Driving Miss Daisy
This review is a part of the Best Picture Project: a review of every single Academy Award winner for the Best Picture category. Driving Miss Daisy is the sixty second Best Picture winner at the 1989 Academy Awards.
I don't mean much disrespect, but Driving Miss Daisy really doesn't do much for me. It is arguably the most inoffensive Best Picture winner in decades. Even separated from the Academy Awards legacy it leaves, this dramedy by Bruce Beresford is simply a heart warming character study, and that is it. It never dives into its social contexts as much as it believes it does. It swims along the top of the discussion, trying to not bump into anyone along the way. As sweet as Driving Miss Daisy may be, it barely evokes any real conversation. The titular Miss Daisy Werthan is a bigoted elder of wealth, and she is issued a chauffeur by her son once he deems her unfit to drive anymore. Daisy and this driver, Hoke, don't wee eye to eye on all matters, but they slowly grow an affinity for one another.
That is until the film attempts to look at a more pressing matter: the possibility that some bigotry is so deeply rooted, that complete change can sometimes never take place. By then, it's too late. It's a topic that Driving Miss Daisy abandons really quickly, instead pushing the story further and forcing us to wonder "what if?". If you've read many of my reviews, you know I like open ended discussions when done right. Here, it feels more like a filmmaker or writer giving up midway, and not a fleshed-out debate left for audiences to sink their teeth into. "But it sure is a cute film at times!". Well, I'd rather have an actual analysis of the extremities of ever lasting bigoted ignorance in the world, particularly in the historical avenues of America that Driving Miss Daisy tries to explore.
Driving Miss Daisy is centred around the relationship between a chauffeur and a woman of wealth, over many years in American history.
Well, Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman have a definite chemistry between them, whether it be through warmth or squabbling. Otherwise, there really isn't much to Driving Miss Daisy. It's an inoffensive film for anyone to put on and just soak in for a short while. If you are looking for biting commentary, or revelatory subtext, you won't get any of that here. Sure, the pairing here might be endearing to a degree, but that does not save tip-toe story telling. I don't expect every film of social commentary to be edgy or polarizing, but I do feel a bit more of a more commanding effort than this one would suffice. Driving Miss Daisy is heartfelt, but it's far from nuanced.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.