Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.
Director:
Kevin Costner
Stars:
Kevin Costner,
Mary McDonnell,
Graham Greene
At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
Director:
Anthony Minghella
Stars:
Ralph Fiennes,
Juliette Binoche,
Willem Dafoe
Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy. But a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.
Director:
Robert Benton
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman,
Meryl Streep,
Jane Alexander
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.Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Three black men are seen crossing railroad tracks in Atlanta. All three of these men are descendants of the real person (Will Coleman) that the "Hoke" character was based upon. See more »
Goofs
Prior to Hoke driving Miss Daisy to Alabama the street scene shows very clearly directional arrows painted in the street. These weren't in use until at least the 1970s. See more »
Quotes
Boolie Werthan:
What I need is for somebody to drive my mother around
Hoke Colburn:
Well, if you don' mind my askin', sir, how come she's not hirin' for herself?
Boolie Werthan:
See, it's kind of a delicate situation.
Hoke Colburn:
Oh, yessir, yessir... done gone around the bend a little bit. Well, now, that'll happen as they get old...
Boolie Werthan:
Oh, no, she's all there. Too-much-there is the problem!
[Hoke laughs]
See more »
"Driving Miss Daisy" is one of those films that will likely be remembered as a giant-killer. "Born on the Fourth of July" and "My Left Foot" were the unofficial favorites to win the Best Picture Oscar in 1989, but this film shocked almost everyone. The film deals with a 25-year friendship between a widowed Jewish woman (Jessica Tandy in her Oscar-winning performance) and the black man who drives her around (Morgan Freeman in an Oscar-nominated role). Throughout the film we see their relationship change as the nation's outlook changes as well. They are friends from the late-1940s to the early-1970s and they live to see tragedy (a Jewish temple being bombed and Martin Luther King being killed) and triumph together (the Civil Rights movement giving equal rights to African-Americans). Dan Aykroyd (in an Oscar-nominated performance) does his best work as Tandy's son. Overall, the direction and screenplay are subtle but highly effective. The performances by the key players make the film very enjoyable. However, there are a few slight problems which keep the film from being as good as it could have been. Some things just do not gel quite as well as they could have. Overall a good film that was worthy of a Best Picture Oscar, but its lack of competition that year will likely make it become overlooked in the future. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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"Driving Miss Daisy" is one of those films that will likely be remembered as a giant-killer. "Born on the Fourth of July" and "My Left Foot" were the unofficial favorites to win the Best Picture Oscar in 1989, but this film shocked almost everyone. The film deals with a 25-year friendship between a widowed Jewish woman (Jessica Tandy in her Oscar-winning performance) and the black man who drives her around (Morgan Freeman in an Oscar-nominated role). Throughout the film we see their relationship change as the nation's outlook changes as well. They are friends from the late-1940s to the early-1970s and they live to see tragedy (a Jewish temple being bombed and Martin Luther King being killed) and triumph together (the Civil Rights movement giving equal rights to African-Americans). Dan Aykroyd (in an Oscar-nominated performance) does his best work as Tandy's son. Overall, the direction and screenplay are subtle but highly effective. The performances by the key players make the film very enjoyable. However, there are a few slight problems which keep the film from being as good as it could have been. Some things just do not gel quite as well as they could have. Overall a good film that was worthy of a Best Picture Oscar, but its lack of competition that year will likely make it become overlooked in the future. 4.5 out of 5 stars.