Beaches (film)
Encyclopedia
Beaches is a 1988 American comedy-drama film
adapted
by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the Iris Rainer Dart
novel of the same name
. It was directed by Garry Marshall
, and stars Bette Midler
, Barbara Hershey
, John Heard, James Read
, Spalding Gray
, and Lainie Kazan
.
The film's theme song, Hot 100 #1 "Wind Beneath My Wings
" went on to win Grammys for Record of the Year
and Song of the Year
at the Grammy Awards of 1990
. The film was released on VHS in August 1989, with a DVD release on August 13, 2002, followed by a special edition DVD on April 26, 2005.
The film begins with singer CC Bloom (Bette Midler
) receiving a note during a rehearsal for her upcoming concert, a note which contains distressing news about her best friend Hillary. She leaves the rehearsal in a panic and tries frantically to travel to her friend's side although we are not told why at that point. Unable to get a flight to San Francisco because of fog
, she rents a car and decides to drive overnight from Los Angeles
. 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 Bialik
) meet under the boardwalk on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey
in 1958. Hillary is lost and CC is hiding from her overbearing stage mother
(Lainie Kazan
). They become fast friends, growing up and bonding through letters of support to each other. A grown-up Hillary (Barbara Hershey
) goes on to study law at Stanford Law School
(as this is her family's tradition) and becomes a human rights
lawyer. In the meantime, the singing career of the now-adult CC (Bette Midler
) 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 bar
where CC is performing, having travelled to New York City
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. After she has accepted CC's offer to stay with her in her apartment, they become closer but eventually vie for the love of the same man (John Heard), the artistic director of the Falcon Players, who gives CC her start after listening to her delivery of a birthday singing telegram to 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 marking CC's first lead in an off-Broadway production. 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 Read
). 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 Broadway
, by which time she has become a Broadway star. CC finds out that Hillary has resigned her position as 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 they both 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 charisma
that CC is noted for, but as CC is about to retaliate, she admits, instead, that Hillary stands out for reasons that she (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 and 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 parent
, a decision that wins her much admiration from the feisty and always independent CC who promises she will stay and help her out. Although she leaves for a short time because she is promised a lead part in a new musical, she returns in time 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 attorney
. But when she collapses at work and is rushed to the hospital, she is diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy
, a debilitating cardiac illness, requiring a heart transplant if she is to live. She is put on a donor list, but it is rare that a heart of her tissue type will be found in time. Hillary learns more about the illness and it becomes clear that she will most likely die as a result of it, depriving her of the chance to live to see her daughter grow up. This plunges her into a state of depression
, 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 completing her album, she locks horns with Victoria who sees her as an interruption in the life of both her and her mother. Gradually, both come to appreciate one another.
Eventually, Hillary sheds her feelings of 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 home for a quick performance while Hillary is left to prepare Victoria to attend CC's concert. Before leaving, Victoria returns to her room to find her mother passed out on the floor and suddenly screams for help.
CC races to the hospital in San Francisco after driving all night from Los Angeles
. 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 final moments of her best friend's life as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. 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 who is honest enough to admit that she is very selfish and has no idea what kind of a mother she will make but also 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 Bowl
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, CC, O.K.?" "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 pictures together, in a photo booth, on the day they first met.
", 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 Direction
(Albert Brenner
and Garrett Lewis
).
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
adapted
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the Iris Rainer Dart
Iris Rainer Dart
Iris Rainer Dart is an American author and playwright for television and the stage. Her most notable novel is Beaches, which was made into a 1988 film of the same name...
novel of the same name
Beaches (novel)
Beaches 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....
. It was directed by Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
, and stars Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
, John Heard, James Read
James Read
James Christopher Read is an American actor, best known for his role of George Hazard in the North and South television miniseries.-Early life:...
, Spalding Gray
Spalding Gray
Spalding Rockwell Gray was an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, performance artist and monologuist...
, and Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Turkish Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and...
.
The film's theme song, Hot 100 #1 "Wind Beneath My Wings
Wind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...
" went on to win Grammys for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The 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 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
at the Grammy Awards of 1990
Grammy Awards of 1990
The 32nd Grammy Awards were held in 1990. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.-General:*Record of the Year**Arif Mardin & Bette Midler for "Wind Beneath My Wings"*Album of the Year...
. The film was released on VHS in August 1989, with a DVD release on August 13, 2002, followed by a special edition DVD on April 26, 2005.
Plot
Two friends from different backgrounds, whose friendship spans more than 30 years through childhood, love, and tragedy: C.C. Bloom, a New York actress and singer, and Hillary Whitney, a San Francisco heiress and lawyer, become fast friends and keep in touch through letters growing up into adulthood.The film begins with singer CC Bloom (Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
) receiving a note during a rehearsal for her upcoming concert, a note which contains distressing news about her best friend Hillary. She leaves the rehearsal in a panic and tries frantically to travel to her friend's side although we are not told why at that point. Unable to get a flight to San Francisco because of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
, she rents a car and decides to drive overnight from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune 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 Bialik
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Hoya Bialik is an American actress who also holds a PhD in neuroscience.Her most notable TV roles have been as Blossom Russo on NBC's Blossom and as Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS's The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:...
) meet under the boardwalk on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
in 1958. Hillary is lost and CC is hiding from her overbearing stage mother
Stage mother
In 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 Kazan
Lainie Kazan
Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Turkish Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and...
). They become fast friends, growing up and bonding through letters of support to each other. A grown-up Hillary (Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
) goes on to study law at Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford 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 this is her family's tradition) and becomes a human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer. In the meantime, the singing career of the now-adult CC (Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
) 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 bar
Dive bar
A dive bar is a type of bar or pub. Dive bars generally have a relaxed and informal atmosphere—they are often referred to by local residents as "neighborhood bars," where people in the neighborhood gather to drink and socialize...
where CC is performing, having travelled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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. After she has accepted CC's offer to stay with her in her apartment, they become closer but eventually vie for the love of the same man (John Heard), the artistic director of the Falcon Players, who gives CC her start after listening to her delivery of a birthday singing telegram to 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 marking CC's first lead in an off-Broadway production. 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 Read
James Read
James Christopher Read is an American actor, best known for his role of George Hazard in the North and South television miniseries.-Early life:...
). 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 Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, by which time she has become a Broadway star. CC finds out that Hillary has resigned her position as 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 they both 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 charisma
Charisma
The term charisma has two senses: 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, 2) a divinely conferred power or talent. For some theological usages the term is rendered charism, with a meaning the same as sense 2...
that CC is noted for, but as CC is about to retaliate, she admits, instead, that Hillary stands out for reasons that she (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 and 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 parent
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
, a decision that wins her much admiration from the feisty and always independent CC who promises she will stay and help her out. Although she leaves for a short time because she is promised a lead part in a new musical, she returns in time 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 attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. But when she collapses at work and is rushed to the hospital, she is diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy, which literally means "heart muscle disease," is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia or sudden cardiac death or both. Cardiomyopathy can often go undetected, making it especially dangerous to...
, a debilitating cardiac illness, requiring a heart transplant if she is to live. She is put on a donor list, but it is rare that a heart of her tissue type will be found in time. Hillary learns more about the illness and it becomes clear that she will most likely die as a result of it, depriving her of the chance to live to see her daughter grow up. This plunges her into a state of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, 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 completing her album, she locks horns with Victoria who sees her as an interruption in the life of both her and her mother. Gradually, both come to appreciate one another.
Eventually, Hillary sheds her feelings of 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 home for a quick performance while Hillary is left to prepare Victoria to attend CC's concert. Before leaving, Victoria returns to her room to find her mother passed out on the floor and suddenly screams for help.
CC races to the hospital in San Francisco after driving all night from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune 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 final moments of her best friend's life as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. 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 who is honest enough to admit that she is very selfish and has no idea what kind of a mother she will make but also 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 Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States 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, CC, O.K.?" "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 pictures together, in a photo booth, on the day they first met.
Cast
- Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
as Cecilia "C.C." Carol Bloom - Barbara HersheyBarbara HersheyBarbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
as Hillary Whitney - John Heard as John Pierce
- Lainie KazanLainie KazanLainie Kazan is an American actress and singer.-Personal life:Kazan was born Lanie Levine in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father who worked as a bookie and a Turkish Sephardic Jewish mother, Carole, whom Kazan has described as "neurotic, fragile and...
as Leona Bloom - James ReadJames ReadJames Christopher Read is an American actor, best known for his role of George Hazard in the North and South television miniseries.-Early life:...
as Michael Essex - Grace Johnston as Victoria Cecilia Essex
- Mayim BialikMayim BialikMayim Hoya Bialik is an American actress who also holds a PhD in neuroscience.Her most notable TV roles have been as Blossom Russo on NBC's Blossom and as Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS's The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:...
as Cecilia "C.C." Carol Bloom (age 11) - Marcie Leeds as Hillary Whitney (age 11)
- Carol Williard as Aunt Vesta
Awards and nominations
Included on the soundtrack was Bette Midler's performance of "Wind Beneath My WingsWind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...
", 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 Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The 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
Albert Brenner
Albert Brenner is an American production designer and art director. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
and Garrett Lewis
Garrett Lewis
Garrett Lewis is an American art director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Brenner has been nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:* Beaches...
).