“Beaches,” starring Nia Long and the “Frozen” singing sensation Idina Menzel, aired Jan. 21. This made-for-TV movie is a remake of the original 1988 film of the same name, which starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey.
STARS: 4/5
The show tells the story of best friends CC Bloom (Menzel) and Hillary Whitney (Long,) showing the audience what true friendship looks like. The two best friends first met on Venice Beach and instantly formed a bond that could not be broken. Though they live across the country from each other, their bond remains strong.
Both women have issues when it comes to work. CC is a singer and actress who is trying to find her way and the perfect role for her. Hillary is a lawyer, but only because her father also was and she’d do anything to make him happy.
Hillary comes to realize she’s living the life that her father wants her to live and not the life that she wants for herself. When she finally builds up the courage to leave, she soon has to return because her father falls ill. This pulls her back into the cycle of putting other’s happiness before her own.
CC and Hillary do argue, which shows that this dynamic duo’s friendship has issues just like everyone else’s. Having a long distance friendship takes a toll on them and they stopped speaking for a long period of time.
My favorite scene was after a huge argument, Hillary told CC that she had forgiven her. CC then stated “… You took your friendship away without even talking to me about it, or yelling at me about it. It meant everything to me. I trusted in it and I believed in it. But you didn’t, and now it’s gone. So thank you for forgiving me, but I don’t forgive you.”
That scene was so powerful and Idina Menzel’s acting was truly beautiful. You could hear the hurt in her voice, and it made me tear up.
The pair later make up and their friendship became stronger. CC and Hillary weren’t just best friends, they were like sisters.
I had never seen the original “Beaches,” so the ending definitely caught me by surprise. I laughed, I smiled and cried a lot. Overall, I recommend that everyone watch it, and if you have a best friend, then you should see it together.