Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
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79% of critics liked it
(43 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(51,673 ratings)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy affectionately covers the 25-year relationship between a wealthy, strong-willed Southern matron (Jessica Tandy) and her equally indomitable Black chauffeur, Hoke (Morgan Freeman). Both employer and employee are outsiders,… More Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy affectionately covers the 25-year relationship between a wealthy, strong-willed Southern matron (Jessica Tandy) and her equally indomitable Black chauffeur, Hoke (Morgan Freeman). Both employer and employee are outsiders, Hoke because of the color of his skin, Miss Daisy because she is Jewish in a WASP-dominated society. At the same time, Hoke cannot fathom Miss Daisy's cloistered inability to grasp the social changes that are sweeping the South in the 1960s. Nor can Miss Daisy understand why Hoke's "people" are so indignant. It is only when Hoke is retired and Miss Daisy is confined to a home for the elderly that the two fully realize that they've been friends and kindred spirits all along. The supporting cast includes Esther Rolle as Miss Daisy's housekeeper and Dan Aykroyd as Miss Daisy's son, Boolie (reportedly, playwright Uhry based the character upon himself). Driving Miss Daisy won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Best Screenplay (Uhry), and Best Makeup (Manlio Rochetti). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Bruce Beresford
- Written By
- Alfred Uhry
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1989 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
Critic Reviews
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Alfred Uhry's adaptation of his Pulitzer-prizewinning play aspires more to complex observation of human behavior than to simple moralism about it. Precisely because it has its priorities straight, it succeeds superbly on both levels.
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Joseph McBride, Variety
Bruce Beresford's sensitive direction complements Alfred Uhry's skillful adapation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The movie also has something legitimate and instructive to say about the subtlety and intricacy of everyday race relations in the south during the period covered (roughly 1948 to '73).
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, Time Out
Far too cosy to serve as an effective social or political metaphor; better to regard it as a solid ensemble piece.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
There is an exhilarating, singularly theatrical lightness of touch that is often lost when these settings are made manifest in a movie.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Morgan Freeman
as Hoke Colburn
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Jessica Tandy
as Miss Daisy Werthan
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Dan Aykroyd
as Boolie Werthan
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Patti LuPone
as Florine Werthan
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Esther Rolle
as Idella
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Fred Faser
as Insurance Agent
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Crystal R. Fox
as Katie Bell
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Clarice F. Geigerman
as Nonie
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Carolyn Gold
as Neighbor Lady
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William Hall Jr.
as Oscar
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Bob Hannah
as Red Mitchell
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Joann Havrilla
as Miss McClatchey
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Ashley Josey
as Trooper
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Sylvia Kaler
as Beulah
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Ray McKinnon
as Trooper
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Muriel Moore
as Miriam
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Jack Rousso
as Slick
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Alvin M. Sugarman
as Dr. Weil
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Indra A. Thomas
as Soloist
- Morgan J. Freeman
- Patti Lu Pone

