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Driving Miss Daisy

Play trailer 2:10 Poster for Driving Miss Daisy PG Released Dec 13, 1989 1h 39m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd), arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman). Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.
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Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy

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Critics Consensus

While it's fueled in part by outdated stereotypes, Driving Miss Daisy takes audiences on a heartwarming journey with a pair of outstanding actors.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker Driving Miss Daisy retains its coziness and its slightness, but it has been filmed eloquently. Sep 12, 2023 Full Review David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture Mild but pleasing... The movie, passing in time from the fifties through the civil-rights period, lovingly measures the precise shadings of irritation, affection, and dependence that flow back and forth between two characters. Jul 26, 2022 Full Review Bob Fenster Arizona Republic Is this supposed to represent an achievement of dignity and freedom?... What I saw was an improbable saintlike character persecuted by a cranky, bigoted tyrant who became slightly less cranky but never less condescending with time. Rated: 2/4 Jul 26, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A pleasant piece, but it’s hardly Best Picture material. Rated: 3/4 Feb 18, 2025 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily It's hard not to grimace at some of the racial politics in Driving Miss Daisy. Naïve and self-satisfied, the film contrives the emotions rather than earns them. Jun 27, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) It has been a long time since a film arrived, at once, very modest and rich. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 16, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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r96 s Bit of an odd one, though it does end up leaving a mark. 'Driving Miss Daisy' perhaps skirts around the larger picture in regards to the discrimination it alludes to, but all in all it's a charming tale about unlikely friendships. I do like when movies follow characters across an extended amount of time, in this case we see events stretch across 25 years; seeing characters grow and develop as they age is a cool thing. Morgan Freeman is terrific, as is Jessica Tandy. Dan Aykroyd and Esther Rolle play their part too. Hans Zimmer is on music and to be honest (as much as I rate that guy) I'm not convinced the score, which is good, fits particularly well here. By the end it probably does, though at the beginning the in-your-face nature of it feels a bit out of place. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review David C Great performances by all involved. Time has also given me a different perspective to view it's themes. Highly recommend. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/02/23 Full Review T Scott B The response of some to this charming movie...amazing. It does a marvelous job of catching the day, sorry it does not conform to the views of today, completely misses the point. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/23 Full Review Bryan H Driving Miss Daisy is the greatest movie of all time. Thank you. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/20/23 Full Review Alexis L Driving Miss Daisy is a notable film that grasped the viewers' attention by having two different people of different races end up needing each other. Driving Miss Daisy is a classic that people should watch if they haven't seen it before. It's about a white elderly lady who is very independent and has her freedom until her son hires an African American driver. At first, she insisted that it didn't happen, but she ended up allowing it and wasn't very friendly towards him; by the end, both people of different races had become best friends. This film was produced in 1989 by Bruce Beresford. You can find it on many streaming apps, i.e., HULU, HBO Max, YouTube, and others. It has an excellent run time that's not too long or too short, an hour and forty minutes. There were a few actors and actresses throughout this play, but the main two were Miss Daisy, played by Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman, who played the role of Hoke. These two characters were the white elderly lady and the African American driver. They did a phenomenal job with their roles. Jessica Tandy did the part of a wealthy Jewish white lady thoroughly. She seemed as if it was who she was, not that she was playing a role of some sort. As for Hoke, he also put on a tremendous act; I don't know their social class. But these two acted as if it was expected; it was not forced into a role that they were unsure about. It was again as if it was everyday life for them. ­Even Boogie, the son of Miss Daisy, played by Dan Aykroyd, played his role very well. Changing personalities into your character can sometimes be difficult, and I believe everyone has no problem with their role. The acting was spot-on, and the directing was just as superior. The stages that were used fit the scene and the year ideally. There should have been more filmed scenes of Miss Daisy and Hoke in the car together, getting more of an understanding of the relationship. Although even without that extra driving scene, the way we were able to follow their relationship from start to finish was exceptional from the first opening scene of Miss Daisy crashing her car, wanting her freedom, and not being driven around. In the end, she didn't mind having Hoke go with her and keep her company. There was a lot of growth between them, and the creativity that played a role in this directing was immense. Bruce Beresford did an exceptional job with his direction of this film, especially since this is an older film. It is a very well-put-together film for something that was filmed in 1989. To me, it is as if the movie could have been filmed in these last few years since it was so well done. The design of it all was perfect; I believe it fits with the film that was scripted. It was done extraordinarily effectively and efficiently to get specific points across. For instance, Miss Daisy's house was big to show that she had money, but it was always dark inside to show that she was alone without her husband and groggy some days. I would add that the production design did a very lovely job having the lighting change when they were to get in the car since Miss Daisy would become more happy or especially when someone had bombed the temple, and it was raining out. Showing that specific designs can show us or lead us in a particular direction with what Overall this movie is fantastic; the way they incorporated segregation without having it kill the entire mood of the film was superb. Having Miss Daisy be a rich white Jewish woman who didn't want any help and Hoke being a black man who just wanted to offer service laid out a perfect story to tell. The next generation of kids should watch this movie; I know I will show it to my kids; it shows what segregation was without it taking to the extreme level we have seen before. We all know that back then, blacks and whites were not equal, and this shows that while also breaking that barrier and showing us that, at the end of the day, we are all human beings that need each other no matter the skin color. It is a remarkable story of how Miss Daisy started all independent and not interested in much, but by the end, she needed Hoke and loved to have him around to keep her company. The movie had two completely different people meet, and at first, it was a little rough, but by the end, they couldn't imagine life without each other. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/14/23 Full Review Farah R Anchored by two phenomenal performances from Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, Driving Miss Daisy is one heartwarming, emotional ride. They breathe life into their characters and make their unlikely friendship effortlessly believable. There's also much to appreciate in the cinematography, makeup, production design, and Hans Zimmer's beautiful score. It's easy to see why it garnered a slew of Academy Award nominations and even snatched a few wins. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd), arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman). Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.
Director
Bruce Beresford
Producer
Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck
Screenwriter
Alfred Uhry
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 13, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$105.6M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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