Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Morgan Freeman plays a righteous caretaker and Jessica Tandy plays a goodhearted and sensitive elder in this heartwarming and magical gem by Alfred Uhry. I had heard about it once or twice, but until I saw the trailer I wasn't "driven" to watch it. Boy, how wrong I was!

It is a beautiful portrait about human emotion, how everyone has their own strengths, weaknesses, needs and hearts. It is filled with delightful humor and silliness, adequate production quality but most importantly a deeper message. It is not a message that is new or hasn't been conveyed before, but Driving Miss Daisy cruises past other attempts to instill such a pacifying and sweet meaning.

My only criticisms are few. I'll start with the erratic time displacement. Years fly by and it is jarring, especially since I wouldn't have minded a much longer run-time that continually shows the ripening bond between the two central characters.

There is a mild focus on (the obvious) racial tension, but I didn't mind it because it cemented the time period and it didn't feel forced. I am glad the film wasn't pinned down by escalating elements in this regard and it was best portrayed on a mild scale.

By the conclusion, I was deeply touched to a definite degree by this picture, far more than from others in recent memory, but had the film been longer and perhaps included more dramatic tension (at least between the two central characters), I would have been even more moved by the picture. Still, a wonderful ending that epitomizes the intimate bond between Miss Daisy and Hoke is fine by my standards. A truly magical experience, with credit to all who helped bring this splendid portrait to life, as it is truly worthy of its acclaim.