Review of Being There (1979) by John J — 28 Dec 2010

Just saw this movie for the very first time and I can't believe I never saw it or even heard about it before. It's a dark comedy that came out way back in 1979 starring Peter Sellers. It was his very last film and his performance was one that many critics felt was worthy of an Oscar for Best Actor. Melvyn Douglas actually picked up his second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this film.

Peter Sellers was brilliant but I think it was especially due to having such an outstanding screenplay. It's a classic fish-out-of-water story about a middle-aged, almost retarded man who grew up on the estate of a very rich, old man. Sellers (aka "Chance" or "Chauncey") was the gardener who learned everything he knows about the world from watching TV. He also never set foot outside of the estate until one day, the rich, old man dies unexpectedly.

Chance is forced to leave the estate in search of work, food, and shelter and quickly discovers the real world isn't quite like the one he's been watching on television. But despite his naivety, he just seems to have a knack for meeting and clicking with very rich and powerful individuals who have no idea that Chance has the IQ of a six-year-old. They just assume he's really eccentric and find themselves hanging off his every word.

Even though the movie is more of a dramedy, I still I found myself LOL through most of it. I will also say it had one of the most unique and profound endings I've seen in any film for quite some time.