The First Wives Club 1996

As the curtains of time parted in 1969, four inseparable friends - Annie, Brenda, Elise, and Cynthia - bid farewell to Middlebury College, their collective bond strengthened by shared experiences and a promise forged over champagne. The promise, sealed with matching pearl necklaces, was a vow to stand shoulder-to-shoulder through life’s triumphs and tribulations.

Fast-forward to the present day, and the once-unbreakable ties have frayed. Cynthia, now estranged from her wealthy ex-husband, is grappling with the stark reality of her own mortality. In a poignant gesture, she bequeaths her pearl necklaces to her former friends, entrusting them with the weighty responsibility of carrying on her legacy.

The convergence of fate brings Annie, Brenda, and Elise together at Cynthia’s funeral, where they are met with the harsh realities of their own marital struggles. Annie, once a beacon of hope, is now separated from her advertising executive husband, Aaron, and struggling to reconcile her fractured identity through therapy sessions. Elise, an Oscar-winning actress, is fighting for relevance in a career that has lost its luster, her fading beauty masked by the fleeting allure of plastic surgery. Meanwhile, Brenda’s financial stability has been turned upside down after divorcing her husband, Morty, the successful entrepreneur behind a popular electronics chain.

As the veil of denial lifts, Annie finds herself torn between hope and despair when Aaron proposes a divorce, revealing his infidelity with her therapist. Elise is dealt a devastating blow when an aspiring director offers her a role - only to reveal that it’s the unattractive mother figure she’s meant to portray. The final nail in Brenda’s coffin comes in the form of a chance encounter with Morty and his stunning, much-younger girlfriend, Shelly, who taunts her about her weight.

In the face of adversity, the three women find solace in each other’s company, deciding that seeking justice is a more noble pursuit than succumbing to revenge. From this crucible of shared pain emerges the “First Wives Club,” a collective determined to topple their ex-husbands’ empires and reclaim their rightful place in the world.

As Annie’s cunning plan unfolds, she enlists the help of her daughter to infiltrate Aaron’s advertising agency, leveraging Elise’s charm to gather intel on their business dealings. Unbeknownst to Aaron, his partners are secretly plotting to sell their stake in the company, prompting a power struggle that sets the stage for Elise’s clever scheme. With Brenda’s Sicilian uncle providing crucial insight into Morty’s shady past, Elise and Brenda uncover the truth about Morty’s initial business ventures being built on deceit.

Meanwhile, tensions rise as Elise becomes increasingly frustrated with her lack of progress in uncovering incriminating evidence against Bill. Her reliance on excessive drinking takes a toll, ultimately leading to a brutal confrontation among the women. However, after a heart-to-heart with Brenda, Elise finds redemption and convinces Annie not to give up on their mission.

As they delve deeper into the men’s secrets, the wives discover that Phoebe is actually just 16 years old, unaware of Bill’s obliviousness. This revelation sparks a meeting between the women and their ex-husbands, where they threaten to expose their husbands’ wrongdoing unless they agree to support their nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping impoverished and abused women.

Bill, Aaron, and Morty eventually cave under pressure, agreeing to fund the cause in honor of Cynthia. As the grand opening celebration for their new nonprofit unfolds, tensions simmer as Shelly’s cruel behavior pushes Morty to reconcile with Brenda. In a surprising turn of events, Elise has found success on Broadway, starting a romantic relationship with a co-star.

Meanwhile, Annie has blossomed into a confident and independent individual, rejecting Aaron’s attempts to rekindle their romance. As the party comes to a close, the three women reflect on their journey, triumphantly belting out “You Don’t Own Me” in celebration of their newfound independence and power.