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• "Driving Miss Daisy" is a masterpiece. posted on 25 Feb 2005

  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.

• old friends posted on 04 Feb 2005

  Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) is an old Jewish widow in 1940's Georgia. She wrecks her car, so her son (Dan Aykroyd) decides to hire her a driver. This is Hoke, played by Morgan Freeman. And that's it for plot. The rest of the film follows the pair through the remaining 25 years of their relationship.It doesn't sound like much but my God what a sweet film. I do not believe it is sentimentally so, either- very late in the film Daisy is still thoughtlessly treating Hoke like a lesser being.Q: What is this movie ABOUT? A: The nature of friendship, and race relations in the mid-20th century South.Film is for perhaps the opening half hour the least pleasant movie I can think of. Tandy character very unpleasant and Freeman character cartoonish. Writing like Variety now.But yes, it is an annoying film to start, and it's startling to think how completely it changes as it goes on, without your really noticing it's changed. It mirrors the relationship it depicts.I thought at first that Daisy's Jewishness was sort of a throw away detail and would not 'have to do' with the film, but I was wrong. Her Jewishness proves indeed to be a key to the character. One of the crucial developments in her friendship with Hoke is when they're both treated like trash by a couple of racist Alabama policemen. Solidarity!This is of course expanded upon when Daisy's synagogue being bombed prompts Hoke to tell her about a lynching he remembers from childhood. We get it, we get it.The film does gradually become more and more overtly about race relations (culminating, I think, with the two friends listening separately, for no good reason separately, to the King speech) yet remains throughout mostly about this friendship.There is that separateness. We wonder why, after so many years, do they eat separately? And our heart aches for them both, and for that time and place.The final scene is perfect. No more separateness.The acting in the film is superb. Morgan Freeman is a fine actor and his performance here reminds me of none of his others I've seen. Jessica Tandy, beautiful at 80, is very good in a very difficult role. She had to play an annoying, mean old woman at the beginning of this picture, and that's thankless, but she did it. Yet when the character revealed 'hidden depths' and her 'essential humanity', Tandy was wonderful. My favorite scenes of hers are during the trip to Alabama, first when she's shamed by the racist policemen, later when she's left in the car alone and, frightened, begins calling for Hoke. Her scenes of dementia at the end are handled skillfully and in them Tandy resists the temptation to go over the top, with the result that when she at last gathers herself and tells Hoke how much he means to her, it makes the movie.

• DVD: A DVD: D posted on 20 Jan 2005

  Driving Miss Daisy A/D 7.7.00 1.33:1/5.1 Previously Viewed Non-Anamorphic Transfer Best PictureThis is one of my favorite pictures and it gets better every time I watch it. It definitely deserves better from DVD though. Its original aspect ratio was 1.85:1, and while I don't know it for fact, I believe the full screen version on this disc is really an unmasked transfer, meaning what you see at the top and bottom was not meant to be shown in the theater. I watched this on my 16:9 set and blew it up to fill the screen. Not once did I observe a chopped off head or a frame that didn't look right. Unfortunately, picture quality was poor, especially for such a beautiful movie. Hopefully someone will transfer this Oscar winner properly in the correct aspect ratio and enhance it for the big screen.

• Only those with dull minds would find this boring. posted on 17 Jan 2005

  Only those with dull minds would find this boring. A truly perfect movie, in my opinion. I never saw the stage production, but I can't believe it could have been better. I believe the movie was perfectly cast, as well, even though I adore Dana Ivey, who originated the role of Daisy Werthan. By the way, I can see a day far in the future when Morgan Freeman will win an Oscar for a small supporting role in an otherwise forgettable movie. That Oscar will be the reward for movies like this one.

• Driving Miss Crazy posted on 18 Nov 2004

  This movie was Driving Me's Crazy. This movie dragged on longer than any other movie I have ever seen. With the exception of School Daze and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If I had to rank my least favorite movies of all time, it would be:1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 2. School Daze 3. Driving Miss Daisy 4. Lorenzo's Oil 5. Fried Green TomatoesAnd then if I had to rank my top movies of all time, it would have to be:1. Saved By the Bell -- Hawaiian Style (best movie in the history of the world) 2. Rocky I 3. Rocky II 4. Rocky III 5. Ernest Saves Christmas

• Several good performances just about save it from being rather trite and sentimental posted on 06 Nov 2004

  When elderly Jewish woman Daisy Werthan drives her car through the hedge, her son bans her from driving. Daisy is stubborn and insists on walking – even when Boolie hires black Hoke Colburn to drive her around. After some time of ignoring Hoke, Daisy finally starts riding in the back of the car and gradually settles into the routine. Despite a very frosty approach from Daisy, Hoke treats her with respect but also honesty. Over their 25 years together the two see many things change in America while their relationship develops past employee/employer.I have not seen this film since 1989 when it came out and was greeted with endless praise in the manner that all these sort of things are (worthy pictures). Watching it now, it must be said that it comes across as overly sentimental and far too glossy and idealistic to really stand up as a political message film or even anything more than a daytime TV semi-weepy. The plot takes huge leaps over the 25 year period it tries to cover and in some regards it doesn't totally manage to convince me of the time passing. The interactions between the two keep it all interesting but, as a piece of symbolism it just doesn't work any deeper than the surface. The sentimental gloss runs right through the film and the only thing that prevents it from being a daytime TV special is the cast.Tandy won an Oscar for her performance and, although I don't buy that, I still thought she was pretty good. She allows herself to be made fun of and cleverly puts her character's prejudices across while still convincing herself that she doesn't have any. Considering her material she does pretty well. Freeman is much better because his performance is right on the wire and it would have been easy for him to slip and ruin it. At times I thought he had lost it and had slipped into a black stereotype that brought Jar-Jar to mind, but he always held it together and give him character to overcome the possible cliché he could have been – not easy to do but Freeman does it.Aykroyd breaks through into straighter material with his performance here and he is good even if he has only a few scenes spread over the film. The rest of the support is good but the film it totally Tandy and Freeman's and they really do it well – managing to lift the material above the sentimental level that it could easily have settled at.Overall this is not a great film and certainly doesn't deserve the fame and reputation that the Oscar glory and the 'worthy' material have given it over time. The sentimental script and plotting is rather superficial and not as deep as it should have been, while the film skims over the years like a flat stone on a lake. Only the strong performances and easy chemistry between Tandy and Freeman saves the film from just being nothing more than a daytime TV soap.

• What acting SHOULD be all about posted on 05 Aug 2004

  Calling all acting students. This is how it's done. Watch Morgan Freeman and the incredible Jessica Tandy give a master class. And Dan Ackroyd, usually associated with comedy is just wonderful. But it is Freeman and Tandy who take the ball and run with it, giving us a film with no flaws. Bruce Beresford, director, had a big hand in this. He never gets maudlin and understands this script completely. Even if you're a hardcore fan of efx films with lots of murders and car chases, don't rip yourself off by not seeing this film. This is what it's all about, folks.

• Definitely in my personal top 15 posted on 02 Aug 2004

  This is an absorbing, memorable, and deeply moving film. It truly deserved the Best Picture of 1989. It is one of those great movies where you really feel as if you had spent time with these realistic, amusing, and ultimately human characters. I felt as if I had spent 30 or so years with Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, watching their friendship slowly blossom and mature, as well as seeing society change too. The soft-looking cinematography, the gentle, well-known Hans Zimmer score, a splendid stage-adapted screenplay, a wonderful portrayal by Morgan Freeman: all blend together for a marvelous film. The last shot (or dissolve)of the film still gets me every time, as it did the first. 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. It was an excellent period of movies for me!

• Well-done story of a relationship ... posted on 07 May 2004

  Well-done story of a relationship between an elderly rich woman and her chauffeur. Tandy does a remarkable transformation between sprite elderly woman to an elderly woman who can't take care of herself and is relegated to a nursing home. This movie is more about the growth of the main players relationship despite the racial turmoil that is around them. This element is only hinted at which really makes the movie about them rather than the era & setting.

• Smart, human, based on people's loyalty. posted on 29 Jan 2004

  I'm very glad I discovered such a treasure as this movie. Everything about it is classical. Actors added more charm to the story. Such a smart movie - teaching how to be a PERSON and appreciate another PERSON. Sad and beautiful in the end.

• Characterization at Its Best posted on 28 Oct 2003

  I have seen this movie so many times and there are five or six scenes that make it fresher all the time. There is the sparring that takes place between Daisy and Hoke as they first meet. Hoke's persistence and effort.
  The parallels developed between the elderly Jewish lady and the black man as they face their plights. The scene when they are picked up by the Alabama Highway Patrol. The scene when Daisy begins to lose her mind.All these more dramatic scenes, however, are overshadowed by a beautiful interaction between two of the best actors we have been blessed to see.
  There is such subtlety in their portrayals, so much that we can sense though we do not see. They don't hesitate to bring in prejudice, even when Hoke or Daisy have their own. One of the most interesting parts of the film is that it takes place over a fairly long period of time, but the characters are relatively old, even in the beginning. This must have made some demands on the director. Because despite their ages, they have the same growth, the same development of awareness, as they might have, had the movie began when they were in their twenties. Someone said this was like a soap opera. This is about race and religion, civil rights, vicious prejudice, and grace. There is none of this in soap operas. This is a very good movie.

• "Driving Miss Daisy" is truly a must see movie for all age groups! posted on 18 Jun 2003

  Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy are brilliant actors, and their performance in this movie is truly astounding. But "Morgan" is my all-time favorite actor. I was a child watching him on "The Electric Company", and I loved him then. I've seen most of his acting work, and all of his performances are great. If Morgan Freeman is in it, I'm watching it! He is bound to win an Academy Award for Best Actor soon--I'm sure of it.So-o-o-o sorry for getting off track and back to this movie. "Driving Miss Daisy" moved me emotionally and intellectually. I have seen this movie at least a dozen times. It is one of the most treasured in my movie collection. Every time I've seen it, I've cried, laughed, pondered, questioned, etc...my motive(s) in most of my relationships. I've had in-depth discussions with family and friends on how to better our relationships. And many of those helpful suggestions/hints came from seeing "Driving Miss Daisy".My grown-up children and I have seen it together. I plan to show it to my grandchildren and hopefully to my great grandchildren. I want my family to know the importance of true friendship. This movie shows that a relationship between any two people can break all boundaries--race, sex, religion, etc. I recommend this movie to all.

• Truly impressive film posted on 13 May 2003

  "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. Though Miss Daisy does not take an immediate liking to Freeman and does not want to have to be driven around, the two begin to grow closer together and become more friendly over the years. There are just so many great little scenes that really make this film what it is. My personal favorite scene involves Miss Daisy teaching Freeman to spell so he can find a grave site she is looking for. The interactions between the two of them are brilliant here and the scene is made entirely believable by their great acting. The scene in which Miss Daisy, as she is getting older, starts to lose her memory and thinks she is still a teacher, as she was in her younger years, truly tugs at the heartstrings, but is perfectly done and is another one of the film's best scenes. Perhaps not the Best Picture of 1989 for me, and it does tend to be a little slow at times, but it is truly a worthwhile film, and a must-see for just about any movie lover. A new classic.*** out of ****

• A Masterpiece in Cinema posted on 28 Apr 2003

  This films is a Masterpiece in the true sense of the word. Jessica Tandy's portrayal of an elderly Jewish Southern woman is genuine and subdued. Morgan Freeman remains underplayed and that is the key to his perfect performance as the black southern houseboy. His empathy for his "Misstress" of the house is warm and charming. This one can be seen over and over again. I give it a 10.

• built on mutual respect posted on 29 Mar 2003

  no fast paced action in this one anywhere, and the tension is brief when they get lost (because of the mother's insistence on holding the road map) on the trip out of state and run into racist troopers.BUT it is a heartwarming rendition of an unusual but genuine relation built on slow burning mutual respect and dignity given an accepted by both lead characters.at some point it is no longer about race or the stereotypes of that time, it is a rare friendship between 2 people who after 20 years find they have some things in common.I became a very big fan of Morgan Freeman after watching this film which I have seen 3 or 4 times. I wish more of his other stuff came close to this.trivia: Jessica Tandy's husband Hume Croynan and Dan Akroyd are Canadian.

• ..what a team Miss Daisy and Hoke are.. posted on 20 Mar 2003

  Everyone whom submitted a comment about this movie, that I've read, screeched how much they love it, but it doesn't get a nine from the voters ?? Maybe I should have gone to the end of the commentaries to find some who didn't? That's amazing to me......how can such a jewel of genuine friendship this movie depicts get such a low voter-rating? Why is everyone so astounded that "Hoke" became to mean so much to Miss Daisy? He was a male "mammy" - No matter what part of the USA you're from, if you didn't know someone like him - male-female, black-white, brown-yellow - then you missed-out on a big part of life. With such wonderful roles to play, any skilled actor/actress can put their hearts into them - but, I defy any others to trump Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. These two had a "natural" for these roles - Jessica a fabulous actress still into her old age and Freeman giving a performance he'd never done. I'm a Southerner - the scenery was like looking out my window at home. One of the most touching scenes in this movie was not Tandy's "mad" scene, but when "Hoke" shows-up with coffee-donuts during a snow-storm.......that's where the friendship really became cemented, and the scene in the cemetery. If you hadn't cried buckets by that time, you are truly not aware how sweet life can be, even with the extremities of "Miss Daisy's" and "Hoke's" lives. People who let their wealth define their humanity are such shallow people - it takes folk like "Hoke" to define and SHOW that humanity comes even to the lowest class - and what a nasty, uncharacteristic statement that is from me. Those other people in this movie just let us have a comparison to bounce-off those two genuine characters. Bravo to everyone who had a part in making this timeless film - I'm giving it 20-of-10......

• One of the best movies of all-time. It proves and shows that you should value the simple things in life that being friendship. Great performances from Freeman and Tandy need I say more! posted on 11 Mar 2003

  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). At first the relationship has struggles but day by day bit by bit both hearts are touched forming into a great friendship. Believe me I know that friendship is important it is what we do for others that gives us good feelings for a lifetime remember lend a helping hand and do to others as they do to you. I must say that the Morgan Freeman character is close to my heart he reminds me of some special people I know two people that remind me of the Freeman character as a matter of fact. The world would be a much better place if everyone was as good as my two friends and Hoke Colburn. So please watch this classic and enjoy the simple lesson of that living a lifetime of helping and caring brings friendship that last forever.

• Beautiful Movie with Fantastic Acting posted on 01 Jan 2003

  Driving Miss Dasiy has to be one of the most touching and beautiful movies off all. Jessica Tandy really shines in this movie with the performance of her lifetime. She really puts everything that she has got into this role and shows just how much she has learned about acting through her career. Morgan Freeman is amazing with a performance that makes you love him. He is just so sweet and charming yet witty in his performance. This movie shows a lot about a friendship that blossoms over the years between two people who are totally different yet the same. This is no doubt one of the most heartwarming and enjoyable movies I have ever seen in my life.

• The 25 Year Bond Between An Incorrigible Southern Lady and Her Chauffeur. posted on 23 Dec 2002

  [CONTAINS SPOILERS] One morning, Miss Daisy Werthan decided to drive herself to the store. She climbed into her car, threw it into reverse and accidentally backed it into the neighbor's yard. Her son Boolie had it towed out. Boolie was concerned about his mother and wanted to get her help, but Daisy was incorrigible! Boolie runs the Werthan Cotton factory in town. A man named Hoke Colburn came to see him one afternoon and after getting an elevator unstuck, Boolie and Hoke talked. Hoke is a chauffeur and Boolie wanted to hire him to drive his mother around. He knew she wouldn't like that idea but he gave it a shot. Hoke tried to prove himself by dusting the light bulbs and do gardening but Daisy simply shunned him. Then one afternoon she walked to the store even though Hoke offered to drive her. She walked to the trolley stop with Hoke following her in the car. She finally allowed him to drive her there. Along the way, she gave him a hard time about his driving but finally they make it. He also drives her to church services and she becomes angry with him for waiting out front because she was embarrassed at having a chauffeur. The two then go to the cemetery where Daisy's late husband was buried. She told Hoke to place some flowers on the Bauer grave, but Hoke said he couldn't read so Daisy helped him. She also gave him a beginners' book at Christmas even though she declared it wasn't a Christmas present. Even though they continued to bicker, a friendship was beginning to form between Hoke and Daisy. Some years went by and Boolie bought Daisy a new car. He gave the old one to Hoke. Daisy was packing for her trip to Mobile, Alabama to celebrate her brother Walter's 90th birthday so when Hoke arrives, they hit the road. As soon as they enter Alabama, Hoke says it's the first time in his life that he's left Georgia. Along the way they meet with two bigoted cops and make a wrong turn so they have to go back but had to pull over because Hoke had to "make water". Daisy was worried about being left in the car alone at night, but they finally make it to Walter's. Some more years go by and Daisy, Hoke and Boolie age some. Boolie's factory now has machines that replace the hand-workers. It was also on that day that Daisy's housekeeper, Idella, passed away so Hoke dropped by often to keep Daisy company. Daisy got yet another new car and one morning she and Hoke were driving to the temple when Hoke learned from a cop that somebody had bombed it. One evening, Daisy was going to attend a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King and had invited Hoke and Boolie, however Boolie didn't wish to attend because his associates may think less of him. Daisy waits and asks Hoke when they're in the car and he declines so he waits in the car. And then, a few years later, Hoke came by to see Daisy who was in her 90's and quite geriatric. Quite sad really. She told Hoke that he was her best friend. And pretty soon, her house was sold and she moved into a retirement home and Hoke became too old to drive so he and Boolie went to visit a much older Daisy in the home where the two were still good friends. A pretty good film. Jessica Tandy was superb. Her role won her an Academy Award! Morgan Freeman was great also and this was a break through role for Dan Aykroyd. He's usually in comedies but his character was quite likable in this movie. Don't let the video box throw you, Driving Miss Daisy isn't really a comedy. It does have funny parts like when Hoke and Daisy quarrel in the car and Aykroyd has some witty one-liners but this film is mostly a drama telling the tale of an unlikely friendship from 1948 to 1973. Also appearing in this film were Patti LuPone and Esther Rolle who is sadly no longer with us. She plaid Florida on the TV hits Maude and Good Times. Also, sadly, Jessica Tandy is no longer with us. She passed away in 1994 but we'll always remember her for her fantastic roles in movies like this. She starred with fellow veteran actor and husband Hume Cronyn in memorable films like Cocoon and Batteries Not Included! In conclusion, if you're a fan of the Alfred Uhry play and are a fan of Tandy or Freeman, I recommend Driving Miss Daisy! Won four 1989 Academy Awards for picture, actress (Tandy), adaptation screenplay and make-up!! -

• Driving Miss Daisy posted on 11 Dec 2002

  An interesting story showing an example of high or rich living. Basically Miss Daisy Werthan (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Jessica Tandy) in her son's opinion needs a new driver and house cleaner. When she gets him, she is not very satisfied and refuses to let Hoke Colburn (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Morgan Freeman) help her with anything, besides driving. Her son, Boolie (Oscar nominated Dan Aykroyd) still keeps Hoke anyway. He just keeps driving her, and secretly or purposely doing housework, e.g. cleaning lamps. As the time goes by in the film "Miss Daisy" discovers how helpful and nice Hoke is. Jessica Tandy is interesting in this film, but it is Morgan Freeman that steals the show. It won the Oscars for Best Makeup, Best Writing and Best Picture, and it was nominated Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing, it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Direction for Bruce Beresford, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. Morgan Freeman was number 27 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and the film was number 77 on 100 Years, 100 Cheers. Very good!