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Summary: The Essence is in the End
Review: I think this is one of the top movies that I have ever seen, and I didn't realize it until I saw the ending. At that point, the whole theme of the movie is realized: Is Chance walking on water? Some people in the movie thought he did--they built him up so much with with the ideals that they wished to see in him, so it would seem unbelievable if, by the end, he couldn't walk on water. If you thought that Chance, of all people, could walk on water, you must be deluding yourself.
Rating:
Summary: I'd LIKE to GIVE IT 6 STARS
Review: What more can I say? Pure comedic genius!
Rating:
Summary: "...a state of mind"
Review: This is an amazing movie, one that works on many levels.The story: a simple-minded gardener named Chauncy (Sellers) is turned out into the world after his master dies. This particular gardener, however, has never ventured outside the four walls of the estate and only knows the world through what he sees on TV. What follows is a series of serendipitous adventures reminiscent of Forrest Gump. Chauncy sees the world in a child-like way, greets everyone with a smile and unknowingly speaks in gardening metaphors that are interpreted as high wisdom -- even by the President of the United States. This is Sellers' finest role, revealing more depth and skill than any other role of his I can think of. Although the movie seems long at times (a few scenes could have been cut to give it a quicker pace), it unfolds in a most endearing way. The ending of this movie is one you'll never, ever forget. I can still hear the voiceover ("Life...is a state of mind") underscoring Chauncy's stroll to the pond. I love watching the faces of people who see that scene for the first time. I've seen this movie a dozen times and find something new in it each time. I'm glad it's finally out on DVD, although I would have preferred a widescreen format. Despite an occasional slowness of pace, and the lack of a widescreen version, I highly recommend this movie. You may not look at the world in the same way again after seeing it.
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Summary: Examines the difficulty of Confusion and Complete Honesty
Review: Like so many well-done movies, this movie can be interpreted and can impact upon you on several levels. The story about a man raised from birth inside a townhouse and its enclosed garden learns nothing about the world aside from the television is suddenly, as a middle-aged man, thrust into the world. The brutal honesty with which Chance (Peter Sellers) regards everything takes the rest of the world completely unawares. Something appears to a few of those he comes into contact with to be not quite right about him. To others, he appears to be a possessor of deep knowledge and they read into his words and actions, finding their own conclusions about what he says or does. An excellent video commentary about how modern society deals with life and the assumptions that seem to be carried by everyone, it nevertheless provides plenty of comedic delight and occasional headshaking amazement at the way people react to Chance. The end of the movie leaves you with a somewhat spiritual grin and prompts you to re-examine what you had concluded about the movie to that point. People will take away different views from it, but it has a powerful effect regardless. A five-star movie, Peter Sellers does a fantastic, masterful job. Buy it, rent it, share it with your friends, keep it for yourself. It's definitely a worthy movie.
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Summary: One of the all-time best
Review: I love this movie (even with Shirley MacLaine). Peter Sellers is at the top of his game as the gardener turned political adviser/philosopher/lover.
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Summary: One of the best!!!!!!!
Review: This movie treats the subject of being there, a retard is leftalone on this world, using his extensive t.v knowledge he is able toout smart and befriend people of high social status.It is a movie thatdelivers it's comedy in all the right places with right timing andgreat social comments on the modern age...
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most brilliant movies of all time!
Review: Peter Sellers sure picked a winner as he starred in the last movie of his career. "Being There" follows the story of an honest simpleton who leaves his sheltered private garden to enter the intimidating and confusing world of Washington D.C. He accidentally stumbles into the lives of a powerful senator and his lonely socialite wife (Shirley McClain). From there, his simple ways are misinterpreted as political brilliancy and he's pimped out by the puppetmaster senators into the media--a new possible candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Shirley McClain is also amazing as a frustrated woman who turns to Peter Sellers for comfort and ends up "self-fulfilled" thanks to his obsession with television. The ending of this movie must be seen to be believed. I highly recommend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Good humour... Way too long
Review: Peter Sellers stars in this smart black comedy that reflects how easily people are influenced by the media in today's world. Sellers is top notch with his role as the silent, innocent gardner who had led a sheltered life in his employers estate until one fateful day he died. Sellers is thrown onto the street and eventually becomes good friends with America's well-to-do. All in all, some good laughs, smart remarks and a fair supporting cast. The length takes some points off, unfortunatly.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Satire - Incredible Acting from Peter Sellers
Review: This film came out in 1979 and seems to get better every year. It is the bizarre story of a blank slate of a gardner who literally has never been outside of the walls of a single house until he is in his 40s or 50s. The entire view of this man comes from watching television. The basic story is quite simple. As Chance the gardner is forced to leave the house he has lived in as a child, he is hit by a limosine transporting the wife of a dying plutocrat. Taken to the home of the plutocrat, he eventually meets the rich and powerful of the land (the president included)and is taken to be an oracle of wisdom with his simple statements about gardening and the television he has watched. It is a great satire that just keeps getting better as we rely more and more on soundbites for our information. The best part of the film is Peter Sellers who plays this absolutely blank, innocent, and slow-witted person with complete aplomb. I remember an interview with Sellers when the movie came out, and he said it was a real struggle to develop an accent that had no roots at all -- a perfect blend of voices heard on television. He plays the movie absolutely straight, the comedy being how people react so seriously to his child-like comments. For example, in a television interview about the economy, people take his comments that "there is always growth in the spring" to mean an end to a recession when he is simply talking about his garden. This is a unique film with lots and lots of subtle humor (no slapstick ala Clouseau). There are some very funny moments as people react to Peter Sellers, but the humor always comes back to how we choose to see the world. There is no deception of the part of the character of the gardner -- it is everybody else who plays the fool here. This is a definitely a movie to own and to watch over and over. I know some people who have found it a bit slow, in that very little really happens -- it is almost a comedy of manners. It is a great memorial to Peter Sellers from one of his very last movies.
Rating:
Summary: Being There: The George W. Bush Story
Review: With amazing foresight, Peter Sellers captures the essence of President-elect George W. Bush's ascendency through the Texas governership to the Presidency. The potrayal of the simple-minded but likeable Chauncy Gardner reminds us that being at the right place at the right time, backed by gobs of oil money, and can result in the snookering of an entire nation.
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