Driving Miss Daisy

Plot synopsis:
It is about September of 1948. A wealthy, spunky, and independent 72 year old Jewish widow and former grade school teacher named Daisy Werthan accidentally backs her new Chrysler into her neighbors yard after having put her foot on the accelerator too far. The car is totaled and insurance company has declared her high risk. Her 35 year old son Boolie, a successful, third generation textile business owner, insists she hires a chauffeur, but she refuses to do so. For the time being, she either takes care of business herself or have one of her friends give her a ride.Oscar, an employee of Boolie's is stuck in the freight elevator at the textile mill. Hoke Coleburn, about 60 years of age, helps him get the elevator down to the floor. Boolie notices this and questions Hoke's identity, with him being revealed as a potential chauffeur. Boolie seems disinterested, but Hoke follows him to his office and interviews with him. Hoke is given the job after Boolie's questioning of his previous employment, but warns him of his mother's stubbornness and uptightness, but assured she can't fire him.Hoke is brought over to Daisy's house by Boolie. Daisy refuses to be formally introduced to him and doesn't want "some chauffeur" staying at her house and eating her food (a subtle hint of racism), despite the fact she's had the same black cook and housekeeper for over 20 years. A brand new 1949 Hudson sits in the garage.Hoke tries to stay busy and earn his pay around Daisy's house, but Daisy refuses to let him touch her things. After 6 days, he informs her of the low supply of coffee, Dutch Cleanser, and silver polish. Daisy insists on taking the streetcar to the Piggly Wiggly. Hoke will not let her do it and follows her. Daisy gives in and lets him give her the lift, but sets him straight on some rules.Afterwards, Hoke takes Daisy to the Reform Jewish temple she regularly attends. When the service is over, he's parked in the front of the church and wants to give her the VIP treatment, but she is embarrassed. He does not understand her modesty despite her wealth and reminds him of her poor upbringing. But she needs a chauffeur and he needs the job and should just leave it at that.A few weeks later on a cold and foggy morning, Daisy notices a can of salmon missing from her pantry. She calls Boolie over about the incident and that Hoke is not someone she can trust because "they all take things". Boolie tries to defend him, but she refuses and feels she's being invaded. Hoke and Idella, Daisy's maid, arrive for work soon afterwards. Boolie asks Hoke that they have a talk and he agrees. But before they talk, Hoke tells Daisy he ate a can of her salmon last night because the leftover pork chops were too stiff and that he bought a replacement can for her. The incident is immediately forgotten and it turns out Hoke is a man that can be trusted.It is the summer of 1951. Daisy and Hoke are at the cemetery with Daisy's husband's grave plot being tended. She asks Hoke to place flowers on a Leo Bauer grave and gives him the directions to it. He reveals to her that he can't read. Daisy does not understand this, but reassures him in a rather harsh manner that he can read if he knows his ABC's. She gives him the basics and he finds the grave.Christmas Day 1953. Daisy's daughter in law Florine is having a fit because there is no coconut for ambrosia, despite the lavish and generous potluck for the dinner guests. Her new cook Katie Bell did not write it down, but told her to buy it (another hint of illiteracy common among blacks). Boolie assures her it's okay. Daisy and Hoke are coming over to Boolie's house. Hoke is enjoying the Christmas lights in the neighborhood, but Daisy is somewhat appalled by the crass commercialism of Christmas, plus her overall disdain for her daughter in law's refusal to adhere to Jewish tradition. And by this time, Hoke can read well. Daisy hands him a book on calligraphy to help him practice on his writing, but assures it's not a Christmas present.Summer of 1955, Boolie and Hoke are over at the local Cadillac dealership to purchase a 1956 Cadillac Sedan DeVille for Daisy. Hoke made a deal with the car dealer to purchase Daisy's 1949 Hudson, with Boolie surprised about the purchase from the dealer instead of his mother. But Hoke assures Boolie it's okay and does not want to make car payments to her.A short time later, Daisy is prepared for a long journey to Mobile, Alabama to celebrate her brother Walter's 90th birthday. She's fretting that they will be late despite being well-prepared. Hoke pulls up to help her out, followed by Boolie in a nice black 1956 Cadillac Eldorado. Daisy is appalled that Boolie is leaving early for a convention in New York City, because Florine would rather see the play My Fair Lady before then, instead of attending Walter's birthday.Daisy and Hoke begin a 300+ mile journey, which was a long way to drive before interstate highways. Hoke reveals to her it is the first time he's ever left the state of Georgia. They stop to eat a lunch of sandwiches, deviled eggs, peaches, and Coca Cola on the side of the road near a pond. Daisy tells a story to Hoke about her trip there in 1888 when her brother got married and how timid she was when she saw an ocean for the first time. They are interrupted by two racist cops questioning Hoke's possession of the car. Daisy tells them it's her car, they see her registration and Hoke's driver's license. A stern reminder of how dangerous it was for minorities to travel back then. They move on, Daisy has given Hoke the wrong directions, and has held back their journey for a little while. Hoke tells Daisy he needs to use the bathroom on the side of the road, since coloreds cannot use filling station restrooms, but she refuses to let him do so. Hoke lays his foot down that he needs to go and that he's almost 70 years old and doesn't need to be treated like a nobody or a child. Daisy and Hoke make it to Walter's and celebrate the birthday.It is May of 1963. Hoke is paying a visit to Boolie's textile factory. As her walks through, the old textile weaving machines have been replaced by more efficient Saco-Lowell spool machines with fewer workers needing to tend to them. Hoke reveals a wife of Boolie's cousin is trying to hire him and to "name his own salary". Boolie catches on and realizes Hoke is really asking for a raise. He's offered $65 a week, but Hoke asks for $75 and Boolie agrees to it. Hoke is exceptionally pleased and thanks Boolie for it and having been fought for.Soon afterwards, Daisy's longtime cook and housekeeper Idealla dies in her kitchen of a heart attack while shelling peas. She, Hoke, Boolie, and Florine attend the funeral at Idella's Missionary Baptist Church to pay their respects.That night, Daisy is in the kitchen preparing a meal of fried chicken, biscuits, rice, and okra for her and Hoke. Hoke is now helping her out with the household tasks, including setting up a garden, which Daisy previously protested.Sometime in the winter of 1963 or 1964, a rare snow and ice storm is ravaging Atlanta. Daisy's electricity is out in her home, but Hoke comes to work that day anyway and with some coffee from the Krispy Kreme. Her son calls to check on her and surprised at her kind comments about Hoke coming over to help and insults her for it.*About January of 1965, Boolie is awarded Businessman of the Year by the Atlanta Business Council detailing of his grandfather Werthan starting the business on Decatur Rd. and where it is now.*Daisy's car is now a blue 1965 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. She and Hoke have been stuck in traffic. Daisy does not get to go to the Jewish Temple for worship and it's revealed to her the temple was bombed. She does not seem to understand why, but realizes after Hoke tells her a story of a boyhood friend of his whose father was hanged that she is almost as much a victim of racism and prejudice as he is.Boolie pays a visit to Daisy at her home revealing his reluctance to attend the speech of Martin Luther King, despite his admiration for him, because it might hurt his business clientele in the future. He suggests she asks Hoke to go, despite her reluctance.*On January 27, 1965, Daisy attends a speech by Martin Luther King at the Dinkier Plaza Hotel. On the way there, she indirectly offers Hoke to join her, but he is offended at her for doing it at the last minute and that times have not really changed all that much, despite her claim that they are. Instead, she attends the speech alone and Hoke sits in the car listening on the radio. Daisy realizes from the speech that she is probably more guilty of what's happened over the years than the overt racists that have said hateful things and incited violence.It is the fall of 1971. Hoke is now driving Daisy's 1965 Cadillac and her car is now a 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood. By this time, he is in his early 80's and she is 95 years old. He enters her home with his usual morning greeting, but she does not respond at first. Soon afterwards, she comes downstairs still in her nightgown and thinking she's a schoolteacher needing to find graded papers. Suffering from dementia, Hoke calls Boolie to come over to help. After having calmed down and with her mind back in place, Daisy declares Hoke as her best friend and that it's sincere. She takes his hand.Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1973. Hoke is now about 85 years old. His glasses are very thick. His granddaughter Michelle is dropping him off at Daisy's house, which has just been sold. Boolie is now about 60 years old and driving a 1973 Mercedes. He and Hoke have one last visit to the now empty house. Boolie takes him over to the retirement home Daisy is staying at. By this time, she is 97 years old and using a walker. She barely acknowledges their presence at fist, but later insists Hoke stay with her alone. Mostly small talk, but they are enjoying each others company. Hoke gently feeds her pumpkin pie she has not yet eaten and the screen fades to an old automobile of Daisy's driving away. This is possibly the last time they saw each other.*Boolie's award of 1966 Businessman of the year should have been 1965. The speech given by Martin Luther King was on January 27, 1965 at the Dinker Plaza Hotel, but in this movie, it's 1966, which was an error. Also, the Reformed Jewish Temple was bombed in Atlanta on October 12, 1958, but it happened in this movie in 1966, probably as a preceder to the Martin Luther King speech about racism.

Tags: dramatic, boring

Review:
Although it's really more of an extended pair of entwined character portraits--spanning a quarter of a century--it has all of the narrative focus and tightness of a more traditionally structured mystery plot.The character portraits are of Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) and Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman).
At the beginning of the film, we see Miss Daisy, who is already around 60 years old or so, have a driving mishap--she has the car in the wrong gear and runs off of her driveway, almost completely backing over a 10 foot drop to the neighbor's driveway, at about 20 miles an hour.
He has said that that Driving Miss Daisy was semi-biographical about his grandmother and her driver.That fact probably helped create the remarkable depth of character shown in the film, although certainly director Bruce Beresford, Freeman, who also starred in the play, and Tandy do more than their share to build a charming, frequently funny and poignant portrayal of two very different humans learning to see eye to eye.It's significant that Driving Miss Daisy is set in the South and spans the period prior to and slightly after the civil rights movement in the US.
And of course, as a Jew in the South, she is well aware of discrimination and disadvantage, having experienced it first hand.One of the more touching scenes of the film features Hoke and Daisy driving to Alabama to attend her brother's 90th birthday party.
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 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.
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.
Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture of 1989, "Driving Miss Daisy" is about a black man who goes to work as a chauffeur for a stubborn old Jewish woman.
She very deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Miss Daisy, a person who at first is not happy about this man coming into her life but learns to accept it and forms a real special friendship.
Richard Zanuck, one of the producers of "Driving Miss Daisy", said something in March 1990 when accepting the Best Picture Oscar for this movie along with the other producer and real-life wife Lili Fini Zanuck that I completely agree with.
I think the main reason is that I shifted my focus off the irritable old woman (Jessica Tandy) to the long-suffering servant (Morgan Freeman).Once I looked at this story through "Hoke's" eyes, it became an inspiring story.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
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..
The impression left by the film is that director Bruce Beresford had trouble filling out the screen.He does get nice performances from his actors, though, especially Jessica Tandy as the title character, a privileged white woman through whose unique perspective we see the gradual changes wrought by the civil rights movement.
And Dan Aykroyd takes an uncharacteristic stroll through more dramatic terrain as Miss Daisy's son."Driving Miss Daisy" is a pleasant enough movie, but the fact that it won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Picture, more than emphasizing the quality of this particular film, points out the lack of quality of everything else that year.Grade: B.
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.
While Driving Miss Daisy isn't what i call a best picture winner, since there were more deserving movies that came out that year, but the movie shouldn't get hate just for that.The movie is sweet, charming and heartwarming.
Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy were excellent in this movie, as both of them had great chemistry and very entertaining conversations between them.It dose get kind of dull at times and i do wish the films pasting was a bit better, but that's just me.
Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy give great performances along with Dan Aykroyd as a loving son to Miss Daisy.
Jessica Tandy saw in her life such colleagues as Rita Hayworth, Dana Andrews, and Edmond O'Brien among others lose their last few years and careers to the long lingering twilight of Alzheimer's, no doubt she drew from all of them and her own fears that it could happen to her to deliver this performance.Driving Miss Daisy is one of the best films of the last half of the last century and one that will be studied and revived for years to come.
Listening to Hoke relating the stories of growing up a black man in the south was very eye-opening.Daisy (Tandy) was very set in her ways and resisted any change.
If you think modern cars are boring, it is worth viewing this film merely for the pleasure of seeing Miss Daisy's succession of cars - beautiful classic models from the late 1940s to the early 1970s - a time when cars truly deserved the title 'automobile'..
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).
There are no pat endings or oversentimentality here....it ends with a simple, beautiful scene that will linger in the memory for a long time.This is the type of film, if you truly love it, you can watch over and over, and its enjoyment will not diminish.Around this time, other great movies came out that left me  stunned and inspired, like Goodfellas and Dances with Wolves.
This is a gentle portrayal based from the play by Alfred Uhry about twenty and some years friendship among a Jewish old lady (Jessica Tandy married to Hume Cronyn , though Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, and Angela Lansbury all were interested in playing her) and the sweet-natured African-American chauffeur (Morgan Freeman , studio executives also considered a Bette Midler/Eddie Murphy pairing) forced by her son (Dan Aykroyd) to take him .
Unlike some period films that confuse or mix styles and dates together (another Dan Aykroyd film, "My Girl", was a good example of that kind of error), Driving Miss Daisy was carefully constructed to show an accurate account of life in the Atlanta area from the 1940's through the early 1970's, though it would help viewers if they knew a bit about the city (a good example was Miss Daisy's reference to teaching Mayor Hartsfield (who had the airport named after him), or her comment about business along downtown Forsyth Street), and throughout, the film presents an historical aspect of the area that is accurate, but not overdone, in the post-World War II South.On the other hand, today's African-Americans (especially those much younger) might think the frequent "Yes'm" replies made by Hoke to be overdone or even insulting, but, though only 50 years ago, life for a man of his background at that time meant an existence not much more than being a freed slave, especially for those of Hoke's or Idella's generation.Here in Florida during the late 1960's and into the very early 1970's, life wasn't much different than up South, and it was still widely known at that time that a job for an older and uneducated black man or woman usually meant a life as a Gardner or maid - again, employment that often meant having to say "Yes Ma'am" to someone of wealth.If someone is looking for an action film, they will not find it in this story, but, boring, it is not - if they look at it from a human and historical standpoint.Florida2.
However I found this film immencely beautiful showing the growing affection between two people (Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy) coming from such different cultures.
The problem is that the characters are basically a bit one dimensional for us to see anything exciting: Jessica Tandy does irascible for half the movie and then irascible with a heart of gold for the second half, Dan Ackroyd pretty much does exasperated the whole time and Morgan Freeman is mostly reduced to saying `yes suh` to whatever anyone says to him (which is, needless to say, a huge waste of his talents) And the story...well there's nothing wrong with `They don't get on and then they do` type stories but they aren't exactly original and they'd had to be pretty special to be worth a best pic win.
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)Take an intense and flawless performance by Jessica Tandy (80-years-old when the movie was released in 1989) and a charming and slyly witty performance by Morgan Freeman (closing in on his fifties)--she a rich Jewish lady of the South, high-toned, spoiled, stubborn to a fault, he a black illiterate chauffeur, wise, patient and in need of a job--and we have the basis for a profound character study.Adapted for the screen from his Pulitzer Prize winning stage play by Alfred Uhry and directed by Bruce Beresford, who previously gave us the remarkable Aussie classic, Breaker Morant (1980), Driving Miss Daisy is one of those films that is a work of art as well as a sociological discovery.
The dream and the reality are meshing but slowly, as all things do in the Old South, or, for that matter, most anywhere.See this above all for the captivating performances by Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, two of the great actors of our time, and for the touching and bittersweet story by Alfred Uhry.
The genesis of Morgan Freeman, White People's Favourite Black Man. Looking back, it's kind of startling how successful Driving Miss Daisy was, both in terms of awards and public recognition.
It spans a period of time wherein a stubborn lady (Jessica Tandy), set in her ways, grows to depend upon and comes to love her chauffer (Morgan Freeman).
A nice gentle moving about a moving relationship built up between two people from completely different backgrounds in their declining years."Driving Miss Daisy" is a joy to watch with excellent performances (oscar nominations all around), nice soundtrack and excellent direction.Make no mistake.
Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy (in Oscar Winning performance) invoke grace and dignity in this sensitive treatment of race relations and old age.
Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy (in Oscar Winning performance) invoke grace and dignity in this sensitive treatment of race relations and old age.
Most people now enjoy the computer and highly graphic design movies but with Driving Miss Daisy you have just a simple story combined with everyday acting that produced a great movie and Oscar winner.
Great story that is portrayed in the south I believe Georgia with Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman) as a nice old gentlemen who makes his living as a chauffeur then he is one day hired by a wealthy southern man (Dan Aykroyd) to drive his old and extremely stubborn set in her ways mother Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy).
This is a quiet movie that unfolds over many years and chronicles the relationship between an elderly, well-to-do widow, Miss Daisy Werthen (Jessica Tandy), and Hoke (Morgan Freeman), who is hired to be her driver after she's deemed no longer capable of driving herself.
"Driving Miss Daisy" proves to be a beautifully-written and acted little film, based on the Pulitzer-winning play.
It tells of how a chauffeur (Morgan Freeman, in another great role) starts driving for Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy, Oscar-winner for this film) who will not drive anymore after an accident in her driveway.
Hoke helps Daisy come to terms with how the world is changing and how she may just need him around, considering that he is her only best friend in the world.Driving Miss Daisy, how could this film not be in the top 250?
All actors in this movie were great, especially Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman.
Morgan Freeman stars as a chauffeur for Jessica Tandy in this beautifully made film that documents their 25 year friendship.
An old Jewish woman (Jessica Tandy) and her African-American chauffeur (Morgan Freeman) in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.This movie is pretty well known and does not really require a full review.
The movie is great technically, but Jessica Tandy (Oscar winner) and Morgan Freeman's performance were just brilliant.
Dan Aykroyd, as Boolie, often seen as a comedy actor, was just fine in this drama character as well.It's an inspirational story as we could see Daisy changing over the years to the point she states that Hoke was her best friend.
Daisy is played by the late great actress of stage, film, and television, Jessica Tandy who won an Academy Award for this performance and well-deserved even with a standing ovation from the audience in her 80s.
Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman are simply impeccable and Dan Aykroyd may have achieved the best performance of his career with this film.
An amazing film set in the suburbs of Atlanta from the early 1950's to 1970's, it is brilliantly acted with Jessica Tandy portraying the curmudgeonly Daisy and Morgan Freeman her long suffering chauffeur, Hoke.
Personally, I also love the Southern setting and the wonderful cinematography.The story focuses on the developing friendship between the wealthy Jewish, Miss Daisy, and her poor, African American chauffeur, Hoke.
Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy are brilliant actors, and their performance in this movie is truly astounding.
DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989) ***1/2 Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone, Esther Rolle.
Superb adaptation of Alfred Ulhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play (Ulhry also snagged an Oscar for his screenplay) about a stubborn Jewish Southern widow (Tandy, Best Actress) whose age forces her to take in a chauffeur in the form of a black man whose manners only precede his goodness (Freeman), eventually forming a bond of friendship through the years of their unique relationship.
"Driving Miss Daisy" is a slice of life film about an elderly white lady and her relationship with her black servant.
With the talents of Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and a lovely script, you can see why the film did so well and eventually went on to earn the Best Picture Oscar..
Jessica Tandy is Miss Daisy, an aging woman who can no longer drive on her own.
This movie has many wonderful scenes, but the most touching is when "Miss Daisy" finally admits to Hoke that he is her best friend.
Jessica Tandy plays a old Jewish who need a chauffeur, Morgan Freeman plays her black chauffeur and Dan Aykroyd plays her son in the movie.
Anyway, Driving Miss Daisy is a film centering on the relationship between an aging Jewish lady, played by Jessica Tandy, and her black driver, played by Morgan Freeman, appointed to her against her will when she can no longer drive herself.The movie is supposed to cover 25 years and the movie tries to be subtle about its time progression.
The movie really is about driving Miss Daisy and is perhaps a little too subtle for its own good.Now, having said that, Morgan Freeman is awesome as the old southern black man.
Tandy's character, although wants to be seen as progressive, is still an old lady with her own special ways.Driving Miss Daisy is a good well-acted film that can be taken seriously and leaves you with a good feeling, but one could desire that a little bit more happens with the relationships and events.