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Being There (1979)

PG  130 min  -  Drama | Comedy   -  19 December 1979 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 29,972 users  
Reviews: 247 user | 63 critic

Chance, a simple gardener, has never left the estate until his employer dies. His simple TV-informed utterances are mistaken for profundity.

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writers:

Jerzy Kosinski (novel), Jerzy Kosinski (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
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Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 10 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Sellers ...
Shirley MacLaine ...
Melvyn Douglas ...
Benjamin Rand
Jack Warden ...
President 'Bobby'
Richard Dysart Richard Dysart ...
Richard Basehart ...
Vladimir Skrapinov
Ruth Attaway Ruth Attaway ...
Louise
David Clennon ...
Thomas Franklin (as Dave Clennon)
Fran Brill Fran Brill ...
Sally Hayes
Denise DuBarry ...
Johanna Franklin
Oteil Burbridge Oteil Burbridge ...
Lolo
Ravenell Keller III Ravenell Keller III ...
Abbaz
Brian Corrigan Brian Corrigan ...
Policeman by White House
Alfredine P. Brown Alfredine P. Brown ...
Old Woman asked for lunch (as Alfredine Brown)
Don Jacob Don Jacob ...
David (as Donald Jacob)
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Storyline

A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television. After a run in with a limousine, he ends up a guest of a woman (Eve) and her husband Ben, an influential but sickly businessman. Now called Chauncey Gardner, Chance becomes friend and confidante to Ben, and an unlikely political insider. Written by Scott Renshaw <as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Gardener | Washington D.C. | Political | Businessman | Television  | See more »

Taglines:

Life is a state of mind. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Comedy

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | Italian

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Chance See more »

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA See more »

Box Office

Gross:

$30,177,511 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Every contract that Peter Sellers signs includes a clause which stipulates that his accommodation must have the bed facing East-West. Chance says: "I like to sleep with my head facing North". The attorney he's with says "But this bed is facing west!" See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When Eve enters Chance's room as he is eating breakfast in bed, the napkin beneath his chin changes position back and forth between shots. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Chance the Gardener: Good morning, Louise.
Louise: He's dead, Chance. The old man's dead.
Chance the Gardener: I see.
[Chance goes back to watching TV]
See more »

Crazy Credits

Under the end titles of the theatrical release are outtakes of Peter Sellers as Chance recounting the encounter with Abbaz. Sellers breaks character and laughs during each attempt. The lines do not appear in the movie. Certain versions of the film have credits with white text on a black background without the outtakes. See more »

Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) See more »

Soundtracks

"Symphony N°6 in F Major (opus 68)"
known as "The Pastoral Symphony"
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
(1808) See more »