Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
To some, Driving Miss Daisy is a film that uses
outdated racial stereotypes to bring across its point. To a point, I believe
that to be fact. But one has to keep in mind that this is truly how black people
were treated in the deep South during the 50’s and 60’s. People also say this
film shouldn’t have one Best Picture in 1989, and there was poll issued in 2015
that showed this film is #1 in recount, and that My Left Foot should
have won. I do think there were better movies that should have been nominated
and even won such as Glory and Do the Right Thing, but I am not
angry this film was the winner of it all. I found it to be an affecting period
piece about friendship and how people from different backgrounds can find a connection…even
if they have to work for it. Led by astounding performances from Jessica Tandy
and Morgan Freeman, the film transcends an era filled with deep-rooted racism
and gives us a powerful, believable friendship that may have you wiping a tear
or two away.
Bruce Beresford directs the film with such tenderness
and passion. He works very well with flawed human characters finding
connections where they least expect as seen in earlier films like Tender Mercies.
He directed a script from Alfred Uhry who wrote the script from his off-Broadway
play and own personal experiences. As of this publication, the film remains the
only movie based on an off-Broadway show to win Best Picture. Uhry’s script is
very personable. It has some strong dialogue, but the script does not
necessarily push the narrative forward with words, but rather facial
expressions and the eyes. It helps there are talented actors that were able to
convey such emotion. Nothing felt fake and over the course of 25 years, we
become more invested in the connection that these two humans made with one
another. There are scenes that stir up emotion from deep within. That Martin
Luther King Jr. speech is one of those. Tandy’s character claims herself as a
Jewish liberal woman, but not even she is able to avoid the prejudices of the Deep
South. But over time, she is able to find her best friend.
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) is an elderly woman living
in 1948 Atlanta. After she crashes her car, her soon Boolie (Dan Aykroyd) takes
away her driving privileges. He hires the not-too-young Hoke Colburn (Morgan
Freeman) to be his mother’s chauffer. Being the stubborn woman she is, she will
not have that “nonsense.” Over time, Daisy warms up to the gentle nature of
Hoke. Hoke is patient, warm, and stubborn himself. Eventually, a friendship is born.
1989 was an amazing year for Morgan Freeman as he
played three characters not related to one another. In Lean on Me, he
was a fiery, self-determined principal. In Glory, he was the soul of his
soldier group but was a tough leader when needed to be. Here, he was just a
gentle, kind soul trying to make a new friend. His ways of endearing himself to
Daisy are subtle but moving. For example, rather than talk about himself, he
would say it is a shame that a brand-new car is just sitting in the driveway
with no one to drive it. Jessica Tandy may have delivered one of the best performances
of her career. To this day, she remains the oldest Best Actress winner at 81. She
was heartless at first and tried to make Hoke’s life miserable, but she would finally
accept him in his life. There was a scene where she is in her 90’s and has a thoughtful,
emotional moment with Hoke. Probably won her the Oscar! Dan Aykroyd also is
very, very good. He gets a chance to show a little of his dramatic chops.
Does Driving Miss Daisy deserve to be the Best
Picture winner of 1989? Many people say no because there are better films. That
may be the case, but the film is still an emotional portrait of friendship of
two people with different backgrounds. The racial stereotypes may be a little
overdone (how would I guess there would be a scene where state troopers would
pull over Hoke?). People may not realize, but this is also a film about the aging
process. The makeup to make everyone look older was actually decent….maybe
except for Aykroyd. Also, Hans Zimmer produced another fantastic score. No live
instruments, just his synthesizer, yet he created magic. Regardless of anyone’s
opinions, I found this to be a moving film about friendship. Beresford takes his
time to tell his story, but that’s okay because there is lots of heart.
My Grade: A-
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