Beaches (1988)
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Two lifelong friends navigate the complexities of fame, career, and personal sacrifice as their bond is tested by the passage of time.
The story
Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom, a New York actress and singer, receives a note during a concert rehearsal in Los Angeles and hurriedly leaves to be with her friend Hillary Whitney, a San Francisco heiress and lawyer. The film explores their lifelong friendship, which began in 1958 in Atlantic City. As C.C. finds success as a Broadway star and Hillary establishes herself as a human rights lawyer, the two women navigate the challenges of their differing paths. Their bond is tested by various romantic relationships and personal ambitions, forcing them to confront their mutual feelings of jealousy and the reality of their diverging lives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows the lifelong friendship of C.C. Bloom, a singer, and Hillary Whitney, a lawyer. They met in 1958 in Atlantic City and remained close despite their different career paths. As C.C. becomes a Broadway star and Hillary works for the ACLU, their relationship faces strain due to mutual jealousy of each other's talents. After both experience divorces, they reconcile their feelings. When Hillary becomes pregnant and decides to raise her child alone, C.C. supports her. However, C.C. eventually leaves her fiancé to pursue a career opportunity in New York. Years later, Hillary develops a fatal heart condition. C.C. accompanies Hillary and her daughter to a beach house. As Hillary faces her end, the two women find peace in their shared history. Following Hillary's death, C.C. takes custody of her daughter, Victoria, and performs a tribute to her friend during a concert.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Garry Marshall
- Writers
- Mary Agnes Donoghue · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bette Midler · C.C. Bloom; Barbara Hershey · Hillary Whitney; Mayim Bialik; John Heard; James Read; Spalding Gray; Lainie Kazan
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- friendship; career vs. family; jealousy
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; sentimental
- Premise and plot tags
- buddy film; period piece; musical elements
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1985 novel of the same name by Iris Rainer Dart
- Reception
- The film is considered a cult classic with a large fan base, though it received mixed reviews from critics who labeled it a predictable and manipulative tear-jerker.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 41% · scale: percentage · review count: 46
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Art Direction · Nominated; Grammy Award · Record of the Year · 1990 · Won; Grammy Award · Song of the Year · 1990 · Won
- Production trivia
- The theme song 'Wind Beneath My Wings' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.; The beach house scenes were filmed at cottage #13 in Crystal Cove State Park.; A planned sequel based on the 1991 novel Beaches II: I'll Be There was never filmed.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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