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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 23078
Released: April 3, 2001 |
| Our Price: $15.97 |
| Used Price: $7.75 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Based on Jerzy Kosinski's satirical novel about an illiterate gardener who has lived his entire life behind the walls of a Washington, D.C., house, his only knowledge of the world coming from the TV programs he watches. When his employer and protector dies, he is catapulted into the fast lane of political power.
Description of Being There:
Thanks to an extraordinary, delicately balanced performance by Peter Sellers, Being There received mixed reviews during its theatrical release in 1979, but has since become a celebrated comedy with a loyal following. It's one of the most unusual black comedies ever made, simply because it stretches a simple premise over 130 minutes of straight-faced, strangely compelling commentary on politics, media, and celebrity in media-savvy America. Adapted by Jerzy Kozinsky from his own novel, the movie's about a simple-minded, middle-aged gardener who, after a lifetime of seclusion and safety in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, gets his first exposure to reality beyond the walls of his sheltered existence. His only reference to the world is through his childlike addiction to television, and when a chance encounter brings him into the inner fold of a dying billionaire (Melvyn Douglas), he suddenly finds himself the toast of Washington's political elite. His simple phrases about gardening are misinterpreted as anything from economic predictions to sage political advice, and under the sharp direction of Hal Ashby, Sellers has the audacity to take this comedic conceit to its logical extreme. Being There is not for all tastes--especially not for those who don't appreciate comedic subtlety. But as a showcase for the daring genius of Peter Sellers, this is a classic movie in a category all its own. --Jeff Shannon
Being There Reviews:
Being There 
2009-10-23 - I had seen the movie years ago and wanted to see it again. I enjoyed it.
Watch this movie to understand Obama mania 
2009-10-19 - I luved this movie. After watching this movie I understand Obama mania around the world. Particularly the fascination of Obama by the Europeans.
Peter Sellers portrayed the Obama character so well...It was uncanny.
All Obama fans need to rent and watch this flick.
Amazing!
What an interesting view of life
2009-10-16 - This movie is about a captivating gentleman who is unburdened by the stress of everyday life. He leads a very sheltered life and suddenly is thrust out into the real world. Very amazing how his life turns around.
This is a great, timeless classic.
Beautiful and Thoughtful
2009-07-12 - BEING THERE is a wonderful film; simple, quiet, and extremely though provoking. One of Peter Sellers' final and, perhaps, best performance, the role of Chance the gardener is a huge departure from the typical, over-the-top, slapstick comedic roles for which he is so well known and loved. An amazing mixture of political satire, social commentary, and Biblical metaphor, BEING THERE is strangely prophetic and very relevant to our own current political drama.
In BEING THERE, we meet Chance the Gardener (Peter Sellers), a mentally handicapped man who has learned everything he knows from TV and has had no other interaction with the outside world. Chance appears to have been born in the garden, and has never been outsides its walls. When his employer, the Old Man, dies, Chance is thrown into the real world. Chance's initial interactions with the outside world are very innocent, simplistic, and very literal. When the wife (Shirley MacLaine) of a wealthy power broker (Melvyn Douglas) accidently hits Chance with her car, he finds himself hanging out with the rich and famous. To Chance, these are just people, people whose kindnesses and words he takes at face value. Yet these people believe that Chance is great man and a great scholar; they believe that his simple observations about plants are rich metaphors for life, business, and politics. Chance becomes a valued and well known advisor to the rich and famous, to the country, and to the world.
While Peter Sellers is always fun, in BEING THERE the humor is more muted and subtle. BEING THERE is a successful mockery of political conceit and the effects of seeing what you want to see. The character of Chance is a mirror; the people who go to him for advice see what they want to see - what they NEED to see - whether the subject is political, business, or just plain life. To me, BEING THERE is a new, updated version of the old fable The Emperor's New Clothes.
Peter Sellers is outstanding in this, his penultimate role. His performance is subtle, calm, and nuanced to near perfection. He makes you want to laugh, to cry, and to just plain hope. Shirley MacLaine as a woman looking for love and Melvyn Douglas as her dying, powerful husband are both superb. In fact the entire cast does a marvelous job.
As previously stated, BEING THERE is thoughtful, understated film, brilliant in its simplicity. The finale of the film is a subject of much debate, but like Chance, himself, I think the ending is what you want it to be. However, if you take the metaphors of the Old Man, the Garden, etc, to their natural conclusion, the meaning of the ending is quite clear. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Being There is a Classic
2009-05-14 - Excellent! Peter Sellers is funnier than you know what. Great acting with lots of deadpan humor and play on words/metaphors! This DVD is even more entertaining with its "outtake" clips of him totally cracking up while trying to say certain lines with a straight face.
