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The First Wives Club

(1996, Rated PG, Comedy, Starring Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Bette Midler)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Frothy divorce-revenge comedy with iffy messages.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 12–14

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Iffy evolution in the three wronged women in the story; they go from just wanting revenge -- to make their fickle ex-husbands suffer -- to doing something for the greater good of society (opening a women's crisis center) and improving their own health/self-esteem as well. But still they ensure their exes suffer in the process, in perpetuity. On the plus side, they are shown as mutually supportive, even when they clash with one another. Most adult males here are shallow cads; there's just one line (referencing a lesbian relationship) to suggest women can break hearts too. The novel was a little more even-handed.

  • Violence:

    One character jumps to her death (offscreen); later there's a dangerous stunt on a window-cleaners' platform that similarly imperils the heroines; it's played for laughs.

  • Sex:

    No sex or nudity shown, but characters are depicted before/after bedroom interludes. A man fondles his girlfriend's (clothed) breast. One daughter is a young lesbian, and this prompts much talk and eyebrow-raising and a visit to a lesbian bar. Non-explicit allusion to laws prohibiting sex with minors. References to a series of (nonexistent) movies that clearly fall into the "erotic thriller" genre.

  • Language:

    "A--hole"; "s--t" uttered once.

  • Consumerism:

    Materialism is a strong component of the plot: hot car models, trendy furnishings, paintings, and objects d'art (with a big-name auction house). And, of course, there's a First Wives Club novel tie-in.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Heavy drinking in a few scenes. It precedes suicide (not shown) and ugly fights. One of the heroines is criticized by another for her liquor intake; she straightaway quits drinking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The First Wives Club

Parents need to know that infidelity, mistresses, divorce, and revenge (betrayed spouses vs. ex-husbands) propel the narrative of this film -- though it defies expectations by being a PG comedy instead of something harsher. Sex references are surprisingly coy, and swear words are kept to a minimum. That said, one character's daughter is a lesbian, and this is mentioned loudly and often (to the point of the demure mom cheerfully visiting her child's favorite lesbian bar and getting hit on). The grown children in these broken marriages are either cynical or join in plotting against their fathers. The upper-class NYC milieu slathers on the materialism -- the chic fashion, the cars, the decor.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the different personalities of Elise, Brenda, and Annie -- the way they criticize, even insult each other, but overcome their flaws in the process. Of course, "blended" families touched by angry divorce and remarriage might have much different takes on this movie. Does it make light of divorce? What do kids think of the revenge theme here? Author Olivia Goldsmith claimed to be discarded first wife herself, and the movie has a cameo by another one, Ivanna Trump. Can kids name any other famous first wives?
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