Elyse, Annie, and Brenda (otherwise known as Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler) are exceptional in "The First Wives Club." Most likely you have been introduced to this film and its characters through interviews with Oprah, Rosie O'Donnell and others. You certainly do not obtain the full effect of this movie until you see it for yourself.

The story begins when Elyse, Annie, Brenda, and Cynthia graduate from Middlebury College in 1969. They are best friends and nothing could separate them, except the future. As time passes, their lives drift apart. They have different goals and ambitions.

Elyse becomes a successful, self-involved movie star who is responsible for making her husband successful as well. Annie seems to be a self-conscious housewife who claims to be very content with her marriage. Brenda becomes a slightly overweight housewife who stands by her husband every step of the way and helps him to start his own business. Cynthia had been voted most likely to succeed in college. She marries the man she loves.

One day their paths cross unexpectedly. The tragic death of their former classmate brings them together after twenty years. Elyse, Annie, and Brenda mourn for their friend Cynthia, who committed suicide because her husband left her for another woman. These three women decide to reunite to catch up on old times. They reminisce about college life, their careers, and their husbands.

Elyse confesses to having undergone plastic surgery a number of times. She also expresses unhappiness in her marriage. Annie is reluctant to complain about what has happened in the past 20 years. She has a false illusion that she lived a perfect life. It finally comes out that she, too, is separated from her husband. Brenda is the third of the gang who survived an unhappy marriage. Although the lives of these college roommates went in different directions, they find one thing they all had in common: each has a husband who left them for a younger woman.

Being the determined women that they are, they decide they want revenge against their selfish mates. Elyse, Annie, and Brenda start their mission small. They convert an antiquated warehouse into a magnificent office for holding club meetings. They combine their assets to help one another defeat their husbands. Although their friendship is tested more than once, these women manage to overcome their differences and obtain their main goal.

After months of investigating their ex-husbands' faults, the men come crawling back for forgiveness. Their wives decide that payment is the only consolation. Elyse, Annie, and Brenda construct a crisis center for women to honor their friend Cynthia. This small circle of friends proves that if you have a mission you can accomplish it with the love and support of others