Miss Daisy und ihr Chauffeur (1989)

Miss Daisy und ihr Chauffeur: Directed by Bruce Beresford. With Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd, Patti LuPone. An old Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the American South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years.

“Looking for a great, in-yer-face fast-moving action THRILLER? Driving Miss Daisy ainu0026#39;t it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLooking for a great MOVIE? Youu0026#39;re in the right place.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Driving Miss Daisyu0026quot; charts the subtly-shifting relationship between u0026quot;Miss Daisy,u0026quot; a very reluctantly aging Jewish lady whou0026#39;s no longer able to drive for herself, and her new (and, as you can expect, rather unwelcome!) driver — a not-terribly-young-himself Black guy (or African-American guy, whichever you prefer) named Hoke.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBear in mind this is the Deep South of the 1950u0026#39;s and 60u0026#39;s weu0026#39;re talking about here, and the racial attitudes and prejudices of that time make for fascinating background — as does the whole general culture, which I believe was well portrayed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe directors frankly took on some delicate racial subject matter here (and certainly the racial divide in those days was very deep indeed) — but they handled it with remarkable skill. I think they succeeded so well because they brought you into the lives of people as people, not just as cardboard stereotypes. Long before the movie is over, you find yourself really caring about the two main characters — Daisy and Hoke.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a movie about life, relationships, and people. You see some good things — and also some very human weaknesses, not the least of which is sheer stubborn pride.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI personally was a child of the deep South, and I appreciate movies such as this one and Jessica Tandyu0026#39;s other wonderful movie Fried Green Tomatoes (which is in some ways very similar) which give us a glimpse into the culture of those days. There are definitely things we can learn from the past, and there are also things we can learn from watching how people change over the course of their lives.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSeveral moments from this movie stand out, some of which are funny, some sobering, and some of which are particularly moving:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe scene involving Dr. Martin Luther King.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe unashamedly bigoted comments of a 50u0026#39;s or 60u0026#39;s police officer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enA great scene involving Hoke and Miss Daisyu0026#39;s businessman son.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAn incredible scene in which Jessica Tandy portrays the aging Miss Daisy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enAnd, perhaps most of all, what Miss Daisy says to Hoke towards the end of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNow personally, I love action movies so well that I was initially reluctant even to watch this one. This is not a movie of action, but it IS a movie of substance and beauty, mixed with some funny moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe acting is great, the script and directing are beautifully done, and the substance, humor and beauty are such that overall, I consider u0026quot;Driving Miss Daisy,u0026quot; one of the best movies Iu0026#39;ve ever seen.”