David C
Great performances by all involved. Time has also given me a different perspective to view it's themes. Highly recommend.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
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 5/5 Stars •
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 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
06/20/23
Full Review
Leah T
An Elderly Jewish Woman and Her Black Chauffeur:
How Their Tough Love of a Relationship Developed
The film "Driving Miss Daisy" directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, and Dan Aykroyd is truly a story of tough love. I was able to watch the film on Hulu. Although the movie was one hour and thirty-nine minutes long, the story was developed over a twenty-five-year period where the action takes around the time of the Civil Rights Movement. As the story takes twenty-five years to unfold, the audience can get to know the characters and see their personalities develop throughout the film. Miss Daisy Werthan, an elderly, Jewish, retired teacher, lives in the South with her black housekeeper, Idella. Miss Daisy is a very proud Jewish woman who loves to drive her car to go to the Temple or visit her friends. However, one day, Miss Daisy crashed her car into her neighbor's yard and her son Boolie put his foot down and hired Hoke Colburn, a black chauffeur for his mother. Miss Daisy was extremely annoyed with his decision because she felt as if all of her freedom had been taken away from her. As Hoke starts working for Boolie as Miss Daisy's chauffeur, he quickly realizes the resentment she has towards him. This does not stop Hoke from going above and beyond for Miss Daisy and he slowly works his way into becoming one of the most important people in Miss Daisy's life.
The acting in the film was extremely well done. Miss Daisy's character did a wonderful job of keeping the audience on their toes. The audience isn't one hundred percent sure if Miss Daisy is a very prejudiced person because she treats her housekeeper Idella very well, however, she did have her moments with her chauffeur Hoke that made us question the type of person that she was. Her character always kept us guessing and we were never sure what she would do next. For example, there was one moment when she tells her son that they need to fire Hoke because he "stole" a can of salmon that was worth thirty-three cents, and in the next moment, she is teaching Hoke how to read because he was never allowed to learn how to. Miss Daisy was the dynamic character in the film because we see the most change and evolvement as the story goes on from her. Hoke's character was pretty static throughout the film, however, he played a huge role in Miss Daisy's evolution. Hoke was a hardworking gentleman who would do anything for Miss Daisy. He just wanted to do the right thing, make a living for his family, and connect with the people that he worked for. Hoke's character was the glue that held the film together. Boolie and Idella's characters were smaller, yet still extremely important in the film. Boolie insisted on hiring a chauffeur for his mother and always made her proud with his work endeavors. Idella took care of Miss Daisy and has been with the family since she was in the eighth grade. Her character gave the audience a glimmer of hope that Miss Daisy was a good person because of the way she treated Idella.
Bruce Beresford, the director of the film, did a fantastic job of staging the piece effectively. Bruce Beresford was born in Australia and graduated from Sydney University. "Driving Miss Daisy" only took place in a handful of different locations, however, there was no reason to go beyond that. The majority of the film took place in Miss Daisy's home or her car and that is exactly what was needed for the characters to develop a close relationship. This helped with the clearness of the entire narrative because it did not take away from the story itself. There was the perfect amount of characters, the perfect amount of scene changes, and no distractions that would take away from the story.
The period that the film took place in fits perfectly with the characters' personalities and the ways they were treated. Unfortunately, black people were treated very poorly and unfairly during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. This part of our history was portrayed in the film but did not outshine or overshadow the work that was done by the actors themselves. The production designer was Bruno Rubeo and the Production Company was The Zanuck Company.
The movie "Driving Miss Daisy" is a very heartwarming journey that follows two people who do not see eye to eye in the beginning, but end up creating a beautiful, unexpected friendship towards the end of the film. We can see Miss Daisy's walls come down as she opens her heart to Hoke, a black chauffeur who is there whenever she needs him. Hoke not only was Miss Daisy's chauffeur and handyman but by the end of the story, Miss Daisy reveals to him that he is her best friend. The prejudiced thoughts towards black people were diminished in Miss Daisy's mind as her relationship with Hoke flourished. The film was the perfect length and presented the details in a very organized and clear way. I would recommend the film "Driving Miss Daisy" to anyone who wants to watch a movie about friendship and tough love.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
05/14/23
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 5/5 Stars •
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 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
05/02/23
Full Review
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