Tandy plays Miss Daisy, a rich, old Jewish woman who is hesitant to accept the fact that she's both rich and old. Freeman plays Hoke, an elderly black man who agrees to work as Miss Daisy's chauffeur. He actually is hired and is paid by Daisy's son after Daisy drives her car into the neighbor's yard and can't get auto insurance any longer. At first, Daisy is stubborn and refuses to allow Hoke to drive her around, but she doesn't want him doing anything else around her house either. He's just stuck sitting around doing nothing and getting paid for it, which for some people might sound nice, but Hoke wants to feel useful. He finally convinces Daisy to allow him to drive her to the Piggly Wiggly for groceries one day and from that day on, the two seem to strike a wonderful friendship that lasts for a quarter of a century.
This is such a fantastic story. It was adapted into a movie from a play. Morgan Freeman played Hoke in the play and reprises his role in the film. Jessica Tandy signed on for the movie version, but wasn't part of the play at all. The film garnered lots of Oscar nominations, including for Best Actress and Best Actor and Best Picture. It won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress. I personally think Morgan Freeman steals the show in this movie. I like Jessica Tandy and think Miss Daisy was a perfect character for her, but Freeman is out-of-this-world awesome as Hoke. I especially love his laugh in the movie. It's completely infectious.
There is also a pretty infectious tune as part of the soundtrack, which was composed by Hans Zimmer. The entire score was done by Zimmer without using a single live instrument, but using electronic samplers and synthesizers! (I found that factoid very interesting for a 1989 movie about two elderly people.)
The movie is wonderful, sad, and touching all rolled into one. The friendship between the two is strengthened due to the prejudice that both face in the South, one as a Jew and the other as an African-American. At one point, the synagogue that Hoke is driving Miss Daisy to is fire-bombed, and at another point during a road trip through Alabama, both are insulted by a highway patrolman. The movie covers a span of 25 years, which includes the death of some characters and, of course, the aging of the rest. The sad part, to me, is the aging of the characters, and the death of some, which is inevitable. On a personal note, in this movie, Jessica Tandy is the spitting image of my grandma, and watching her just grow very old is sad. The touching part though, and one of my favorite aspects of the entire story, (spoiler?) is that the movie doesn't end with their deaths. In a story that begins with people in their 70s and which covers decades, I think it's sensible to think the main characters are going to die, but they don't. And I love that about this movie. It's a much better this way.
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