Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

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

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Alfred Uhry (screenplay), Alfred Uhry (play)

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd

Won 4 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

An elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a driver, which in the 1950s meant a black man. She resists any change in her life but, Hoke, the driver is hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at first, but Hoke slowly wins her over with his native good graces. The movie is directly taken from a stage play and does show it. It covers over twenty years of the pair's life together as they slowly build a relationship that transcends their differences.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | widow | african american | 1950s | old age | 

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Taglines:

The comedy that won a Pulitzer Prize

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

While being interviewed in the 2008 PBS mini-series The Jewish Americans (2008), Alfred Uhry, who wrote the film's screenplay, and grew up as a Jewish child in Atlanta during the 40s and 50s, admitted that many Jews in Atlanta celebrated Christmas, like Boolie and his wife, in an attempt to be a part of a community, where Jews were a minority.

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Goofs

During the 1953 Christmas party at Boolie's house when Florine is scolding her maid for running out of coconut in their kitchen, a 1974 model KitchenAid dishwasher is seen behind Katie Bell.

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Quotes

[Boolie and Daisy are discussing attending a dinner where Martin Luther King will be speaking]
Boolie Werthan: Mama, we have to talk about this.
Daisy Werthan: Talk about what?
Boolie Werthan: The feasibility of all this. Now, I believe Martin Luther King has done some marvelous things...
Daisy Werthan: Boolie, if you don't want to go...
Boolie Werthan: I wanna go. You know how I feel about him.
Daisy Werthan: I know, but Florene!
Boolie Werthan: Florene has nothing to do with it. But, I still have to conduct business in this town.
Daisy Werthan: [incredulously] I know, Werthan Bag will go out of business if you attend the ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Film title logo appears at the end of closing credits

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
(1868)
Music by Charles Crozat Converse (1868) (uncredited)
Hymn by Joseph M. Scriven (1855) (uncredited)
Sung by Little Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Choir (as Little Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Choir,
Decatur, Georgia)
Soloist: Indra A. Thomas

User Reviews

Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy in a heart-warming, human story

Maybe 'the Shawshank Redemption' (1994) (qv) is a bigger, better, more brazen film, with far more pretensions, and is, of course, an excellent film: but I cannot avoid thinking that it is in 'Driving Miss Daisy' that Morgan Freeman develops his best rôle, playing so well opposite the unrepeatable Jessica Landry. I have not seen all of Freeman's films, nor do I wish to. Of those I have seen he is more or less 'O.K.' as you might say; What makes 'Driving Miss Daisy' work is the human and humane compassion and sympathy flowing between the two lead actors, with Dan Ackroyd, surprisingly, and Esther Rolle both lending a good hand. One might argue that it is 'only' an oversweetened sentimental story; be that as it may, the film endeavours to portray the aging relationship between the white Jewish rich woman and her poor black chauffeur throughout 25 years. And Jessica Landry was over eighty years old when she made this film. In this aspect, evidently the film succeeds, as the story itself is really of secondary importance: it is the beautifully filmed scenes and the dialogues which build up to something greater than the story per se. In an age dominated by cinema stuffed with violence, sex, special effects and so on, here is an example without such measures, relying on pure acting and interpretative skills so as to tell a clean simple story. You might well like to compare this film with Lindsay Anderson's 'The Whales of August' (1987) (qv), with an absolutely unrepeatable cast with Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Vincent Price and Ann Sothern: a delicious retrospective piece. 'Driving Miss Daisy' was meticulously made, with all those cars of the 50's and 60's and the careful scene settings, brought out by excellent photography, and all backed up by what must be Hans Zimmer's most appropriate and touching score. His score was also good in that tremendous film 'Thelma and Louise' as well as in 'The House of the Spirits' and 'Beyond Rangoon' (1995) (qv). 'Driving Miss Daisy' is one of those videos in my collection which I am pleased to blow the dust off and watch yet again: it is still as charming as ever.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

26 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Driving Miss Daisy

Filming Locations:

Sevananda Natural Foods Grocery, 1111 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$73,745, 17 December 1989

Gross USA:

$106,593,296

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$145,793,296

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Zanuck Company, Allied Filmmakers, Majestic Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1