Being There (1979)
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A simple-minded gardener is mistaken for a brilliant political pundit after the death of his wealthy employer.
The story
Middle-aged, simple-minded Chance lives in a wealthy old man's townhouse in Washington, D.C., where he has spent his entire life tending the garden. When the elderly man dies, Chance is forced out and wanders into the outside world for the first time. Due to his formal mannerisms and the way he speaks about his garden, he is mistaken by the man's wealthy wife for a sophisticated, highly educated man named 'Chauncey Gardiner.' This misunderstanding leads him into the upper echelons of Washington society, where his simple observations are misinterpreted as profound political wisdom by the elite.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being evicted from his employer's estate in Washington, D.C., Chance, a sheltered gardener, is mistaken for a sophisticated man named 'Chauncey Gardiner' by the wealthy Eve Rand. He is brought to her estate where he meets the dying Ben Rand. Ben, and subsequently the President of the United States, mistake Chance's literal descriptions of gardening for profound political insight. Chance rises to national prominence, appearing on talk shows and becoming a darling of the media. While his identity remains a mystery to the Secret Service, his doctor, Dr. Allenby, begins to suspect the truth. Despite the growing fame, Chance remains oblivious, even during a sexual advance from Eve, where he simply mimics a scene from a television show. Following Ben's death, Chance is hailed as a potential successor to the presidency. The film ends with a surreal sequence where Chance walks across the surface of a lake, while the President is heard quoting Ben: 'Life is a state of mind.'
- First release year
- 1979
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Hal Ashby
- Writers
- Jerzy Kosiński · screenplay; Robert C. Jones · uncredited
- Cast and characters
- Peter Sellers · Chance; Shirley MacLaine · Eve Rand; Melvyn Douglas · Ben Rand; Jack Warden · not specified; Richard Dysart · not specified; Richard Basehart · not specified
- Genres
- satirical comedy-drama; black comedy; political satire
- Themes
- misinterpretation; media influence; identity; politics
- Tone and mood
- satirical; whimsical; biting
- Premise and plot tags
- fish out of water; mistaken identity; political satire
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1970 novel Being There by Jerzy Kosiński
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and established a strong cult following, being praised for its comedy and satire.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 62
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · win; BAFTA Award · Best Screenplay · win; Writers Guild of America Award · Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Screenplay · nomination
- Production trivia
- Burt Lancaster was the first choice for the role of Ben Rand.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2015.; The original ending was filmed but replaced by the director.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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