Back to trending
Beaches

Beaches

Comedy · Drama · 1988

A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.

Movie details

Beaches

“Some Friendships Last Forever”

1988 Comedy · Drama 2h 3m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Beaches?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Friend

The Friend

Comedy · 2025

New York City writer Iris finds her comfortable, solitary life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor bequeaths her a Great Dane named Apollo. The huge dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life.

The Last Word

The Last Word

Comedy · 2017

A retired businesswoman – who tries to control everything around her – decides to write her own obituary. A young journalist takes up the task of finding out the truth, and the result is a life-altering friendship.

Stan & Ollie

Stan & Ollie

Comedy · 2018

With their golden era long behind them, comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy embark on a variety hall tour of Britain and Ireland. Despite the pressures of a hectic schedule, and with the support of their wives Lucille and Ida – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair's love of performing, as well as for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public

The Savages

The Savages

Drama · 2007

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

I Like Movies

I Like Movies

Comedy · 2023

Socially inept 17-year-old cinephile Lawrence Kweller gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.

Another Year

Another Year

Drama · 2010

During a year, a very content couple approaching retirement are visited by friends and family less happy with their lives.

Terms of Endearment

Terms of Endearment

Drama · 1983

Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find reasons to live a joyful life.

Frances Ha

Frances Ha

Comedy · 2013

An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.

Paper Man

Paper Man

Comedy · 2009

A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.

I'll See You in My Dreams

I'll See You in My Dreams

Drama · 2015

A sudden loss disrupts Carol’s orderly life, propelling her into the dating world for the first time in 20 years. Finally living in the present tense, she finds herself swept up in not one, but two unexpected relationships that challenge her assumptions about what it means to grow old.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Garry Marshall

Written by

Mary Agnes Donoghue

Bette Midler

Bette Midler

CC Bloom

Barbara Hershey

Barbara Hershey

Hillary Whitney Essex

John Heard

John Heard

John Pierce

Spalding Gray

Spalding Gray

Dr. Richard Milstein

Lainie Kazan

Lainie Kazan

Leona Bloom

James Read

James Read

Michael Essex

Grace Johnston

Grace Johnston

Victoria Essex

Court is in session

Put Beaches on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.