Historical Dramedy

Old age. Death. Racism. Fried chicken. These are all weighty topics befitting a Pulitzer Prize-winning play (which Driving Miss Daisy is based on). Conflict is the heart of drama, and conflicts abound in the film—between between races, classes, and ideas. But the film tempers the darker themes with its use of humor, making it both comedy and drama.

While Driving Miss Daisy isn't exactly a knee-slapper, the film has its share of gentle humor, provided mostly by Miss Daisy and her reactions to the other characters. The Golden Globe awards divide their categories into Drama and Comedy categories, and Miss Daisy was submitted as a comedy, not as a drama. The film won Best Motion Picture, Comedy that year. (Best Drama was awarded to Tom Cruise's Born on the Fourth of July.)

Usually the Best Comedy does not also win the Best Picture Oscar, but Driving Miss Daisy, along with Shakespeare in Love and Chicago, are notable exceptions.