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To some, Driving Miss Daisy is a film that uses outdated racial stereotypes to bring across its point.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-