On July 25, the Cut took over a theater at IFC Center to screen The First Wives Club — the 1996 classic that follows three friends who reunite and seek revenge on all of their ex-husbands, who left them for younger women — in honor of Cheaters Week. Yes, you heard that right: We had a whole week of content dedicated to cheaters, but not in that way. Instead, we spent the week talking about how to catch a cheater, why some women cheat in middle age, the ways in which people got revenge, and if it’s okay to cheat if you end up with the love of your life. And thankfully, there are a number of movies out there dedicated to the genre for us to enjoy.
Aside from watching a great film together in a theater (which is always superior to watching at home alone in my opinion), the night offered a game for those of us who like to be competitive. During the film, everyone got a bingo card and marked down iconic sayings like “Lesbians are great nowadays” or cues for scenes like “Annie screams” or “Elise lights up indoors” as they appeared onscreen. I was seated toward the front of the theater near my co-workers and a fan of the site who revealed that this was one of her favorite movies. I quickly realized I had no shot at winning bingo as this was the first time I’d seen the film. Within 30 minutes of the screening, people began screaming “bingo” and the ten prizes that were up for grabs were claimed. Prizes included everything from T-shirts and skin-care products to a Polaroid camera. My co-worker Danya was gleefully showing off her prize outside after the film: a colorful Tamagotchi.
For those of us who didn’t win bingo, we still received a black Cut tote bag filled with goodies like a Loops face mask, SmartSweets, a mini Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray, SkinnyDipped almonds, and a white baseball hat that says “the Cut.” As the evening ended, my stomach hurt from laughing (I love ’90s humor) and from the popcorn that came in a pink-striped custom bucket, soda, and candy that made up my dinner for that evening. Earlier in the day, I had received a few hints that the color of the night was white — and had been told the white hat matched the theme — though I had no idea why until the final scene, when Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton’s characters, all dressed in white, finish the film with a rendition of “You Don’t Own Me.” The song has yet to leave my head.
