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Being There (1979) Reviews

Being There (1979)
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Having lived his life as the gardener on a millionaire's estate, Chance (Peter Sellers) knows of the real world only what he has seen on TV. When his benefactor dies, Chance walks aimlessly into the streets of Washington D.C., where he is struck by a car owned by wealthy Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine). Identifying himself, the confused man mutters "Chance...gardener," which Eve takes to be "Chauncey Gardiner." Eve takes him to her home to convalesce, and because Chance is so well-dressed and well-groomed, and because he speaks in such a cultured tone, everyone in her orbit assumes that "Chauncey Gardiner" must be a man of profound intelligence. No matter what he says, it is interpreted as a pearl of wisdom and insight. He rises to the top of Washington society, where his simplistic responses to the most difficult questions (responses usually related to his gardening experience) are highly prized by the town's movers and shakers. In fact, there is serious consideration given to running Chance as a presidential candidate. Both a modern fable and a political satire, Being There was based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski and costars Melvyn Douglas, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Eve's aging power-broker husband. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, (more)
Director(s):
Hal Ashby
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray
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Average Ratings

(62 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

James W.

One of the Great Ones. A real keeper.

Yes   |   No


James K.

truly a classic

Yes   |   No


George W.

It was nice to see Peter Sellers do something different than his Panther persona. He is very touching in this movie as a totally guileless character. My favorite part of the movie is where the character Chance reacts to the death of one of the characters late in the movie. (If you've seen it, you know the one).

Yes   |   No


Deborah R.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, gentle story. The main character is limited in his interactions with the world and sees everything through his focus as a gardener. The people he encounters each use him as a sounding board for their own thinking and come away believing that he's very wise. Mostly he just listens and spends time with them - being there.

Yes   |   No


Michael and Lauren T.

very slow moving, but interesting.

Yes   |   No


Thomas W.

When I saw Forrest Gump, which I enjoyed, I thought it a dumbed down knock-off, to a significant degree, of Being There. They aren't duplicates, by any means, but the thematic similarities are considerable. In my view, Being There is the better movie by a substantial margin.

Yes   |   No


Rafael T.

Just too SLOW 4 me!!!

Yes   |   No


Wayne B.

The movie is very slow moving and the humor is very subtle, mostly related to how a slightly retarded gardener appears a genius when surrounded by captains of industry. Therefore, if your looking for a guffaw then you might want to pass on this flick.

Yes   |   No


Marilyn B.

That was the DUMBEST movie I ever saw. And it wasn't funny.

Yes   |   No


Mel M.

I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it but even more now. Seeing who is currently in the White House, I think this movie was incredibly prohetic!

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Member Reviews
    Read all (62)
     
    James W.

    One of the Great Ones. A real keeper.

    Yes   |   No

     
    James K.

    truly a classic

    Yes   |   No

     
    George W.

    It was nice to see Peter Sellers do something different than his Panther persona. He is very touching in this movie as a totally guileless character. My favorite part of the movie is where the character Chance reacts to the death of one of the characters late in the movie. (If you've seen it, you know the one).

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 62 Reviews
       

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