Being There

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Being There

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Being There

Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart

Chance, a simple gardener, has never left the estate until his employer dies. His simple TV-informed utterances are mistaken for profundity.

Id: 10880705

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Being There Recent Reviews
  • sononothing
    November 9, 2009
    sononothing
    Sometimes movies are like a crystal ball. They take a deep, dark look at our future and end up nailing it right to the wall. It always seems to be films about the media that do this. Films from thirty years ago that at the time seem totally ridiculous are now standard fodder for ...( read more)T.V. Guide (which in itself is a parody anymore). Network is the first to come to mind with its over the top obsession with getting ratings at the expense of the people on the tube. Another is the almost unknown sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show called Shock Treatment in which a town is actually a television audience and real people play out the broadcast days entertainment. Those two films sandwich in what should have been Peter Seller's farewell performance (we'll pretend it is) in Being There, a film that is partly about media perception and partly about people hearing what they want to hear.

    Peter Sellers plays Chance, the gardener in a Washington, D.C. home of an old man. Chance has spent his entire life at this house, which leads to the first question: Is he the old man's son? The thing about Chance is that he's rather slow in the head and his entire life revolves around two things: gardening and television. His life can't function without the tube as it plays non stop throughout his day. When the old man dies Chance is unceremoniously thrown out of the home and forced into the streets of Washington for a day that ends with him falling into an accident with the wife of a prominent billionaire (Shirley MacLaine) who brings him home to recuperate. Unintentionally re dubbed as Chauncey Gardner, Chance's simple statements about gardening and non-responses are interpreted by many as financial and political gospel and he begins to ascend a ladder of success by chance (pun intended, of course).

    I think a ton of today's politicians and media people have taken a course from Chance. He says nothing that sounds like something. He has two interests and neither one of them will bring you money or power. Even sex has no business in his world. The film is basically people hearing what they want to hear. We don't want to hear things are bad, we want the good even if it's a bunch of bullshit. Chance is just there for the walk and the ride that he doesn't even know he's on. It doesn't interest him. He even flips the channel on himself because he isn't interested. Maybe he IS the perfect human being since he's not self absorbed and has no ambitions except where to find the next television set.

    The is the cap to Peter Seller's career. Seller's plays Chance in a way that you fear that he's going to fail after finally walking into the world, but he always comes out smelling like a rose. What's striking about Seller's performance is that he doesn't play Chance as a character with something overly wrong. When we first meet him we don't know that he's a bit slow between the ears. We figure it out the longer we get to know him. Seller's performance is rather striking when compared to the two Oscar winning performances that can be compared to Chance during the following fifteen years, Dustin Hoffman for Rainman and Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump. Those guys play it up. Sellers is more subdued and it works. Sadly, he was nominated but did not win an Oscar in 1979 (ironically losing to Dustin Hoffman for the craptastic Kramer vs. Kramer).

    Being There is kind of a lost gem of Sellers' career. You know about Clouseau and Strangelove, but this one just about tops both of those (well, I can't put it over Strangelove). It's a quirky satire that has become standard in the thirty years since its release. The cast is great and it has some fine direction from Hal Ashby, who gives us a little message at the end of the film. It's funny and thought provoking, proving that you can do both at the same time. It's great.
  • SirPant
    September 2, 2009
    SirPant
    This is a subtle satire that needs repeat viewing, not because its complicated to follow but because there are lots of little, sometimes hidden, splashes of symbolism and hidden meaning. It doesn't however, need to be watched more than once to be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciate...( read more)d for what it is, one of the most beautiful films ever made. The cast is fantastic but its Sellers who really steals the show in his greatest, and unfortunately, his last performance. Absolutely brilliant.
  • webalina
    July 5, 2009
    webalina
    Need to see this again. Saw it on pay TV in the early 80s. My tastes and film knowledge have increased DRAMATiCALLY since then. I might feel differently about it now.
  • Godless
    June 27, 2009
    Godless
    The pacing is horrible leaving you to not care at all about the main character. As overrated as the social commentary in a Romero film.
  • RCCLBC
    February 18, 2009
    RCCLBC
    A beautiful film that evolves slowly and lures you gently into the world of it's protagonist. He is aptly named Chance, for his life (it would seem) has relied entirely on chance and his simplistic outlook on life and delightfully droll demeanor seems to have always gotten him t...( read more)hrough.

    While the film is ultimately a satire on life, politics and interpersonal relationships in general, one can not help but admire the warmth and subtle humor with which it is presented.

    Peter Sellers is delightful. I'm a bit embarassed to admit that my LOATHING of the Pink Panther films has kept me from seeing any of his other work. This film has made me want to re-think my opinion of him and see his (non pink panther) work.

    It is a slow, quite film so it may not be for everyone. But I would recommend it to those who (like me) are content with a good solid character study.
  • Dannyrovira
    December 24, 2009
    Dannyrovira
    A deliciously funny masterpiece which contains the late great Peter Sellers finest performance as a simple-minded and child-like man, who has spent his entire adult life gardening and watching television for a elderly gentlemen. when the old men dies he is left homeless and on hi...( read more)s own, he must now face the outside world for the first time. He inadvertently is thought to be a genius when he stumbles into political fame, his bewildered mutterings are interpreted as brilliance and profound wisdom. The film also boasts a marvelous Oscar winning performance from the late veteran actor Melvyn Douglas as a political king maker. Brilliant cinematography by Caleb Deschanel , director Hal Ashby and screenwriter/
    novelist Jerzy Kosinski deserve much acclaim for making this masterwork of satire and comedic subtlety. Being There is a American Classic. Highly Recommended.
  • pastorbeetle
    December 3, 2009
    pastorbeetle
    Sellers last and best performance
  • kshop
    November 23, 2009
    kshop
    strangely funny and unique
  • sabrinagramos
    October 25, 2009
    sabrinagramos
    I find it hard to enjoy movies that keep you in constant discomfort. But Peter Sellers is always great and Shirley MacLaine is genius even while she masturbates on the floor.
  • maurosp
    October 3, 2009
    maurosp
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