Driving Miss Daisy

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2:10

Driving Miss Daisy

PG

1989

1h 39m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

106 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd), arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman). Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.

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Critics Consensus

While it's fueled in part by outdated stereotypes, Driving Miss Daisy takes audiences on a heartwarming journey with a pair of outstanding actors.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/12/2023

Driving Miss Daisy retains its coziness and its slightness, but it has been filmed eloquently.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

07/26/2022

Mild but pleasing... The movie, passing in time from the fifties through the civil-rights period, lovingly measures the precise shadings of irritation, affection, and dependence that flow back and forth between two characters.

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Bob Fenster

Arizona Republic

07/26/2022

2/4

Is this supposed to represent an achievement of dignity and freedom?... What I saw was an improbable saintlike character persecuted by a cranky, bigoted tyrant who became slightly less cranky but never less condescending with time.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

02/18/2025

3/4

A pleasant piece, but it’s hardly Best Picture material.

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/27/2023

It's hard not to grimace at some of the racial politics in Driving Miss Daisy. Naïve and self-satisfied, the film contrives the emotions rather than earns them.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

11/16/2022

It has been a long time since a film arrived, at once, very modest and rich. [Full review in Spanish]

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rex w

@RT11010153 Feb 2

"Driving Miss Daisy" won't move any mountains, but it is a warm, friendly story about two completely different people who depend on each other in completely different ways.

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Jodi G.

@Jodigirl Jan 29

It’s a very wonderful movie funny at times but also endearing. Wonderful cast. I’ve seen it in my life probably about eight times and I’m 54. Jessica Tandy A++++ Morgan FreemanA++++

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Charles S.

@Coolguy1212 Aug 21

I can see why it won an Oscar in the late 80s. This movie is a lot of fun and it really shows what it is like being black in the 60s. There is some stuff that is a little dated but it still is great movie and if you want to talk to kids about that then this would be a good movie to introduce them too it.

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r96 s

@RT00952237 09/22/2024

Bit of an odd one, though it does end up leaving a mark. 'Driving Miss Daisy' perhaps skirts around the larger picture in regards to the discrimination it alludes to, but all in all it's a charming tale about unlikely friendships. I do like when movies follow characters across an extended amount of time, in this case we see events stretch across 25 years; seeing characters grow and develop as they age is a cool thing. Morgan Freeman is terrific, as is Jessica Tandy. Dan Aykroyd and Esther Rolle play their part too. Hans Zimmer is on music and to be honest (as much as I rate that guy) I'm not convinced the score, which is good, fits particularly well here. By the end it probably does, though at the beginning the in-your-face nature of it feels a bit out of place.

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David C

@Daveco67 09/02/2023

Great performances by all involved. Time has also given me a different perspective to view it's themes. Highly recommend.

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T Scott B

@RT87350019 07/06/2023

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.

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Morgan Freeman

Hoke Colburn

Jessica Tandy

Daisy Werthan

Dan Aykroyd

Boolie Werthan

Patti LuPone

Florine Werthan

Esther Rolle

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13%

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Driving Miss Daisy: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, is determined to maintain her independence. However, when she crashes her car, her son, Boolie (Dan Aykroyd), arranges for her to have a chauffeur, an African-American driver named Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman). Daisy and Hoke's relationship gets off to a rocky start, but they gradually form a close friendship over the years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck
Screenwriter: Alfred Uhry
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $105.6M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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