DRIVING MISS DAISY. Directed by Bruce Beresford; written by Alfred Uhry; produced by Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck for Warner Bros. Starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Aykroyd. Rated PG.
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Driving Miss Daisy is one of those "little" movies that really make it big. Its cast is small, almost microscopic by the usual standards, but each member is a winner.
Its story doesn't try to do a lot (although it touches on some weighty issues). The simple narrative is done to a turn, however. The only people who won't like it, in fact, are those who demand a lot of action in their movies. Driving Miss Daisy has very little of that.
The movie's about an elderly white Atlanta woman and her black chauffer. Period. Their relationship is finely textured and beautifully drawn, but there's really nothing else to the movie.
Spanning 25 years, as it does, from the late '40's to the mid-sixties, a lot of fascinating background is taking place in the society and in peoples' attitudes. But those happenings aren't analyzed or even remarked upon in Driving Miss Daisy. They just subtly affect the relationships that make up the story.
Much of the discussion of this movie has centered around the actors, and they are exceptional. Both Freeman's Hoke (the chauffer) and Tandy's Daisy are virtuoso characterizations. You feel you've known them both for years after just a couple of hours in the theater.
However, you expect excellent work from these two. In a way, the real treat of Driving Miss Daisy is Aykroyd, since his terrific performance is such a surprise. An undeniably talented comedian, he's never shown much aptitude for straight acting. Here, however, he more than holds his own with his top-drawer co-stars. He fully deserves his supporting actor Oscar nomination.
As impressive as the cast of the movie is, it doesn't fully account for its success. The production design is exquisite, and the camera work creates lasting images out of the most ordinary, everyday sights.
That this movie is a favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar next month is no surprise.
March 21, 1990