Beaches (AKA
Forever Friends), is a
1988-Top grossing films :source: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm- Awards :Academy Awards:* Alice * Alien Nation, starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin* Amsterdamned...
Academy Award-nominated movie adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the
novel of the same nameBeaches is a novel written by Iris Rainer Dart and is about two friends, struggling actress Cee Cee Bloom and the conventional Bertie Barron. The story follows them through their life as young girls until Bertie's death from cancer in her late 30s....
by
Iris Rainer DartIris Rainer Dart is an American author behind nine books such books as the best seller Beaches. The mother of two children, she lives in California with her husband. She also wrote for Cher in the seventies on both of Cher's variety shows...
. It was directed by
Garry MarshallGarry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His credits include creating Happy Days and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:...
, and stars
Bette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known as The Divine Miss M. During her career, she has been nominated for two Academy Awards; and won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award.-Biography:In 1945, Midler was born in...
,
Barbara HersheyBarbara Hershey is an American actress and activist.-Personal life:...
, John Heard,
James ReadJames Christopher Read is an American actor.Read was born in Buffalo, New York. He started acting as a student of the University of Oregon where he graduated in 1976...
,
Spalding GraySpalding Rockwell Gray was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, performance artist, and monologist...
,
Lainie KazanLainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City to an Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and artistic"...
,
Mayim BialikMayim Hoya Bialik is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC sitcom Blossom.- Early life:...
and Marcie Leeds.
The film's theme song, Hot 100 #1 "
Wind Beneath My Wings"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a pop song written by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar. First a country music hit for Gary Morris in 1983, it was covered six years later by Bette Midler. Morris' original was a Top Ten country hit, and it won the Academy of Country Music and Country Music...
" went on to win Grammys for
Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and
Song of the YearThe Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 to the composer of the song in question...
at the
Grammy Awards of 1990The 32nd Grammy Awards were held in 1990. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.- Award winners :*Record of the Year**Arif Mardin & Bette Midler for "Wind Beneath My Wings"*Album of the Year...
.
Cast
- Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known as The Divine Miss M. During her career, she has been nominated for two Academy Awards; and won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award.-Biography:In 1945, Midler was born in...
as Cecilia "CC" Carol Bloom
- Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey is an American actress and activist.-Personal life:...
as Hillary Whitney Essex
- John Heard as John Pierce
- Spalding Gray
Spalding Rockwell Gray was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, performance artist, and monologist...
as Dr. Richard Milstein
- Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City to an Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and artistic"...
as Leona Bloom
- James Read
James Christopher Read is an American actor.Read was born in Buffalo, New York. He started acting as a student of the University of Oregon where he graduated in 1976...
as Michael Essex
- Grace Johnston as Victoria Cecilia Essex
- Mayim Bialik
Mayim Hoya Bialik is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC sitcom Blossom.- Early life:...
as Cecilia "CC" Carol Bloom (age 11)
- Marcie Leeds as Hillary Whitney Essex (age 11)
- Carol Williard as Aunt Vesta
Plot
The film begins with singer CC Bloom (
Bette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known as The Divine Miss M. During her career, she has been nominated for two Academy Awards; and won four Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and a special Tony Award.-Biography:In 1945, Midler was born in...
) receiving a note during a rehearsal for her upcoming concert, which obviously contains distressing news about a loved one. She leaves the rehearsal in a panic and tries frantically to travel to her friend's side, however, we are not told why at that point. Unable to get a flight to San Francisco because of
fogFog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground. A cloud may be considered partly fog; for example, the part of a cloud that is suspended in the air above the ground is not considered fog, whereas the part of the cloud that comes in contact with higher ground is considered fog...
, she rents a car and decides to drive overnight from
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. Upset and on edge, she starts to think about her best friend Hillary, beginning with how they first met.
Rich girl Hillary Whitney (Marcie Leeds) and child performer Cecilia Carol "CC" Bloom (
Mayim BialikMayim Hoya Bialik is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the early-1990s NBC sitcom Blossom.- Early life:...
) meet under the boardwalk on the beach at
Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. Famous for its boardwalk, casino gambling, sandy beaches, shopping centers, view of the Atlantic Ocean, and as the inspiration for the board game Monopoly, Atlantic City is a resort community located on Absecon Island on the...
in 1958. Hillary is lost and CC is hiding from her overbearing
stage motherIn the performing arts, a stage mother is a term for the mother of a child actor. The mother will often drive her child to auditions, make sure he or she is on the set on time, etc...
(
Lainie KazanLainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City to an Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and artistic"...
). They become fast friends, growing up and bonding through letters to support each other.
A grown up Hillary (
Barbara HersheyBarbara Hershey is an American actress and activist.-Personal life:...
) goes on to study law at
Stanford Law SchoolStanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
as is her family's tradition and becomes a
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
. In the meantime, now-adult CC's (Bette Midler) singing career isn't exactly taking off. They write to each other regularly and give updates on their lives.
Then one night, Hillary shows up at the
dive barA dive bar, or dive, is a downmarket drinking establishment frequented by a poor or working class clientele.- Etymology :The term “dive” dates from London in the 19th century, when young men wanted a livelier place in which to spend their afternoons than the gentlemen’s clubs frequented by their...
where CC is performing, having travelled to
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
on an impulse. She is tired of feeling trapped in her life and feels suffocated by her family's expectations of her. She soon gets a job with the ACLU, whereas CC now makes money by performing birthday singing telegrams, usually dressed in a rabbit or chicken suit. While she's staying with CC in her apartment, they become closer and even vie for the love of the same man (John Heard) the artistic director of the Falcon Players, who gives CC her start after having hearing her sing a singing telegram for him. A love triangle ensues as Hillary and John are instantly attracted to one another leaving CC in the cold and feeling resentment toward her best friend. Matters are made worse when Hillary and John finally sleep together on CC's opening-night performance of CC's first lead off broadway. A cloud comes over Hillary's life in the form of her father becoming ill, and she is forced to return to San Francisco to look after him. The two friends resolve their issues about John, as John doesn't have romantic feelings for CC. After her father passes away, Hillary marries his lawyer, Michael Essex (
James ReadJames Christopher Read is an American actor.Read was born in Buffalo, New York. He started acting as a student of the University of Oregon where he graduated in 1976...
). CC and John spend a lot of time together, start dating and eventually marry, which leads again to the bond between the two women declining. Hillary and Michael return to New York to see CC on
BroadwayBroadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City, which runs the full length of Manhattan and continues into the Bronx. It is the oldest north-south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement. The name Broadway is the English literal translation of...
, by which time she has become a Broadway star. CC finds out that Hillary has quit being a lawyer. The friends have an argument in Bloomingdales department store, with CC angry that Hillary has just given up on her dreams, and Hillary responding that CC has become no more than a "pretentious, social climber" who is obsessed with her career. The two women part ways, and unbeknownst to each other, they both feel incredible sadness over the loss of their friendship. CC tries to reconnect with Hillary, but Hillary throws herself into being a dutiful, but unchallenged, wife.
However, the unions for both women are anything but blissful. The relationship between CC and John eventually deteriorates when John tells CC that her self-centeredness and obsession with her career has him feeling left behind and he asks for a divorce. Upset at the thought of her marriage failing, CC turns to her mother (whom she calls by her given name "Leona") one day on the beach. Her mother tells her that she has given up a lot for her daughter and that she must live her life and take care of herself. CC hears the truth for the first time when her mother tells her the effect that her selfishness has had on those closest to her.
Meanwhile, Hillary, while believing that her marriage is strong, returns home from a trip earlier than expected. She enters the kitchen and sees her husband having breakfast with another woman, who is wearing one of her bathrobes. Michael, shocked at seeing his wife, reaches for the woman's hand, wordlessly confirming that he has been having an affair.
Later, the women reunite after Hillary divorces her husband and discover that they have been secretly jealous of each other for years, without realizing it. Hillary is upset that she has none of the talent or
charismaThe word charisma refers to a trait found in persons whose personalities are characterized by a personal charm and magnetism , along with innate and powerfully sophisticated abilities of interpersonal communication and persuasion...
that makes CC be noticed, but as CC is quick to retaliate, Hillary stands out for reasons that CC has always been deeply envious of - she is both beautiful and intelligent. The two then realize that their feud could have been avoided by honest communication, and an appreciation of each other's most recognized qualities. Hillary tells CC that she is pregnant, but also that she caught Michael cheating on her, and that he wants nothing to do with the child he has fathered, planning to marry his mistress instead. Hillary admits that she has already decided to keep the baby, and raise it as a
single parentA single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the assistance of another parent in the home. "Single parenthood" may vary according to the local laws of different nations or regions....
, a decision that wins her much admiration from the feisty and always independent CC. CC promises she will stay and help her out. She leaves for a short time because she is promised a lead part in a new musical, but she does return for the birth and faints in the delivery room, alluding to the recurrent theme of CC stealing the attention from Hillary. Hillary has a daughter, whom she names Victoria Cecilia (Grace Johnston).
When Victoria is a young girl, Hillary finds herself easily exhausted and breathless, a state she attributes to her busy schedule as an
attorneyA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
. But when she collapses at work and is rushed to the hospital, she is diagnosed with viral
cardiomyopathyCardiomyopathy, which literally means "heart muscle disease," is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason...
, a debilitating cardiac illness, requiring a heart transplant if she is to live. As donor hearts of her tissue type are almost impossible to come by, Hillary learns more about the illness, and it becomes clear that she will most likely die as a result of it, and will not live to see her daughter grow up. This plunges her into a state of
depressionIn psychology and psychiatry, depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. While most often described as a disease or dysfunction, there are also strong arguments for seeing depression as an adaptive defense mechanism....
, which she inadvertently takes out on CC, who she sees as "having energy, and who is fun", in comparison to her now debilitated state.
When CC agrees to accompany Hillary and Victoria to the beach house during some free time off after her album, she locks horns with Victoria, who sees CC as an interruption in the life of her and her mother. Gradually, both come to appreciate one another.
Eventually, Hillary moves out of the anger and depression, and begins to accept her prognosis bravely. When CC makes a comment to Hillary that she knows everything that there is to know about her, Hillary replies under her breath, that she's "counting on it".
CC heads back towards home for a quick performance, and Hillary is left with Victoria. She is in her daughter's room helping her get ready for a visit to see CC in concert. Hillary tells her daughter to get a large brown carry bag out of the hallway closet. Victoria goes into the hallway and gets the bag as told. She returns to her room and finds her mother passed out on the floor, and screams for help.
CC races to the hospital in San Francisco after driving all night from
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
. Hillary, close to death, tells CC that her one last wish is for Victoria not to see her in that state. CC arranges to get Hillary discharged from the hospital so that she can spend her last hours saying goodbye to Victoria. They return to the beach house where they spent their last summer, and CC does all she can to make the most of her best friend's final moments of life. The scene cuts away to a cemetery, and Hillary's headstone. CC takes Victoria back to her home to settle Hillary's affairs.
After the funeral, CC reveals to Victoria that her mother wanted her to live with CC. CC admits that she is very selfish and has no idea what kind of a mother she will make, but she tells her, "there's nothing in the world that I want more, than to be with you". She then takes Victoria into her arms and the two console each other in their grief. Though there are other relatives who want to take Victoria (with the exception of Michael, still unwilling to accept his responsibilities as a parent), Victoria decides to go with CC.
CC returns to the
Hollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances...
to complete the concert that she was forced to postpone because of Hillary's illness, and we learn that CC Bloom now enjoys almost iconic status as a performer. After the show, she leaves the stage with Victoria in hand, and begins reciting tales of when she first met Hillary, just as Hillary had hoped she would. Victoria is enchanted with her new guardian's anecdotes.
CC's and Victoria's voices fade as we hear the younger CC and Hillary speak. "Make sure to keep in touch, OK CC?" "Well sure, we're friends aren't we?" The film ends with a clip from the start of the film of CC and Hillary taking silly pictures together in a photo booth, on the day they first met.
Awards and nominations
Included on the soundtrack was Bette Midler's performance of "
Wind Beneath My Wings"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a pop song written by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar. First a country music hit for Gary Morris in 1983, it was covered six years later by Bette Midler. Morris' original was a Top Ten country hit, and it won the Academy of Country Music and Country Music...
", which became an immediate smash hit. The song went on to win Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1990.
It was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Albert Brenner and Garrett Lewis).
Trivia
- The beach house in the movie is located in Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County, California has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland, which is popular for hiking and horseback riding. The offshore waters are designated as an underwater park. Crystal Cove is used by mountain bikers inland and scuba and skin divers...
.
- Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is a Golden Globe–nominated and Emmy Award–winning American actor.-Early years:Elizondo was born in New York City, the son of Carmen Medina Reyes, from Puerto Rico, and Martin Echevarria Elizondo, a Basque. His parents moved to New York City, like many other Hispanics at the time,...
makes a cameoA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
as Justice of the Peace.
- The library where Barbara Hershey researches her disease in is called Dennison Library. It is located at Scripps College
Scripps College is a liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges.-History:...
, a competitive women's liberal arts college in Claremont, CaliforniaClaremont is a college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, USA, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of 2008 is 37,242. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its tree-lined streets, and its...
. The library was originally designed to be a chapel before becoming a library, which is why it has such a unique and beautiful look.
- The song about Otto Titsling, the inventor of the brassiere, was first introduced by Bette Midler on a 1985 album called Mud Will Be Flung Tonight
Mud Will Be Flung Tonight is an album by the American singer and comedienne Bette Midler. It is a live recording of one of Midler's stand-up comedy shows performed in 1985. Although primarily a spoken word album, Midler is accompanied onstage by her long-time musical collaborator Marc Shaiman on...
.
Box office
The film took in $5,160,258 during its opening weekend - January 21, 1989. To date, it has grossed $57,041,866 domestically.