Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers (WGA):

Alfred Uhry (play)
Alfred Uhry (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 January 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The comedy that won a Pulitzer Prize

Plot:

An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Widow | American South | 1950s | Chauffeur

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Morgan Freeman	...	Hoke Colburn
Jessica Tandy	...	Daisy Werthan
Dan Aykroyd	...	Boolie Werthan
Patti LuPone	...	Florine Werthan
Esther Rolle	...	Idella
Joann Havrilla	...	Miss McClatchey
William Hall Jr.	...	Oscar
Alvin M. Sugarman	...	Dr. Weil
Clarice F. Geigerman	...	Nonie
Muriel Moore	...	Miriam
Sylvia Kaler	...	Beulah
Carolyn Gold	...	Neighbor Lady
Crystal R. Fox	...	Katie Bell
Bob Hannah	...	Red Mitchell
Ray McKinnon	...	Trooper #1

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Certification:

Germany:6 | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG (#29912) | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:F (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

822 Lullwater Road, Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Majestic Films International

Trivia:

Towards the end of the movie, viewers see that Boolie Werthan has put his mother's house for sale. The house is listed by Harry Norman Realtors, which is an actual real estate company in Atlanta, Georgia. It was started in the 1930s and is still in business today (1999) and operated by a descendant of Mrs. Harry Norman, the woman who founded the company.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the King dinner, Martin Luther King, Jr. can be heard saying, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people." This was published in the Letter from a Birmingham City Jail essay, but probably wouldn't have been spoken by MLK himself at a speaking engagement since he usually prepared other speeches and sermons.

Quotes:

Daisy Werthan: You should have let me keep my old LaSalle. It never would've behaved this way and you know it.
Boolie Werthan: Mama, cars don't behave. They are behaved upon. Fact is, you demolished that Chrysler all by yourself.
Daisy Werthan: Say what you want, I know the truth.
Boolie Werthan: The truth is, you just cost the insurance company $2,700. You're a terrible risk. Nobody's gonna want to issue you a policy after this.
Daisy Werthan: You're just saying that to be hateful!
Boolie Werthan: OK. I am. I'm makin' it all up. Look out there in the driveway! Every insurance company in America is out there, waving their fountain pen, trying to get you to sign up!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: Double Date (#1.10)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

SANTA BABY

"Driving Miss Daisy" is a masterpiece.

Looking for a great, in-yer-face fast-moving action THRILLER? Driving Miss Daisy ain't it.

Looking for a great MOVIE? You're in the right place.

"Driving Miss Daisy" charts the subtly-shifting relationship between "Miss Daisy," a very reluctantly aging Jewish lady who's no longer able to drive for herself, and her new (and, as you can expect, rather unwelcome!) driver -- a not-terribly-young-himself Black guy (or African-American guy, whichever you prefer) named Hoke.

Bear in mind this is the Deep South of the 1950's and 60's we're talking about here, and the racial attitudes and prejudices of that time make for fascinating background -- as does the whole general culture, which I believe was well portrayed.

The directors frankly took on some delicate racial subject matter here (and certainly the racial divide in those days was very deep indeed) -- but they handled it with remarkable skill. I think they succeeded so well because they brought you into the lives of people as people, not just as cardboard stereotypes. Long before the movie is over, you find yourself really caring about the two main characters -- Daisy and Hoke.

This is a movie about life, relationships, and people. You see some good things -- and also some very human weaknesses, not the least of which is sheer stubborn pride.

I personally was a child of the deep South, and I appreciate movies such as this one and Jessica Tandy's other wonderful movie Fried Green Tomatoes (which is in some ways very similar) which give us a glimpse into the culture of those days. There are definitely things we can learn from the past, and there are also things we can learn from watching how people change over the course of their lives.

Several moments from this movie stand out, some of which are funny, some sobering, and some of which are particularly moving:

The scene involving Dr. Martin Luther King.

The unashamedly bigoted comments of a 50's or 60's police officer.

A great scene involving Hoke and Miss Daisy's businessman son.

An incredible scene in which Jessica Tandy portrays the aging Miss Daisy.

And, perhaps most of all, what Miss Daisy says to Hoke towards the end of the movie.

Now personally, I love action movies so well that I was initially reluctant even to watch this one. This is not a movie of action, but it IS a movie of substance and beauty, mixed with some funny moments.

The acting is great, the script and directing are beautifully done, and the substance, humor and beauty are such that overall, I consider "Driving Miss Daisy," one of the best movies I've ever seen.