On December 21, 1988, “Beaches” was released. Based on a novel by Iris Rainer Dart, audiences fell in love with the heartwarming tale about the 35-year-long friendship of C.C. Bloom (Bette Midler) and Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey). The film’s now-iconic theme song, “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Midler, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 32nd Grammy Awards. To this day, the mere thought of the tearjerker film, or even a few chords of Midler’s ballad, still elicits an emotional response from “Beaches” fans.
From the start, C.C. and Hillary are unlikely friends. They first meet in 1958 as little girls on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. C.C. is child performer with a lot of moxie and an overbearing stage mom. Meanwhile, Hillary is a debutante hailing from a privileged family in California. Although they live in different places, the two stay in touch throughout their youth until they meet again in their early twenties in New York City. C.C. is making ends meet by performing singing telegrams, while Hillary is a human rights lawyer working for the ACLU. The two become roommates, but they have a falling out after getting embroiled in a love triangle. As a result of this conflict, they temporarily drift apart.
However, as a testament to their strong friendship, C.C. and Hillary reconcile and stay close through career changes, the birth of Hillary’s daughter and respective romances and breakups. Eventually, C.C. becomes a famous Tony Award-winning star. In the meantime, Hillary juggles her career with motherhood. After suffering from frequent bouts of exhaustion, Hillary is diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a fatal illness.
The film’s conclusion piles on every emotional trigger possible. Hillary dies and C.C. tells Hillary’s daughter that “there’s nothing in the world that I want more than to be with you.” The two walk off hand-in-hand as C.C. starts telling Hillary’s daughter stories about first meeting her mother. The film ends with a flashback to C.C. and Hillary taking photo booth pictures together on the day they first met.
Almost thirty years later, “Beaches” is still the ultimate tearjerker. Although some critics were put off by the film’s over-sentimentality, “Beaches” quickly gained a cult following — Lifetime even did a remake in 2017 with Idina Menzel and Nia Long. Celebrating the importance of friendships in the face of life’s challenges, “Beaches” became the gold standard for pulling at our heartstrings as we reached for another tissue and hugged the ones we love.