Common Sense Note
Parents should know that there is a smattering of strong language and some implied sex (but no nudity). The film also deals with the parent of a young child dying, a theme that might be upsetting for some kids. This movie is a tearjerker, so know your kid before you watch.
Families who see this movie might talk about the value of friendship, and how Hillary and CC's relationship changes over the years. How do their career and relationship choices affect their friendship? Is the movie a realistic portrayal of friendship? How do the women's relationships with men change their connection to each other?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sarah Wenk
When you start listing chick flicks, you won't get far without someone mentioning BEACHES. This story of the lifelong friendship between WASPy rich girl Hillary (Barbara Hershey) and Bronx-born performer CC (Bette Midler) is a classic of the tearjerker genre. The movie follows their friendship from the boardwalk in Atlantic City when they are 11 to its sad conclusion on a California beach more than twenty years later. It's rather formulaic -- the women ride out the highs and lows of life, fight and make up, marry, divorce, and so on, in a sort of whirl of events that can sometimes be confusing –- at one point CC is engaged to Hillary's doctor and leaves him to take a starring role. When she returns only weeks later, her play is a hit but he's already engaged to someone else.
But the strength and solidity of Hillary and CC's connection will touch anyone who's ever had a friend, and no matter how absurd the movie becomes –- no neophyte Broadway star could ever afford to lease an apartment like the one CC gets –- viewers will be caught up in the emotion of their story. The performances are somewhat pedestrian, with the exception of Mayim Bialik, who plays the young CC. Her energy outshines almost everything that follows –- she was born to play the young Bette Midler. This isn't a great film, but it's fun in a weepy way, and would make great viewing for mothers and daughters on a girls' night in, assuming that the daughters could handle the emotional intensity. Dads and brothers will probably find that, like the men in the film, they are more or less left on the sidelines.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentVery mild -- one scene of a couple in bed, both are clothed, one scene of a couple after sex, no nudity. |
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LanguageSome strong language. |
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Social BehaviorGood role models of friendship. |
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