later, and we’re not alone. The film went on to become a major cult classic in the queer community, and it’s easy to see why with its witty dialogue, strong female leads, unabashed support of its queer characters - and of course, ending with an iconic musical number.
Goldie Hawn and Lea DeLaria in the gay bar scene.
THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is streaming on Paramount+ (USA/UK), Fubo & PlutoTV (USA) – and for rent/purchase through AppleTV, YouTube & Amazon.
