Gotta love the internet where anything can happen! For instance, actress, comedian, and singer Bette Midler just shared (via Instagram) a photo of the Beaches reunion and happy ending to the movie we all wanted and deserved—a quick, magical glimpse of the film’s two BFFs, CC and Hillary, growing older together.
In actuality, Midler simply shared a current photo with her Beaches co-star Barbara Hershey. “It’s a BEACHES reunion!” Midler captions. “Here I am with the great Barbara Hershey! We go back a-ways!!!”
I don’t know if Bette and Barbara ran into each other at the market reaching for the same grapefruit or what, but as soon as I saw the photo of the two of them, my late ’80s broken heart mended for a sweet moment. I sighed deeply and took in the two smiling, silver-haired beauties and thought—CC and Hillary! Besties to the end!
[SPOILER ALERT] Of course, Beaches fans will never forget what actually happened. The movie follows two very different women, one from the Bronx and one from San Francisco, as they ride the rolleroaster of lifelong girlfriendship. They meet as kids, they adore each other, they fight, they make up, there are man problems (like, they both love one man at one point, which is a problem), Hillary has a child, people break up, more life happens, and so on. And then … Hillary dies.
And the audience is left weeping in our popcorn.
Actors Marcie Leeds and Mayim Bialik portray young Hillary and CC.
Beaches was based a 1985 novel by Iris Rainer Dart, so it was fiction, but sadly, the part about having to lose a dear friend way too soon is not fictional enough. Getting older and seeing one another through the next stage of ups and downs is always a gift and a privilege, and happy endings aren’t guaranteed. That’s life and that’s what the Beaches story is all about. As devastating as the ending may be, that kind of friendship only comes once in a lifetime.
So excuse me while I sit here a little longer looking at smiling Bette and Barbara, wishing it was CC and Hillary, yes, and also every other bestie and her bestie enjoying a long happy ending like this.
Cue Bette Midler’s iconic “Wind Beneath My Wings”:
Beaches, A New Musical is coming to the Broadway stage and opens on March 27. Find tickets and information at beachesthemusical.com.
Bette Midler stars in the upcoming comedy Cut Off, which was produced, and co-written by Jonah Hill and also stars Kristen Wiig, Camila Cabello, Langston Kerman, Chelsea Peretti, Nathan Lane, and more. The film is scheduled for a July 2026 release.
Barbara Hershey stars in the upcoming television movie Woodstockers, which is scheduled for a March 2026 release.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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