Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

There are films that over the years were done so well that they became ingrained in us like Forrest Gump and the countless quotes from that film. I remember one film also became a part of pop culture back in the day, but I never had watched it until now and that is 1989's Driving Miss Daisy. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford (Ladies In Black) and it stars Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption) as Hoke Colburn, an African American in the deep South in the 50's who gets a job as a driver for an old stubborn Jewish woman by the name of Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy). Their relationship is rocky at first, but the film is a journey over the years and how their relationship improves over time. The film also stars Dan Aykroyd (I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry) as Boolie Werthan, Patti LuPone (Summer Of Sam) as Florine Werthan, the late Esther Rolle (How to Make an American Quilt) as Idella, Jo Ann Havrilla (True Blue) as Miss McClatchey, William Hall Jr. (Safety Not Guaranteed) as Oscar, Bob Hannah (Coal Miner's Daughter) as Red Mitchell, Sylvia Kaler as Beulah, Muriel Moore (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) as Miriam, Clarice F. Geigerman as Nonie, and Crystal Fox (In The Heat Of The Night) as Katie Bell.

In 1990, the film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jessica Tandy), Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Alfred Uhry), and Best Makeup (Manlio Rocchetti,  Lynn Barber, and Kevin Haney). The film rightfully won every single one of those awards because Jessica Tandy was masterful in her performance as the very stubborn, but caring woman. It was so good that it was even scary to see the scene in which she doesn't know where she is or the fact that she is not a teacher any longer. The story itself is a fantastic one as it is sort of a coming of age film for Miss Daisy as she learns to be more tolerant and caring for Holk as she realizes the struggles he goes through as an African American male in the south. The make up team deserves a lot of the credit because they do a terrific job transforming all the characters as they get older right before our very eyes like Dan Aykroyd's character. Morgan Freeman was also amazing in my opinion, but I would have to look to see who he lost to that year to understand why he didn't win an Oscar (he lost to Daniel Day Lewis). Nonetheless, if you want to see some great acting, some great cinematography, and see Aykroyd's transformation then give this film a shot because you will not be disappointed. That is why I am going to go ahead and give the film an A for a final grade.