Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
1989 was a banner year for movies, and we knew it at the time. Over three decades later, many of the films are considered classics now—but because of this abundance of riches, some obvious choices didn’t make the cut for Academy Award nominations. It’s even more remarkable to consider that a small, unassuming, low-budget film took home top honors. Driving Miss Daisy is based on an off-Broadway play, the only Best Picture to hold that distinction. Playwright Alfred Uhry won a Pulitzer Prize for his effort and later the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay. Uhry wanted to write about prejudice and racial inequality in the South, and he selected his own grandmother Lena Fox and her chauffeur of over 25 years, Will Coleman, to be the central figures in a three-character story. Their complex relationship and contrasting perspectives became the inspiration for Daisy Werthan and Hoke Coleburn.
Morgan Freeman originated the role of Hoke off-Broadway. He was fast making a name for himself in Hollywood, but Dana Ivey, the original Daisy, was too young to be convincing on the big screen without burying her under layers of makeup. In addition, every female star “of a certain age” let it be known they wanted the part, including Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn. Ultimately, an actress known for her theatre work prevailed. She had appeared in movies, such as Hitchcock’s The Birds and 1985’s Cocoon, but was passed over herself, decades earlier, for the role of Blanche Dubois in the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire—a role she created—when all of her castmates from the stage repeated their performances on screen. Jessica Tandy had to wait until Driving Miss Daisy to have her day in the sun.
Producers Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck had trouble finding the third character of Boolie, Daisy’s patient son, who has to strike just the right balance between taking his mother seriously and finding dismissible humor in her antics and behavior. When Dan Aykroyd lobbied for the part and screen-tested for it, he landed the role which garnered him his only Oscar nomination to date. Rounding out the principal cast, Broadway star Patti LuPone (Evita, Gypsy), who had worked with Alfred Uhry in the theatre, was cast as Boolie’s social-climbing wife Florine, and beloved TV star Esther Rolle (Good Times) took the part of Idella, Daisy’s longtime maid. Both ladies give memorable performances in characters new to the film, having only been discussed by the other three characters from the play.
The story spans several decades and uses two racially charged events that took place in Atlanta as key settings: the bombing of a Jewish temple on Peachtree Street in 1958 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, delivered at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967. These historic benchmarks set the stage for the broader themes of ethnic and religious prejudice, educational inequality, and economic disparity, all filtered through the lens of an aging Southern Jewish woman and her Black chauffeur. Driving Miss Daisy is essentially a “buddy picture,” just like Rain Man the year before. They’re both “road movies,” too, but this one is about two vastly different people brought together out of necessity. Hoke needs a job, and Daisy needs a driver. She rejects him outright at first. His presence is a threat to her independence. She no longer has the ability to drive a car safely herself, and she misdirects her frustration and anger at Hoke, who was hired by her son Boolie. Daisy can say anything she likes to Hoke, but she can’t fire him. Hoke works for Boolie, not his cantankerous cargo.
The film walks a tightrope between comedy and drama, and much of its tone is gauged through Boolie’s reactions to the two main characters. As they navigate the changing times, we see Daisy in particular evolve. We witness the hypocrisy in her perceptions of racism and classism. After Hoke finds his own footing with her as an employee, he calls her out on her inconsistencies and shortcomings more than once.
Ultimately, the two central performances give this film its magic. Freeman and Tandy say as much with a glance as they do with dialogue, and it’s a marvel watching them work. I love Freeman’s laugh as Hoke. It’s full of affected Old South flavor and a calming reassurance for his White employers that acts as a magnificent shield of survival. Tandy’s body language is equally powerful when Daisy tries to walk to the store, defiant and determined to maintain her freedom. That gawky, methodic stride inspired composer Hans Zimmer to write his rhythmic, pulsating theme.
In the end, Hoke and Daisy rely on each other, they are better off for having known one another, and this deceptively small film speaks volumes.
Driving Miss Daisy
Director | Bruce Beresford |
Primary Cast | Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone, Esther Rolle |
Familiar Faces | none (no repeat performers from the previous winning films) |
Firsts | First and only Best Picture adapted from an off-Broadway play. At the age of 80, Jessica Tandy is the oldest winner of Best Actress in history. |
Total Wins | 4 (Picture, Actress: Jessica Tandy, Screenplay: Adapted, Makeup) |
Total Nominations | 9 (Picture, Actor: Morgan Freeman, Actress: Jessica Tandy, Supporting Actor: Dan Aykroyd, Screenplay: Adapted, Art Direction, Costume Design, Editing, Makeup) |
Viewing Format | Blu-ray Disc |
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