The funny, touching and totally irresistible story of a working relationship that became a 25-year friendship.
Overview
The story of an old Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and her relationship with her black chauffeur, Hoke. From an initial mere work relationship grew in 25 years a strong friendship between the two very different characters, in a time when those types of relationships were shunned.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.9/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.33/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 81
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Bruce Beresford
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures, Majestic Films International, Allied Filmmakers, The Zanuck Company
Cast
Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone, Esther Rolle, Joann Havrilla, William Hall Jr., Alvin M. Sugarman, Clarice F. Geigerman, Muriel Moore, Sylvia Kaler, Carolyn Gold, Crystal R. Fox, Bob Hannah, Ray McKinnon, Ashley Josey, Jack Rousso, Fred Faser, Indra A. Thomas, Trilby Beresford
Curator Review
Verdict
A gentle, well-acted character study with real warmth, but also a famously cautious, softened approach to race and class that many viewers find frustrating. It’s worth watching for the performances and the long-view friendship at its center, but less so if you want a sharper, more historically alive drama.
Best for
viewers who like restrained, performance-driven dramas
fans of intergenerational friendship stories
people interested in late-20th-century prestige cinema
audiences who don't mind a very classical, low-key style
Skip if
you want a bold or politically incisive film about racism
you’re allergic to sentimental, award-season polish
you prefer movies with strong visual style or formal risk
you’re already skeptical of older Best Picture winners
Overview
Driving Miss Daisy is built around two excellent central performances and a premise that has genuine dramatic potential: a decades-spanning bond between a wealthy white widow and her Black chauffeur in the segregated South. The film is at its best in the small, accumulated moments of irritation, routine, and eventual affection that give the relationship a lived-in shape.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie often feels determined not to disturb anyone. Its treatment of racism is cautious to the point of evasiveness, and the passage of time can feel more summarized than truly observed. What remains is a polished, humane, old-school studio drama that is easy to admire in pieces, even if it rarely feels daring or especially deep.
Bottom line
If you come for Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, there is plenty to appreciate. If you come hoping for a bracing look at the South’s social realities, the film is much more conservative and limited than its subject suggests.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Colin the dude (2.5★) · 1007 likes
One day they'll remake it with Bryce Dallas Howard and John Boyega.
Joe A (1.5★) · 976 likes
Let it sink in that this movie won Best Picture and Do The Right Thing wasn’t even nominated.
David Sims (2★) · 697 likes
this is a real argument against my loose "watch best picture winners I've never seen" project
kayla (2★) · 560 likes
I would have had to strangle Miss Daisy
eely (2.5★) · 503 likes
can’t wait for the sequel: Driving Miss Daisy off a Cliff
1981 · Drama, Romance · 1h 49m · PG · Curator 6.6/10 (60.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Fandor, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
An aging-focused domestic drama that finds warmth and friction in family relationships over time.
For viewers drawn to perseverance and emotional uplift in a polished mainstream drama.
Topics
prestige drama, character study, period piece, interracial friendship, aging and mortality, Southern setting, sentimental tone, class tension, award-winner, classical Hollywood style