Peter Sellers is often credited as the best comedian of all time, known for his oddball take on classic characters like Inspector Clouseau and the eponymous Dr. Strangelove, but in his penultimate film, his charm is much more subtle. Sellers plays a simple-minded gardener named Chance, who has lived his entire life working within the walls of an elegant Washington manor. All he knows of the world outside of the house comes from the television, and it is of little consequence to him until the man of the house passes away, leaving Chance on the street. The only item he takes with him is the TV remote-control, which he desperately tries to use to change the channels of real life when it becomes all too overwhelming. After a serendipitous encounter with a woman named Eve (Shirley MacLaine) he accepts new persona: Chauncey Gardener. Because of his fine clothing and the way in which he speaks, he is assumed to be a man of great importance- and everything he says is taken as great wisdom. What comes of Chance's unlikely rise to power is a smart satire that despite, or perhaps because of its comic moments, is sweetly fascinating to watch.
There is no doubt that without Sellers, the movie would not have worked. The concept itself (based on the Jerzy Kosinski novel) is relatively simple, almost one-note, but Chance is so sincere that it saves the film from any possible lulls or dead moments. Despite being made over thirty years ago, the political commentary is as relevant as ever when you're in on the joke. Chance may be an idiot, but the true idiots are the people around him who take his elementary thoughts as gospel. In a sense, Being There is the movie that Forrest Gump should have been. It excels in all areas where the latter fails. Chance is not a caricature of mental retardation, he's nuanced and believable while still maintaining an overall sense of comedy about him. Though Harold and Maude may be Hal Ashby's best loved film, Being There is his magnum opus, a well kept secret with surprising profundity.
There is no doubt that without Sellers, the movie would not have worked. The concept itself (based on the Jerzy Kosinski novel) is relatively simple, almost one-note, but Chance is so sincere that it saves the film from any possible lulls or dead moments. Despite being made over thirty years ago, the political commentary is as relevant as ever when you're in on the joke. Chance may be an idiot, but the true idiots are the people around him who take his elementary thoughts as gospel. In a sense, Being There is the movie that Forrest Gump should have been. It excels in all areas where the latter fails. Chance is not a caricature of mental retardation, he's nuanced and believable while still maintaining an overall sense of comedy about him. Though Harold and Maude may be Hal Ashby's best loved film, Being There is his magnum opus, a well kept secret with surprising profundity.