IMDb > Being There (1979)
Being There
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Being There (1979) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 7 NEW)
Being There (1979) -- One of Peter Sellers finest and final roles as an unassuming gardener who is mistaken for a brilliant philosoper
Being There (1979) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Being There (1979) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Being There (1979) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)
Being There (1979) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   22,833 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Hal Ashby
Writers:
Jerzy Kosinski (novel)
Jerzy Kosinski (screenplay)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Being There on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 December 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Comedy more
Tagline:
Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it! more
Plot:
Chance, a simple gardener, has never left the estate until his employer dies. His simple TV-informed utterances are mistaken for profundity. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(32 articles)
'Mrs. Doubtfire' Dresses In Drag For Today's Sick Day Stash
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 4 November 2009, 1:00 PM, PST)

This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: November 3, 2009
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 3 November 2009, 4:53 AM, PST)

User Comments:
A great work from two great men more (220 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter Sellers ... Chance

Shirley MacLaine ... Eve Rand

Melvyn Douglas ... Benjamin Turnbull 'Ben' Rand

Jack Warden ... President 'Bobby'
Richard Dysart ... Dr. Robert Allenby

Richard Basehart ... Vladimir Skrapinov
Ruth Attaway ... Louise

David Clennon ... Thomas Franklin (as Dave Clennon)
Fran Brill ... Sally Hayes

Denise DuBarry ... Johanna Franklin
Oteil Burbridge ... Lolo
Ravenell Keller III ... Abbaz
Brian Corrigan ... Policeman by White House
Alfredine P. Brown ... Old Woman asked for lunch (as Alfredine Brown)
Donald Jacob ... David
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Chance
more
Runtime:
130 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Netherlands:AL | South Africa:PG | Finland:K-11 (2001: new rating) | Finland:K-12 (before new act of 2001) | France:U | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 (1980) | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Canada:14A | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L
Company:
BSB more

Fun Stuff

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!" more
Goofs:
Continuity: While at dinner for the first evening with Ben and Eve, Chauncey's wine glass fills and empties within seconds. 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]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006) more
Soundtrack:
It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
34 out of 42 people found the following comment useful.
A great work from two great men, 27 January 2005
9/10
Author: I was Edmund Kean from United Kingdom

On the face of it, this was always going to be a cinematic treat. Hal Ashby, who in my opinion had the greatest sense of humour in Hollywood directing Peter Sellers, one of the finest comic actors of all time.

What i didn't expect was an excellent supporting cast with superb performances from Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas and a watertight script from Kosinski. What gave me the biggest pleasure was Ashby's subtle portrayal of his own politics. Sellers' character's rise and rise is set against, in the beginning at least, images of the socially deprived. In most of Ashby's films there is a strong sense of the anti-establishment but what is brilliant in this movie is that Ashby gets inside the establishment to ridicule it and yet at the same time bring across a strong sense of humanity in the richer character's isolation and loneliness.

Politics or not Ashby's perfect pacing bring the best out of Sellers whose film career, Strangelove aside, was hit and miss. This movie is definitely a hit from the most underrated film director Hollywood has ever had the arrogance to forget to miss.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (220 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Being There (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
what's with females under 18? fernandomassuy
Walking On Water, Plot Reversal imdb-16254
Chance's Origins? dekkard8
Bad Boy Chance dist_roy
Cheryl Hines pappasat
Peter Seller's performance was great in this! freemanpeacesurf
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