Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton
Midler, Hawn and Keaton play rich Manhattanites of a certain age who are seeking revenge on the husbands who dumped them for younger, dumber girlfriends. The awful thing about this movie is that its stars, three of the best comic actresses in Hollywood, are reduced to bimbos too.
Nothing happens in Wives, directed with coarse obviousness by Hugh Wilson (Police Academy), that cannot be anticipated from your memory of other women's comedies like 9 to 5. This formulaic slickness wouldn't matter if Midler, Hawn and Keaton had each been given a scrap of fresh material. But Keaton just shrieks, and Midler's eyes have a hungry, angry look. She doesn't seem to relish having to play the frump of the group. Hawn, playing an actress losing both her looks and career, comes off best. Her voice has deepened to a husky growl that makes her delivery not only funny but sexy. (PG)
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