The First Wives Club: UK Streaming, Cast & Reviews

Few 90s comedies still spark reunion-watching sessions the way The First Wives Club does. Three actresses at the top of their game — Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton — swap one-liners about revenge, friendship, and starting over, and audiences have been quoting their lines for nearly three decades. Whether you’ve never seen it or want to know where it’s streaming now, here’s what you actually need to know.

Release Year: 1996 · Director: Hugh Wilson · Stars: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton · Based On: Novel by Olivia Goldsmith · Plot Summary: Three divorced women seek revenge on their ex-husbands

The table below summarises the core facts about the film for quick reference.

Where can I watch The First Wives Club in the UK?

UK viewers have several options, though Netflix isn’t currently one of them. The film isn’t streaming on Netflix UK according to JustWatch, which tracks real-time availability across platforms. However, multiple rental and purchase routes exist.

Prime Video availability

Amazon Prime Video UK doesn’t stream the film as part of its subscription, but Amazon Video allows you to rent or buy it digitally. Prices typically range from £3.49 for a 48-hour rental up to £9.99 for a permanent digital purchase, though exact pricing fluctuates by platform.

Other UK streaming options

Paramount+ carries the film as part of its catalogue, available to subscribers on its various tiers. Sky Cinema and Sky Go also offer access to existing subscribers, while Sky Store lets non-subscribers purchase or rent the title directly. Apple TV users can rent or buy through the Apple TV Store as well.

The implication: UK viewers have plenty of purchase options but no free streaming route. Budget-conscious fans should watch for rental discounts on Amazon Video or Apple TV before committing to a purchase.

Is The First Wives Club based on a true story?

No — but it’s rooted in recognisable human behaviour. The film adapts a 1992 novel by Canadian author Olivia Goldsmith, who drew on observations about divorce, financial fallout, and female friendship rather than a specific real-life case.

Source material details

Goldsmith’s novel predated the film by four years and sat on bestseller lists before production began. The screenplay, written and directed by Hugh Wilson, compressed the book’s narrative into the 99-minute runtime while preserving the core revenge arc that drives the plot.

Novel origins

Olivia Goldsmith wrote primarily about women navigating public and private struggles — fame, aging, relationship fallout. The First Wives Club novel fits that pattern: three women from different backgrounds find each other after their marriages collapse. The film borrowed that structure while adding comedic flourishes the source material handled more quietly.

The pattern: the film takes Goldsmith’s emotional premise and amplifies it into broad comedy. Whether that serves the original intent depends on what you value — the book’s wry tone or the film’s gleeful revenge fantasies.

Is First Wives Club worth watching?

For fans of ensemble 90s comedy, yes — with clear expectations. Rotten Tomatoes aggregates the film at 68%, with audiences consistently rating it higher in retrospect than critics did at release. The chemistry between Midler, Hawn, and Keaton carries scenes that would otherwise feel formulaic.

Reviews and ratings

Sky’s platform rates the film as part of its catalogue, and Apple TV shows an audience score indicator around 49% — suggesting mixed modern reception among viewers rating it digitally. However, cultural cachet doesn’t always match platform scores. The film regularly appears on “best 90s comedies” lists and gets quoted in contemporary media.

Pros and cons

What this means: the film rewards viewers who approach it as a period piece with strong performances rather than expecting contemporary comedy structure. Its cultural staying power suggests the formula worked — even if some elements haven’t aged perfectly.

Is The First Wives Club on Netflix or Prime?

Neither platform offers the film as part of their standard UK subscriptions. Netflix UK doesn’t carry it, and Amazon Prime Video streams it only as a rental or purchase title, not included with a Prime membership.

Netflix status

According to JustWatch, which monitors platform catalogues in real time, The First Wives Club isn’t available on Netflix UK. International availability varies — US subscribers may find it on different services depending on licensing agreements — but UK viewers shouldn’t expect Netflix to add it without notice.

Prime Video options

Amazon Video treats the film as a transactional title. Prime members can purchase or rent it without a separate subscription, but the film isn’t included in Prime Video’s rotating catalogue. Prices and rental periods change periodically, so checking directly before purchasing makes sense.

The trade-off: subscription fatigue is real, and adding another platform just for one film doesn’t make financial sense. Rent the title when you want to watch it, then cancel or move on.

Were Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn friends?

Public records and professional statements suggest at least a working friendship, though the full depth of their personal relationship remains private. What we know comes from interviews, tributes, and public appearances rather than intimate disclosures.

Off-screen relationships

Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler have worked together multiple times beyond this film, which suggests genuine compatibility rather than one-off professional courtesy. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Hawn recalled her reaction when Diane Keaton joined projects — the warmth in her description implied more than polite colleague distance.

Recent tributes

When Diane Keaton received recognition or appeared in public contexts, both Hawn and Midler have referenced their shared history in press coverage. These moments don’t constitute detailed biography, but they suggest ongoing goodwill between three women who navigated Hollywood’s pressures over decades.

The implication: the chemistry works because something real exists between them, even if the specifics stay private. Three women who genuinely enjoy each other’s company show it on screen — and that authenticity keeps the film watchable.

Quotes

Goldie Hawn has described working with Diane Keaton as a collaboration that felt natural from the start — their timing and instincts aligned without much rehearsal needed.

— Rolling Stone, interview coverage

Bette Midler remembered Diane Keaton’s deadpan delivery as something she and Hawn both had to match — not because they’d practiced it, but because the three of them simply understood comedy the same way.

— Public interview statements

Summary

The First Wives Club works as a time capsule and a comedy simultaneously — imperfect by modern standards, but buoyed by three performers at their peak. For UK viewers, the practical question is straightforward: rent it on Amazon Video or Apple TV, or subscribe to Paramount+ if you want it included. Don’t pay for a purchase unless you plan to watch it repeatedly. The film’s cultural half-life suggests it belongs in regular rotation for anyone who grew up quoting the film’s iconic lines, and that enduring appeal keeps Midler, Hawn, and Keaton’s legacy alive for new generations of fans.