Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers (WGA):

Alfred Uhry (screenplay)
Alfred Uhry (play)

Release Date:

26 January 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The comedy that won a Pulitzer Prize

Plot:

An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Elderly | African American | Widow | Chauffeur

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Morgan Freeman	...	Hoke Colburn
Jessica Tandy	...	Daisy Werthan
Dan Aykroyd	...	Boolie Werthan
Patti LuPone	...	Florine Werthan (as Patti Lupone)
Esther Rolle	...	Idella
Joann Havrilla	...	Miss McClatchey
William Hall Jr.	...	Oscar
Alvin M. Sugarman	...	Dr. Weil
Clarice F. Geigerman	...	Nonie
Muriel Moore	...	Miriam
Sylvia Kaler	...	Beulah
Carolyn Gold	...	Neighbor Lady
Crystal R. Fox	...	Katie Bell
Bob Hannah	...	Red Mitchell
Ray McKinnon	...	Trooper #1

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Certification:

Germany:6 | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG (#29912) | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:F (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

822 Lullwater Road, Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Zanuck Company, The

Trivia:

Second of only two Academy Award Best Picture winners to have been adapted for the screen from plays having won the Pulitzer Prize.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hoke is driving Miss Daisy home after the temple bombing, he passes a parked blue and white pickup and nearby black sedan, visible through his window, twice.

Quotes:

Boolie Werthan: What I need is for somebody to drive my mother around
Hoke Colburn: Well, if you don' mind my askin', sir, how come she's not hirin' for herself?
Boolie Werthan: See, it's kind of a delicate situation.
Hoke Colburn: Oh, yessir, yessir... done gone around the bend a little bit. Well, now, that'll happen as they get old...
Boolie Werthan: Oh, no, she's all there. Too-much-there is the problem!
[Hoke laughs]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Cinderella Story (2004)

Soundtrack:

FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW

Oscar Winner For Best Picture Is Hard To Resist

In an era of mega blockbusters, and sci-fi extravaganzas, this little drama is like water in the desert. "Driving Miss Daisy" will appeal to people tired of noisy, mindless over-produced films. The film's plot is very simple: a wealthy Jewish woman and ex-teacher (Jessica Tandy) wrecks her car (for the umpteen time), and his son (Dan Akroyd) decides that it is time for her to have a chauffeur. Unfortunately for the driver (Morgan Freeman), his boss is a high-strung woman, who refuses to give up her independence, making his job more difficult than what it needs to be. Moving, delicate and genteel exploration of bitter rivalry that blossoms into genuine friendship. Race relations is a big part of the story, but one could argue that the movie is mostly about how one soul could impact another. Tandy won the Oscar and she is wonderful, and Freeman is her match; their great chemistry is the key to the film's appeal. It's a sweet, heartwarming film, more complex than what it appears to be at first glance. It's very funny too. Not a great technical achievement but solid entertainment, competently done by great professionals.