Review of Being There (1979) by Ken S — 24 Mar 2008

Brilliant. Not only one of the funniest films I've ever seen, but also one of the sharpest. "Being There" is all about perception and to what extent it creates reality. This film was Peter Sellers' last appearance while he was still alive, and I think it's his finest performance. Given his real-life poor reputation, the innocence and sweetness of the character of Chance is even more startling.

Sometimes when a comedic actor takes a dramatic turn, things don't go as well as planned. Sellers is helped immeasurably here by Shirley MacLaine, for she actually provides the bulk of the laughs in the film. Not only is "Being There" a dramatic film about perception, but it's also a comedic film about misunderstandings. If you think of Sellers as the dramatic side, and MacLaine as the comedic side, then I think you can get how the film combines the two threads. Great supporting work from Melvyn Douglas (Oscar winner) and Jack Warden also.

There were many little touches I liked about the film - the funked-up version of the "2001" theme at the beginning was definitely a highlight. Misunderstandings and chance (get it?) are quite common in the film, but rather than play them for simple comedic effect, they are used to make all kinds of social commentaries about race, class, wealth, and so on (the "white man's world" sequence is one of the funniest in the film). I would think that this film had a tremendous influence on the making of "Forrest Gump", but this movie succeeds where that one failed. Obviously "Being There" is a fantastical story with divine undertones (check out that ending). The film never attempts to hide this residence in the fantasy world though, unlike "Gump". Since it's about how our perception can change (and even distort) our reality, then it's only fitting that the ending engages in a small bit of reality distortion. For the record, I thought the ending was absolutely perfect. So were the beginning and the middle. Highest possible recommendation - a masterpiece of comedic, but also profound, film-making.