Driving Miss Daisy succeeds because of great performances from Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman and because of Alfred Uhry's excellent script, adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play. The film scores high marks for its cultural details of life in the Southern United States, and the changes that take place over the story's 25 years. The film's major themes touch on universal issues -- growing older, overcoming racial prejudice, and the importance of friendship. While the film won four Oscars, including Best Picture, director Bruce Beresford was shut out of the nominations list. His career went into a severe decline for the next decade, until he delivered a surprise hit in 1999 with Double Jeopardy.