Possibly the most famous of all chick flicks, there are still those who have not yet seen “Beaches.” Well, I aim to set that straight right now.
Hillary Whitney is a little girl who has everything, except a friend. C. C. Bloom has nothing but her personality. When Hillary goes to Atlantic City on vacation with her family and gets lost, she wanders down the boardwalk wondering what to do until she discovers C. C. hiding out and smoking a cigarette. How shocking! C. C. promises to take Hillary back to her hotel after she auditions for a show, and takes Hillary with her. C. C. is the most talented girl Hillary has ever seen, with her dancing, singing, and overall flamboyance, but she’s just not a pretty child. Things don’t go her way, and she’s upset. Hillary treats her to an ice cream back at the hotel, and a friendship is born.
The girls go their separate ways, but as they grow up, they stay in touch through letters. Hillary, now played as an adult by Barbara Hershey, goes to law school at Stanford makes something of herself, while C. C. (Bette Midler) continues to pursue her theatric career, sometimes delivering singing telegrams dressed as a bunny. Hillary feels trapped in her life, suffocated by her family’s expectations and leaves, coming to find C. C. after so many years of separation. C. C. takes her in, and they both work on moving forward with their lives.
But when Hillary’s father gets sick, she goes home to be with him, and falls in love with his lawyer, Michael. They get married, and C. C. marries her producer in the Broadway show she finally landed. When Hillary comes to see C. C. in the show, she’s disappointed in her friend – the show is raunchy, and she feels C. C. has sold out. C. C.’s just glad to have a show at all, and doesn’t want to admit her friend is right.
Whatever disputes they had all go by the wayside, however, when Hillary needs help. Michael cheats on her and leaves her for the other woman, not caring that Hillary is pregnant, and C. C. vows to help Hillary raise the child. She doesn’t know it at the time, but she’ll end up being the child’s mother.
This movie covers nearly every emotion felt in a female friend relationship – jealousy, love, hurt, pride, anguish. Hillary and C. C. fall for the same man, they hurt each other’s feelings terribly, but there’s a bond that cannot be broken, despite their flaws.
This movie is rated PG-13 for some language, some sexual situations, and the aforementioned bawdy Broadway number.
Interesting sidenote: Mayim Bialik absolutely shines as the young C. C., which was one of her first ever roles.
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