Miss Daisy et son chauffeur

Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy (in Oscar Winning performance) invoke grace and dignity in this sensitive treatment of race relations and old age. Freeman stars as a gentle, wise black chauffeur in the service of a spunky Jewish widow, played by Tandy. As the years pass, their relationship evolves into a remarkable friendship despite their different backgrounds.

The film is skillfully adapted from the award-winning play, unfolding against the backdrop of civil rights changes in the South. Somewhat simplistic to be considered a strong statement about race relations, the Best Picture/Best Screenpaly Oscar Winner makes a heartwarming effort to give witness to dignified aging.

Freeman was never better, and the chemistry between the two leads is simply beautiful to watch. This is a very special cinema experience.

It's hard to imagine someone seeing "Driving Miss Daisy" without being moved somehow, yet few films suffer more in terms of reputation from winning a Best Picture Oscar. In disparaging "Daisy," many myths have sprung up that cloud the film's legacy and need addressing.

1. "Driving Miss Daisy" won because 1989 was a weak year for movies - 1989 was a great year for movies. Among the films out that year which weren't even nominated for Best Picture were "Glory," "Henry V," "Do The Right Thing," "Parenthood," "Batman," "Crimes And Misdemeanors," "The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen," "sex, lies, and videotape," "Steel Magnolias," and "When Harry Met Sally." Unlike most years, any of the five Best Picture nominees could have won without anyone being too upset.

2. "Driving Miss Daisy" is a syrupy feel-good exercise devoid of grit - While made in an artfully soft-focus and gentle style in keeping with the spirit we associate with the American South of recent bygone days, director Bruce Beresford and writer Alfred Uhry present us with a complicated and tricky story that challenges us right away. How many films get made showing old Jewish women complaining a poor black man stole a 33 cent can of salmon from her pantry? "Daisy" allows its central character to say some astounding things about blacks ("They all take things, you know," "They're like children,") and yet trusting us to have the tolerance to watch her grow.

3. "Driving Miss Daisy" was popular because it features a passive black man - Morgan Freeman as Hoke gives a haunting, multi-layered performance of someone who is anything but passive. Because he is a black man in the Jim Crow South, he must make do working as a driver for Miss Daisy despite her resentment of him (which stems from her anger over her infirmity, not his skin color, to address another myth.) Hoke is a model of stoic patience, of finding silver linings and angles, and breaking down barriers through common sense. "You needs a chauffeur and Lord knows I needs a job," is how he puts it to Miss Daisy. "Now why don't we leave it at that?" Of course, his patience with Miss Daisy over time yields more than a mere truce, not to mention a healthy raise and some fine used automobiles. And he retains his dignity in every scene.

4. "Driving Miss Daisy" is mainly about race - Race is a theme, but the central theme is the passage of time. The film presents us with small vignettes, connected to seasons of the year, charting the growing relationship between Hoke and Daisy. As the characters age, we see every wrinkle on their skin and sense without anything being pointed out too strongly just how fragile and fleeting this thing called life really is. By film's end, long after race has been addressed, we are giving witness to the elusive pleasures of life in the face of Miss Daisy's mortality, a tough message for any movie to go out on, especially one as ultimately life-affirming as this.

5. Jessica Tandy won her Oscar out of sympathy because of her age - She won it because she was good. Very good. Check out her scene when she tells Hoke about visiting the Gulf of Mexico and tasting the saltwater on her fingers, then snapping at herself for being so silly. Then you get winning zingers, delivered with impeccable vinegar, like this about her assimilated daughter-in-law: "If I had a nose like Florine, I wouldn't say Merry Christmas to anybody." Ouch! I actually am less won over by that famous line of hers, "You're my best friend," because she makes the point so well with Hoke throughout the latter half of the film in many better ways.

6. It's boring - "Daisy" runs only a little over 90 minutes, and makes the most of every one of them. Nothing runs too long. When a member of the household dies, you get a falling bowl and then a singing choir. When Daisy teaches Hoke to read, it's represented by a small sequence in a graveyard and then let go. It would seem abrupt on the pages of the script, yet Mark Warner's crafty editing and Hans Zimmer's deft score make it all seem so natural.

7. Films like "Driving Miss Daisy" get made all the time - The only film that mixes comedy and pathos as effectively as this that I'm aware of is "Being There." But while that classic Peter Sellers film is something of a fantasy, "Daisy" is so grounded in reality it makes its ultimately uplifting character that much more satisfying.

Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) is an elderly Atlanta Jewish woman. The movie opens with her backing the car into her neighbor's yard. Her son Boolie (Dan Aykroyd) is a wealthy Textile factory owner, and he refuses to allow her to drive. He hires Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman) as her driver. She hates having him around at first, but their relationships eventually grows to the closest of friendship.

Written by Alfred Uhry from his award winning play, this is a touching evolution of the two's relationship. Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman are absolutely wonderful. Tandy would win the Oscar. The beauty in this is that it doesn't hit the audience over the head. She's not some two dimensional racist. Mostly she doesn't want to put on airs, and she doesn't want somebody bothering her at the her house.

After watching this film for the second time I realized just how important the affection that occurs between Hoke and Daisy really is. What grows between these two is something most people only wish to have in their lives. What is so special about it, though?

From the beginning of their relationship, the two are forced to be together. Daisy is forced to have a driver and Hoke is hired on for that position. For both, the relationship is one out of need. Hoke needs a paying job and Daisy needs a driver in her old age (although, she would never admit it to anyone especially herself).

As time goes by, though, Daisy's need of Hoke becomes clearer to herself. She begins to depend on him. This is definitely made clear at the end when Hoke is feeding Daisy her pumpkin pie, and she enjoys each bite fully.

Another aspect of the movie which got to me was the great array of choices the director made with the filming. Hoke is a character of very few words but teaches Daisy so much. Morgan Freeman's acting in this character is amazing. The knowledge he shows within his eyes is one reason I almost felt closer to him than Daisy did throughout the first half of the movie. In a way, he teaches her a new way of life. He does so by showing himself truly and honestly.

Another choice the director made was in the symbolic way the film was made. The beauty of the many seasons is shown through the changes of the landscape. The trees transform from winter to spring and the streets go from sheets of ice to warm asphalt. And the cars get larger and more high tech. Time is so important in Daisy's and Hoke's affection/friendship that this is a great way to show that.

There are so many aspects of this film which I could go on and on about. It is a wonderful film of which any person can get a fulfilling movie watching experience out of. They can also learn a lot from it, too! Watch it.

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.