"Beaches" consistently feels sincere and good-natured, though it tends to highlight Bette Midler’s dominant and somewhat pretentious character at the cost of Barbara Hershey's more subdued portrayal. The movie attempts to portray a friendship that lasts for many years and takes priority over everything else, but this overly ambitious goal proves difficult to realize convincingly within its runtime. Consequently, the significant events in both women's lives are hurried through, leaving a fragmented sequence of ups and downs without establishing any genuine emotional connections or demonstrating how those bonds were broken over time. There’s little chance to truly understand the characters, which ultimately leaves one feeling indifferent to their fates. The result is an unremarkable and shallow film that represents a significant failure considering its potential.

Source on TMDB