FIRST WIVES CLUB
A film review by Michael Redman
Copyright 1996 Michael Redman
** (out of ****)
You know, this is a film that must have sounded like a no-brainer in the meetings. Mix equal portions of two financial and critical successes, "The Big Chill" and "9 To 5" and toss in three of the best female comedians in the business today. Shake vigorously and serve.
Where did it go wrong?
Brenda (Bette Midler), Elise (Goldie Hawn) and Annie (Diane Keaton) were best friends in their college years but havent kept in touch since then. Brought together by the suicide of the fourth in their group, they discover that they have all reached "that" age. All have been dumped by their husbands of decades for a younger, newer and more pert model.
As the three bond, they become more empowered and plot to get even via their exs billfolds. Using a group of enjoyable cronies including Maggie Smith, Bronson Pinchot, Jennifer Dundas and Philip Bosco; they get the goods on the guys and begin to blackmail them.
The subjects of "Trophy Wives" and womens worth as they age, the possibilities for cutting satire and any opportunity for engaging the audience disappear out the window as the film never tackles any of these head-on and doesnt rise above a television movie of the week level. Every moment I was waiting for the three stars to explode out of the plodding doldrums.
It doesnt happen.
Part of the problem is that director Hugh Wilson comes from a television and "Police Academy" background. Hardly cutting-edge stuff and little experience available as to how to handle this type of film.
Hawn and Keaton are two long-time personal faves and both give as much as possible to the film, but get dragged into the mire. Midler often turns in dynamic performances although here she is the least of the three.
The husbands and their bimbo girlfriends are icons of people as opposed to real humans. The only sincerely likable character in the film is Dundas as Annies lesbian daughter.
The movie attempts to deal with a number of stories. It takes a very extended amount of time in the beginning to even tie together the lives of the women, giving us a slow start. Something that this film does not need.
The dumped wives are difficult to relate to on a personal level. They are all wealthy, even though they're no longer remarkably rich. With the exception of Midler, they live in spacious Manhattan apartments, run with the society set and appear to be extremely financially comfortable. Their ex-husbands are writing checks to them with amounts close to a quarter million dollars.
The women were injured in psychologically and it would have made the film much more interesting if they had gone after the men in the same way. Instead we get to watch money exchange hands from one person who has tons of it to another person who doesnt have quite as many tons.
There are so many other problems with the movie, but there are equal numbers of bright spots. You cant put this cast into a film without coming up with some comical scenes, even if just by dumb luck.
The film isn't atrocious. In fact, it's pleasant, but cant we expect something better than just __pleasant__?
[This appeared in the "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana, 9/26/96. Michael Redman can be reached at mredman@bvoice.com]
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