I lost one of my best friends to lung cancer shortly before seeing Beaches on the Special Edition DVD. Needless to say, this tearjerker about two longtime friends touched me deeply. A poignant tribute to the joys and tribulations of friendship, it stars Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey as two very different women who met in their preteens, then struggled to be friends throughout their adult lives.  

Midler (The Stepford Wives) plays C.C. Bloom, a successful entertainer from the Bronx, and Hershey (Lantana) portrays Hillary Whitney, a lawyer from a wealthy family. Both actresses seem to inhabit their roles, and whether having fun or arguing, they show strong emotion in their scenes together. They make us believe that C.C. and Hillary need each other to be happy.

C. C. and Hillary prove the old saying that a friend is someone who knows all your faults and likes you just the same. Hillary sometimes irritates C. C. with her snobbish attitude, while C.C. often annoys Hillary with her pushy behavior. And, sadly, both fall for the same man (John Heard). Still, these women have a special bond too powerful for jealousy, physical distance or divergent lifestyles to destroy. Although reminiscent of a similar relationship between characters played by Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn in The Banger Sisters, Midler and Hershey go more for drama than comedy. Nevertheless, Midler manages to evoke a few laughs with her comic antics in a couple of scenes. (“Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about me?” -- only the Divine Miss M can get away with lines like that.)            

As an avid movie musical fan, I’m always happy to see a film featuring songs and dance numbers. Although not a full-fledged musical, Beaches showcases Midler’s splendid voice in concert rehearsal scenes and in a bizarre theatrical production number. Her beautiful rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wings” actually made me cry -- something I seldom do in movies.  Mayim Bialik (TV’s Blossom), the youngster portraying C. C. as an eleven year old, shines as she belts out “The Glory of Love” (with a dubbed-in voice we learn in one of the DVD features). Bialik looks exactly like I imagine Midler as a preteen, and Lainie Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) makes a perfect stage mother.  

Directed by Garry Marshall, Beaches contains the some of the schmaltz I’ve come to expect from his movies (see The Princess Diaries), but it’s less annoying here, partly because of screenwriter Mary Alice Donoghue’s (Veronica Guerin) sensitive adaptation of Iris Rainer Dart’s bittersweet novel.   

This Special Edition DVD includes one of the best blooper features I’ve seen. It’s an amusing little gem made to show at the movie’s wrap party. Other fine bonus items are: Barbara Hershey’s intriguing screen test; Mayim Bialik’s fascinating Beaches memories; a haunting music video of “The Wind Beneath My Wings” sung by Bette Midler; and lively new audio commentary by Garry Marshall.

Beaches may be a “chick flick,” but it’s a top quality one, and this DVD Special Edition is a must-have for Midler fans.

(Released by Touchstone Entertainment and rated “PG-13” for adult situations. Bonus DVD material not rated and subject to change.)

In memory of Marge Easton.