Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant and haunting.....
Review: This film is like none I have ever seen before. In the past, when I thought of Peter Sellers (who plays lead character "Chance the Gardener"), my mind automatically went to Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther series. I thought of the bumbling, clumsy and silly detective in hot persuit of the pink panther jewel. What a terrific change of pace! I really got a sense of Peter Sellers' depth as an actor in this brilliant film. Sellers, Melvyn Douglas, and Shirley Maclaine were all strong leads in this story, along with a great supporting cast. BEING THERE tells the story of Chance, the Gardener, a simple man who spends his entire life gardening in the backyard of his boss' house, until one day the old man passes away. When a couple of journalists come around to find out more about the former master of the house, Chance is the only one there. The house must close, and for the first time the man must make strides into the big, wide world. This world is like nothing he could have ever imagined outside of the house where he worked. One thing that keeps him tranquil and holds his attention is the television. As Chance says, "I like to watch." (this line is misinterpreted a few times during the course of the movie.) By chance, Chance meets up with Shirley Maclaine the wife of an elderly billionaire. This is just the beginning of an intriguing series of events where Chance--renamed Chauncey Gardner--the simple man who speaks of plants and their growth (the only real knowledge he has about the world) becomes central as wise sage in one of the most intriguing political ventures. This film has moments of laugh-out-loud comedy, and serious elements as well. (The final scene is chilling.....that is all I am going to say......)
Check it out if you are in the mood for something completely different. In the words of Chauncy, this is definitely a film "I like to watch."
Rating:
Summary: Two movies in one!
Review: This is really two different movies. Most viewers will watch the DVD up until the credits start, hit the Stop and Eject buttons and will have seen one, admittedly excellent, story. BUT... those lucky few who tend to watch the credits to the end...will get a mind-snapping shock! For there's one additional scene burried in the credits, a scene that changes the entire meaning of the movie - and will send you back to chapter 1 to watch the entire film all over again. And you will then see the SECOND story. It was THIS movie that has led me to sit in theaters until the end of the credits ever since!
Rating:
Summary: Being There In The Time
Review:
Chauncey Gardner was the role of a lifetime for Peter Sellers. He first read the book, wrote the author and said "I'll meet you in the garden" and left his phone number. Years later after much effort the movie was made. Chauncey was Peter Sellers, there is no doubt.
Chauncey was what we would call a mentally disabled man. He grew up a sheltered man in Washington, DC, and his life revolved around his gardening and television. What Chauncey knew of life came from that televison, and wherever Chauncey went was a remote control. When the owner of the home he lived in died, Chauncey was left out in the cold and walking the streets of Washington. He tried to control his life with his remote control-pointing it at a mugger to rid himself of this scene. A chance auto accident and Chauncey is now in the mansion of one of the wealthiest men in Washington, Melvyn Douglas. Who by the way won an Oscar for this performance. He is brought to this mansion by this man's wife, Eve played by Shirley McLain. The mansion was the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina, and quite a place it is
Life changes for Chauncey. His innocence and simplicity is taken for extreme intelligence and foresight. The President comes to call. and he is so taken with Chauncey's remarks comparing life, finance and government to gardening that he mentions his name on a televisions address. The populace being what we are believed everything that Chauncey says is true because everyone in Washington believes it is true. Chauncey is wanted for interviews by all of the television stations and newspapers. Chauncey tells them he does not read newspapers or write he watches television. Everyone is struck by this man's ability to reveal his inner self. Even, Eve loves Chauncey, and when she wants to become romantic, he tells her he likes to watch. Eve performs for him and she certainly enjoys it, but Chauncey is enjoying his television. Chauncey becomes a household name, although he is quite oblivious to this as his life centers around what television show he will watch from day to day. The lesson to be learned is that nothing is as it seems. We all need to listen to our own voices and not become part of the gaggle that follows and believes everything said by our celebrities and politicians. Peter Sellers died soon after this role and never lived to reap the rewards of this stellar performance. However, we are left with this marvelous movie and a small piece of history. Highly recommended. prisrob
Rating: 
Summary: Myshkin
Review: The novel and thus the movie are retellings of Dostoevsky's Idiot. Chance, like Prince Myshkin, is an innocent pre-Fall human and Christ-like figure. The ending delineates this beautifully. Good film; brilliant ending.
Rating:
Summary: Peter Sellers was one of a kind.
Review: If "Dr. Strangelove" was a Peter Sellers showcase for his wide-ranging talents as both an actor and comedian, then his performance in "Being There" is a magnificent contrast of reserved genius. The rest of the cast in this film ranges from good to passable, but Peter Sellers is the reason to own this strangely captivating film. He plays a feeble-minded gardener whose only experience in the outside world has been through watching hours of television. His elderly guardian dies and he is then cast out into the "real" world with only his clothing, his umbrella and hat...and his channel-changer. He begins a surreal journey that eventually leads him to another wealthy, elderly gentleman who eventually considers Chauncy Gardner (Peter Sellers) a good friend and confidant. This wealthy gentleman has links to the Presidency, as well, and what follows is pure political satire. Chauncy is considered a thoughtful political analyst, often unwittingly comparing the government to a garden in wintertime, and is thereby thrust into the limelight as a potential candidate for the Presidency. The satire is intelligent and well-written, Peter Sellers carrying the film with an under-stated performance that garnered him yet another Oscar-nomination. It is remarkable how many different characters Peter Sellers has portrayed. His work in "Being There" is superb and the political satire laced throughout the script is dead-on. The final scene is one of those moments that makes you re-evaluate everything you just saw; that perhaps "life is a state of mind" after all. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Solving the world problems
Review: The movie's underlying statement is that all the world's problems could be solved simply. That there is season and a purpose under heaven, and no matter how hard and complicated we try to make things around us, basically, it is very simple. Peter Sellers, as "Chauncy", is often described as dimwitted and retarded. However, I disagree, he is merely reflecting how seeing things in respect to one's expercience in life, we can draw our own answers. The other characters in the movie merely expand on his point of view, drawing their own answers as well. The billionaire, the President, the Ambassdor of Russia, men of great education, power and knowledge, however, so caught up in their own inherent selfish interest. They fail to realize how things could be resolved by just showing a genuine interest in your fellow human being. Basic things in live: food , shelter and a sense of purpose. Now what is wrong with that? We should all be gardeners...........
Rating:
Summary: A simpleton likely becomes president....hmmm
Review: It is an amazing movie because it grows in stature with repeated viewings. Not too many films have this capability. The genius Peter Sellers is spot-on perfect and the rest of the cast is also quite up to the task.
This is a different kind of comedy than the standard Hollywood fare. It is really best described as a satire, and it would make an excellent double feature with Chayefsky's "Network", which, like "Being There", seems even more relevant and prophetic now than it did in the time of it's initial release.
Regardless though, if you want to see something with a lot more grace than the usual garbage coming out of Hollywood's film studios/trash bins then check this one out.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle, enigmatic and highly entertaining...
Review: Seeing this film for the first time, 25 years on from its original release, two things really hit home. Firstly it's very good - the acting and direction are excellent, it's funny, it's a clever story, and it makes you think. All pretty good credentials for any film. Secondly - and here's where its true brilliance lies - its underlying message hasn't dated at all and, if anything, is more relevant and effective than it was when it was made.
And the message itself? Superficially, it's an exploration of how, in a world dominated by the fleeting demands of mass media, someone with absolutely no knowledge at all can become a megastar and, once established as such, can demand respect and gain power far beyond their capabilities. And, beneath that... well, that's where the fun starts. Is it an exploration of the shallowness of western society? Is it a study of people's weaknesses & needs? Is it a religious allegory? Is it, in terms of most of the characters, a huge tragedy? Is it all or none of these?
The ending, which generates much debate about its "meaning" - is he walking on water in a messianic way or is he simply so stupid that he doesn't realise he's walking, by accident, on a submerged jetty? - is quite brilliant as are the final "over the titles" cuts of Sellers being unable to deliver his deadpan lines without laughing at them, leaving you with the uncomfortable feeling that the "joke" might be on you in trying to read too much into what's on offer here. In the end, of course, it's what you want it to be and that's the whole point of the story - we make people, situations and films themselves into what we want them to be not what they necessarily are. Subtle, enigmatic and, above all, highly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Comic Genius
Review: After seeing this movie, I realized why my father got such a kick out of his talent. This movie's story line is one of a kind and the film will get you thinking about the meaning of life and how people(sophists as Christ would call them) make their lives far too complicated. In the film we learn about how the simple things are the most important part of life. Sellers' character in the movie is a true child of God.
It's a picture full of high level comedy and deep messages. :)
Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"
Rating:
Summary: Just Brilliant
Review: I just saw this film for the first time and I was amazed at the brilliance of it. Not only is it funny to see a man try use his remote when being threatened with a knife, and have a man with the education of a 3 year old be supported for president, but the story in and of itself is inspired. All Chance knows is how to garden and what he sees on T.V. It is amazing to see how a simple man can affect the lives of so many people without even trying. It is a brilliant satire that really makes you think.
Also Peter Sellers is at his best in this movie truly worthy of his Oscar nod.
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