Beaches (1988)
March 21, 2020 6:11 PM - Subscribe

When the irrepressible C.C. Bloom (Bette Midler) and the shy and proper Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey) first meet under the boardwalk at the beach, all the 11-year-olds have in common is the need for a best friend. Worlds apart in lifestyle and location, their friendship ebbs and flows through a lifetime of highs and lows, career changes, marriages, jealousy, and more.

Beaches (1988) trailer

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: In Beaches, Music is Fine
“Beaches” is a melodrama in the original sense of the term: a drama with music. And as long as the melo is handled by Bette Midler, who performs half a dozen songs, '“Beaches” can’t be all bad. But the drama, as transacted between Midler and Barbara Hershey, is pretty dreadful.

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: ‘Beaches’
“Beaches” is a bicoastal crowd-pleaser, a tenderhearted, two-hanky melodrama brightened with Bette Midler's sass and sweetened with her songs. Barbara Hershey lends class to the unlikely equation.

Tim Teeman, The Daily Beast: ‘Beaches’ Is Garry Marshall’s Weepy Masterpiece
A few years back, the 92nd Street Y in New York had the ingenious idea of having a Beaches “cry-along.” The idea was, as the title suggests, that the 92Y Downtown would screen Garry Marshall’s 1988 movie for its most dedicated fans, who know that Beaches is not just a weepie, but in fact—even if you have a heart of stone—a film that leaves any human catatonically blubbing. Beside themselves. Wailing. Done. You don’t cry tenderly at Beaches. You don’t weep. You lose it.

Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings (Official Music Video)
posted by roger ackroyd (6 comments total)
 
Beaches is one of those movies that I knew as a punchline but never got around to watching, even though I've visited the gay bar in Edinburgh named after Bette Midler’s character. However, it’s currently streaming on HBO, so I gave it a chance. I'm happy to report the film is pure schmaltz of the best kind. Midler elevates every scene she’s in, and she's in almost all of them. The soundtrack is strong, if you can take that late 1980s synth-heavy production. Plus kudos to whatever casting agent managed to find Mayim Bialik for young CC— talk about huge shoes to fill. If you need for some escapist quarantine viewing, maybe a good cry to clear your sinuses, look no further.
posted by roger ackroyd at 6:26 PM on March 21, 2020 [2 favorites]


Not the demo particularly but remember it and mostly shouting (inside as it was inappropriate at the time) "no don't do that" , "just pick up the phone, gah", "oh sheet gunna die". If you haven't seen it, save it for the right time.
posted by sammyo at 9:04 PM on March 21, 2020


Beaches is streaming in the US via HBO and DirecTV.
posted by Etrigan at 9:51 PM on March 21, 2020


Ack, this is a terrible movie about a narcissist and a neurotic codependent!

That said, my cabaret troupe did a jukebox musical version in a drag theater and it was a big hit for us. I played Boring Husband (he's called Michael in the movie) plus other minor roles.

Mayim Bialik totally nails it in the movie.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 3:01 AM on March 22, 2020 [2 favorites]


<3 Bette Midler kills.
posted by Glinn at 1:45 PM on March 22, 2020 [1 favorite]


I first saw this movie at someone’s birthday slumber party in, like, fifth grade.

When Barbara Hershey collapses on the stairs in the library, “This is where you can TOTALLY tell that she has silicone lips,” said the not-me girl who knew way too much about life for an 11-year-old.
posted by St. Hubbins at 10:36 PM on March 22, 2020


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