Driving Miss Daisy (1989):
What’s It About?: Stubborn Jewish widower Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) loses her driver’s license, and is forced to accept Hoke (Morgan Freeman) as her new chauffeur, whether she wants him or not. But, over time, the two become friends and face a handful of life’s obstacles.
How Good Is It?: Obviously based on a play, it’s overly sentimental, a little amusing, and not actually boring. Practically begging audiences not to like it, Bruce Beresford directs the movie with little flair or energy, and were it not for somehwat fun and quirky performances by Tandy and Freeman, there’d be almost nothing to actually make it worth recommending. It’s not a bad movie, not by any stretch, but it’s so slight that I can’t imagine this being anyone’s favorite movie, which is a little odd for a Best Picture winner.
Was it Best Picture?: Err, no? The competiton, was laced with variety, but not very good variety: The equally sentimental but less fun Dead Poet’s Society, Oliver Stone’s heavy handed but not classic Born on the Fourth of July, Oscar-pandering My Left Foot (which may or may not better, I’ve not seen it) and the more fun, more honest Field of Dreams, which would have been my choice. It’s got to say something that Driving Miss Daisy wasn’t even nominated for director (the first time it had happened in at least half a century), and I can’t think that anybody would say it was the best movie this year. I’m guessing that the Academy voted for their top two, and Driving Miss Daisy was the consistent second-place finisher. But, hey, at least it’s a comedy.
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