Been away for ages busy with work and the like! Finally written 100th review with more to follow......
Been away for ages busy with work and the like! Finally written 100th review with more to follow...I hope!! Nick
Member since:10.11.2003
Reviews:102
Members who trust:16
First Wives Club.
Background
The First Wives Club is based on the novel by OLIVIA GOLDSMITH and was an instant number one best selling book. Olivia Goldsmith has since written lots of other great books which are always amusing and comedic but each has their own, powerful (and sometimes quite well hidden) message.
I would highly recommend the book by Goldsmith and also others by her as well (no others have yet been made into films though as far as I know which is a shame!)
Awards?
The film received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Musical
Technical background:
The film is made by Paramount pictures and was first realised in the United States on the 20th September 1996.
Older children would, I think, enjoy this film but some of the plot is quite adult and sophisticated. There's no nudity, violence or swearing (apart form the odd mid word) but some of the themes of divorce and revenge may not be very appropriate for younger children.
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Produced by: Thmoas Imperato, Ezra Swerdlow, Adam Schroeder and Scott Rudin.
Who's in it?
There's
quite a list of famous faces in this film including the three main leads: Goldie Hawn (Private Benjamin), Bette Midler (Beaches) and Diane Keaton (Baby Boom and Father of the Bride). The supporting cats also includes Maggie Smith (Sister Act) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City). Other stars include Dan Hedava and Stephen Collins.
The plot:
The film follows the lives of three college sorority sisters: Brenda, Elise and Annie who's lives have drifted apart but they are brought back to together following the suicide of the fourth college best friend. The three friends all think that their lives are pretty good, but they soon all come to realise that being a first wives is not much fun when their three husbands each start looking for younger models of women!
Annie (Keaton) has the perfect life: perfect husband, daughter and even a stereotypical mother who is there to 'help'!
Elise is a one time famed actress who's career and personal life have taken a nose dive.
Brenda (Midler) is the stereotypical hard working Jewish housewife who has sacrificed her own life for that of her husband and son.
All three women have loveless marriage and come to realise that their husbands are/have been cheating on them and that it is time to do something about it!
The film then rolls along into a series of hilarious exploits as the three women combine forces and vow revenge upon their husbands in order to avenge the death of their friend's (Cynthia) and help women all over New York City by establishing a help centre for 'first wives'.
They enrol the help of friends and colleagues to gathering funding of the project and cleverly fleece money out of their ex husbands through a variety of harebrained schemes which are not very believable but the film makes you believe that things like this really do, and can happen!
The acting is excellent and the three leads are all perfect in their roles. Hawn is the perfect alcoholic actress but plays the part with real feeling and gusto (a bit too convincing you could think!!) Midler is one of my favourite actresses and is great in this part and plays the part of a frumpy housewife to perfection and Keaton gives a brilliant performance as seemingly weak minded Annie who then discovers hidden courage and strength in the fight for what she believes is right.
The most amusing part of the film is the launch party for the new help centre that the three women have opened. It is an amazing looking place and the three women unite in song and dancing at their triumph and also the sad realisation of their friend's suicide that has made them unite and appreciate each other more than they ever thought possible. The film offers a powerful message of how important friendship truly is and I think this is the key to why the film is so good as it combines comedy and tragedy all in one fell swoop.
Although the film is now 8 years old it does not seem old fashioned at all and is one of those films that I have seen time and time again and see something different in it each time I watch it. It's a perfect chilling out movie for a quiet night in.
The only disappointment is that you do not get to see more of the backdrop of New York where the film is set.
Oh, and if you have a fear of falling quickly from high buildings, close your eyes when the women visit Monty's apartment!!
Who is it for?
I think that this film is probably aimed at women but I personally think that it's great fun. It is a very amusing film and it has some great comedy lines and a fats moving plot that keeps you interested throughout the whole film.
Because it follows the lives of three very different women and charts the progress of their lives there are some very interesting and topic sub plots such as Brenda's struggle to survive without much money following divorce and coming to terms with the fact that her daughter is gay.
One of the most funny parts is when Ivana Trump guests stars and gives one word of advice to all three of the women: 'Don't get mad, get everything'. A lesson to be learned for anyone!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton prove revenge is a dish best served cold. ... more
Former college buddies, they reunite at the funeral of a dear friend who took a swan dive onto Fifth Avenue. All three discover they share the same unhappy history of ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton prove revenge is a dish best served cold. ... more
Former college buddies, they reunite at the funeral of a dear friend who took a swan dive onto Fifth Avenue. All three discover they share the same unhappy history of ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Join the club - The First Wives Club, the good-time battle-of-the-sexes satire sparked by ... more
snappy one-liners, great physical-comedy gags and three unforgettable stars in top form. Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton portray mid-life Manhattanites...
Advantages: The acting, the direction, the script Disadvantages: Could be considered a "chick-flick" or "anti-male"
TheChocolateLady 22.05.2004 (23.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The First Wives Club (DVD)
Advantages: The acting, the direction, the script Disadvantages: Could be considered a "chick-flick" or "anti-male"
TheChocolateLady 22.05.2004 (23.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The First Wives Club (DVD)
![First Wives Club, The [1996] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78527944.jpg "First Wives Club, The [1996] [DVD]")
Jan 25th, 2004
very helpful by (73%):
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