Being There

Released 1979
Stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A. Dysart
Directed by Hal Ashby
Reviewed June 13, 1998

"Being There" is a satire about style over substance. It's about a gardener named Chance (Peter Sellers), who has spent his entire life tending the garden in a Washington D.C. home. He appears to be in his late forties or early fifties, and he's simple-minded and child-like. He seems to have the mental capacity of a 4 year-old. We learn Chance has never been outside the walls surrounding this small estate's garden, and he has only known two people in his lifetime: "the old man" and the maid, Louise (Ruth Attaway). As the film opens, his benefactor (the old man) has passed away. We learn nothing about their relationship and very little about the old man, but I assume Chance is either his illegitimate son or an orphan he took in. Either way, it appears the old man was a wealthy recluse, and, as the film opens, he has passed away.

Louise tries to explain what has happened to Chance, but he doesn't understand. He's never encountered death before, and all he wants to do is eat breakfast and watch t.v. Television is Chance's life. Everything he knows about the outside world has been learned through t.v. While watching, he tries to learn small details about personal interaction like hand-shaking and verbal expressions. He frequently mimics the actors, and all of this becomes useful when he's later forced into human contact.

Shortly after the old man dies, his lawyers arrive to check the estate before processing the will. They're surprised to find Chance there, and they tell him he must leave. They have no record of him being an employee, and they graciously give him until noon of the next day to leave the house. All of this is heart-breaking without being maudlin. Chance has no money, family, or friends, and he has never been in public before. As he leaves the house, we see the neighborhood has deteriorated into a black slum, and he's very conspicuous. Although he's simple-minded, he doesn't look it. He's dapper and very distinguished looking. The old man would let him have his old clothes, so Chance is dressed in a custom-made suit, hat, black leather gloves, overcoat, etc. He's also well groomed with an impeccable haircut, and all of this is important. His appearance is key to the movie.

While roaming the streets, hungry and confused, Chance is struck by a limousine. Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine) is the passenger, and she insists he come home with her to see her husband's private doctor. During the limousine ride, Chance tries to tell Eve his name. She mistakenly believes his name is Chauncey Gardner, and Chance never corrects her. From this point on, he's known as Chauncey. When we arrive at the Rand estate, we learn Eve's husband, Ben (Melvyn Douglas), is a very wealthy man. The house is enormous, with an elevator, a coterie of servants, a full-time medical staff, and a squad of limousines. The medical staff is for Ben, who is old and dying of a bone marrow disease. Chauncey and Ben meet during dinner, and it's here that the tone of the movie changes to satire.

Everyone judges Chauncey by his appearance, and they project their expectations onto him. He's a quiet man, who speaks slowly and doesn't say much. This makes it easier for people to put words in his mouth and misinterpret what he says. The Rands see him as a businessman, and they treat him as such. After all, he looks like one and has the proper mannerisms. During dinner they misinterpret his comments about his situation, and they believe he's a small businessman who has lost his home and business through foreclosure. They invite him to stay with them until his leg is healed.

Through one misinterpretation after another, Chauncey becomes known as a financial genius and political insider. Of course he's neither, but people read wisdom into his simple, direct statements. They're often taken aback by his strange comments or questions, and they assume he must be either joking with them or offering pithy pearls of wisdom. Chauncey is never duplicitous. All he wants is to watch television and tend a garden, but people can't take this at face value because of his appearance and demeanor.
 
The movie satires television and America. All you have to do is be good on t.v., and you can do anything in this country. If you're interesting but don't say anything that may be held against you later, the sky's the limit. Chauncey is good on television and when dealing with the press because he never gets flustered; he seems completely at peace and unflappable. Of course, he's actually confused much of the time, but people mistake his confusion for confidence and deep thought. It's funny that this film was made in 1979, just one year before Ronald Reagan took office. It was a harbinger for what was coming in the 1980's, and Chauncey and Reagan were more similar than we'd like to admit.

One of the highlights of the film is Melvyn Douglas' performance as a dying billionaire who feels cheated to die so "young" (he looks like he's at least 80). Douglas won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role, and it's easy to see why. Ben is a frail, old man and a business magnate the size of a Rockefeller, and Douglas easily projects the strength and wisdom you would expect from such a man. One strength of the film is they don't ridicule Ben. He's an easy target for satire, but the film is intelligent enough to not do that. Also, although he's frail and dying, we're not asked to feel sympathy for him. Instead, the film makes the statement that it's time for Ben to move onto the next "season." In other words, he should stop the endless medical treatments that are prolonging his life, and he should allow himself to go to that "comfortable room upstairs." Chauncey brings great peace to Ben, and he helps him accept where he's going.

I did have a few criticisms of the film, however. I get the sense the film-makers were surprised at how sad and moving much of the film was, and I think this scared them. I think they were going for a comedy, but mostly they found pathos. I get this feeling from some scenes where they tried to dilute the pain. Take the early scenes when Chauncey is roaming the streets, homeless and confused by everything he encounters. This could be crushing, but they added traveling music to lighten the mood. They wanted to tell us not to worry, these scenes won't last long. They also play outtakes during the credits. The film has a startling ending, which leaves you melancholic (in a good way) and deep in thought. The outtakes are an intrusion that rudely breaks the mood. Again, I think they wanted to distance themselves from being a serious drama and wanted to reiterate that this is a comedy. I don't think it is a comedy, though. It has comedic elements and is satiric, but I wouldn't classify it as a comedy. It's more along the lines of "Forrest Gump."

Overall, this is a very good film. I especially enjoyed the ending, which took me aback, but I think it was a perfect summary of the film. Without giving away any details, I don't believe the film is saying Chauncey is a Christ figure. Instead, I think they're saying Chauncey was a man who could do anything, but everything he did was unintentional.

Reviewed by Bill Alward  Home
 

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