Being There

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who think this movie is funny and those who do not. They should probably not be friends, and they definitely should not marry each other. The gulf between them is just too immense to be bridged. It is worse than that. Those of us who do not think this movie is funny can barely stand to watch it. The movie consists of one joke, of which there are countless variations. A man who is mentally retarded is mistaken by everyone he meets as being important, wise, clever, funny, romantic, etc., depending on the circumstances. But this one joke is not funny, not even in the first instance. In fact, it is irritating. And it is still worse. Not only are there people out there who think this movie is funny, but many of them also think that it tells us something profound about human nature. But the human nature in this movie has no connection to reality. It is obvious to us from the very beginning that Chance is a simpleton, and that means everyone else in the movie has to be something of a simpleton too not to realize it. And because the movie hits us over the head by having Chance walk on water, I guess we are supposed to discern a spiritual message as well. I hate to think what that message might be.

This movie is on a par with "Night Train to Venice," the worst movie I ever saw, and, I would argue passionately, the worst movie ever made. ("Possession" with Sam Niell and Isabel Adjani comes close, and I adore Neill so you know it has to be bad!) But Being There is a close second. It got such great reviews that I finally saw it, mainly because Peter Sellers was in it, and after forcing myself to sit through it, I thought for a long time about how anyone could call this a good, not to mention great, movie. Sellers sleep-walked through his role and the movie is so pedestrian in every way, it remains one of the all-time movie-related puzzles for me. Every time I see it mentioned I shake my head in disbelief that anyone could still be promoting this flick as worth seeing. Now, Two-Way Stretch, there's a good (and funny) Peter Sellers movie! Being There is such a piece of doo-doo I would wish it only on my worst enemies. Thank GOD I will never have to watch it again! Pee-u! And I kid you not.

This is a pretty famous movie, but I don't agree with any of the reasons why it was so well-received. If you really want to watch it, go ahead. Just know what you're getting into. Reason 1: Peter Sellars gives a tour-de-force performance. I don't agree. Yes, he's usually known for playing hilarious roles, but Being There wasn't his first or only dramatic performance. For a truly great dramatic performance from Sellars, watch Hoffman. In Being There, he gives one dull expression, and it's far from impressive. Reason 2: Melvyn Douglas gives an Academy Award winning performance. Technically, that's true; he won the Oscar in 1980, but I thought it was undeserved. In this movie, he was 78 years old, and unfortunately, his aging process had rendered him unrecognizable. I felt very sad watching his performance; he was very frail. I have great respect for actors who continue working through their old age, but I didn't see a very powerful performance in this case. Reason 3: Shirley MacLaine is dynamite. I love Shirley MacLaine, but I don't even understand why she took this role. Call me old-fashioned, but decades of filmmaking during the Hays Code proved actresses were able to show off every talent without taking their clothes off or doing a sex scene. I've never been impressed by someone's acting talents because of an 'R' rating. I'm not spoiling anything, because this is far from being a critical plot point, but there's a scene in the movie where Shirley MacLaine, well, does herself a favor. I'm convinced one of the only reasons why this movie got any attention at all was because of this scene. Reason 4: The plot is deep and poignant. I don't agree. Being There is about a simple-minded gardener who soaks up and believes what the television shows him. I don't think that's very deep; I think he's just simple-minded. Due to a misunderstanding, the gardener is believed to be a rich, intelligent businessman. People take his simple statements to be very profound, and he influences everyone's lives. Again, I don't think that's deep. It's an obvious mockery, too obvious, in my opinion. Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to a graphic sex scene, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

The original "Forrest Gump" came out in 1979 when Hal Ashby's "Being There" was first released. A quietly brilliant, hilarious, heart-wrenching and heart-warming motion picture that showed how great Peter Sellers (Oscar-nominated) was and how limitless his range was. He stars as a gardener at an old mansion in Washington, D.C. who has never been outside of the owner's small piece of property. When the owner dies, he has to leave the only home he has ever known. Sellers has no knowledge of anything except what he sees on television and he has a strange sort of child-like innocence that endears him to all he comes into contact with. After a minor accident, Sellers is taken to the home of a ridiculously wealthy political lobbyist (Melvyn Douglas in his second Oscar-winning performance) who is literally being kept alive as he has a rare form of cancer. Douglas immediately takes a liking to Sellers and so does his much-younger wife (Shirley MacLaine). Sellers is now in the spotlight though as he gets to meet the president (Jack Warden) and slowly starts to gain popularity and political support from those around him. Of course Sellers does not realize any of this as his understanding of such things are beyond his somewhat limited mental capabilities. A simply brilliant film that is carried by Sellers' amazing personal best performance. Everyone else is adequate, but this is Sellers' show. Douglas won the Oscar mainly due to sympathy votes, but surprisingly Sellers would die before Douglas as he passed away less than six months after receiving his Oscar nod of a massive heart attack. As good as Dustin Hoffman was in "Kramer vs. Kramer", I still wish that Sellers would have won the Oscar for this role which is one of the finest performances ever throughout the entire history of the cinema. 5 stars out of 5.

source: Being There

Trailer—Being There

Being There

An illiterate gardener(Peter Sellars)is forced to leave the grand house he has always lived and worked at when his employer dies. He is driven out into the big wide world which he is ill prepared for, however, when he gets partially run over by a limousine he is taken in by a rich couple who believe him to be an exceptionally intelligent individual. At first I could not understand why this film had got such a high rating on IMDb but after a while I became really engrossed in Peter Sellars character and found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. The story is a little far fetched to say the least but I think that Peter Sellars is outstanding, how he managed to act this character so well is beyond me. I think it will be even better on a second viewing, the only real complaint is that it did drag on for longer than perhaps needed. However, overall this is a really good film, acting is great, editing good and the final scene highly memorable. Go watch!

Like most of Hal Ashby's films, there is a clarity of look and narrative that makes the film immediately compelling. Like Ruth Gordon in "Harold and Maude" Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardner tells us a few truths that stand at the center as well as quite outside the box of our daily lives. Obvious and unique. Contradictions co-existing in perfect harmony. Peter Sellers is superb, without ever betraying the grayness of his existence. It took me a while, I must confess, to settle in. I had seen the Goeffry Rush film about Sellers's life and it implied an effort to take those thoughts and images out of my mind and allow Chancey, without Sellers, to take me away. He did, he took me away completely. What a remarkable piece of acting. A special mention should go to Melvyn Douglas as well. Moving and powerful at the end of a legendary career. Highly recommended.

I was amazed after all those Pink Panther films, what a wonderful actor Peter Sellers was. This allows him to stretch himself. He is Chauncy Gardner, a man suddenly bereft of his existence, out on his own. His simplistic view of the world is based on the television that he watches endlessly when he is not doing his job. There is the wonderful scene where he is mugged and he uses his remote control to try to get rid of the muggers. The script gently moves him into a tremendous position of power he doesn't even understand, and yet it keeps him dignified, not a comic buffoon, as he may have been portrayed today. Even when the chariots come crashing down, he has that gentle soul. What we get with him is the genuine article and since he didn't know to exploit, he can't really be seen as anything but the soulful fellow he is. Excellent portrayal of a character.