Being There
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Movie Reviews of Being There
Movie Review: Peter at his best, give the oscar to Sellers not Hanks
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw Being There I was all of 10 years old, and for some reason, I loved it. And yet I could never exactly say why. Several years latter while looking for another movie, I happen accross this video and read the review. Chance Gardner played charmingly by Peter Sellers, ( I think that is what the revierwer wrote) stumbles his way into the upcrest where he is mistaken for someone with deep knowledge of the world. Other reviews point out this movie is cynical characterization of self absorbed people in politics and media. As a kid I didn't get that, and now on further reflection what I liked about this movie was how these people where drawn to Chances innocense. In some ways Forrest Gump tried to attempt to tell this story line, but only manages to rehash old sterotypes. Being There depicts in clever, but through real characters whose veil of politness covers a cynasim they have of their world and their own power. But for a kid and maybe why it has a cult following is because the heart of the show, whats addicting about is no matter how self absorbed we become, our best nature is drawn to a simple life, absent of complications. After watching the movie again, the dark comedy is more apparent, but I am happy to say that in the "Life and death of Peter Sellers", Sellers himself interpreted the character as I thought of it when I was kid. Gardner is a man who is sublimely content with no past and no future, and therefore no worries. As a kid I kind of new that as innocense. So if you rent this movie don't just see it as a black comedy, but also see it how a kid might, and for that matter how Peter Sellers saw it.Movie Review: Thought provoking
Summary: 5 Stars
I know a lot of moviegoers are expecting a plot that spells out what to think, lots of obvious subplots, and special effects. If you want obvious comedy, this isn't the movie for you. I think from reading all the different reviews you can see how many way's this movie can be interpreted, and that's what's so good about it. I think every one of us can relate to different aspects of this movie, where the simplistic is made into so much more than it is. Simple words are interpreted into something more complex by people who aren't accepting to simplicity. So if you want a thought provoking movie, where you won't get the deeper meaning without some thought about the plot, then you're going to think this is the best Peter Sellers movie ever made, as I do. If you want a movie that's in your face, tells you everything you should be thinkiing, and is obvious in every way, you're probably going to hate this movie. I know one review mentions Obamamania, but I think it relates to any type of mania where the superficial surface is all that you see. If you're from my era it's the philsophical quotes of John Lennon, not so much what he says, but the fact that he said it, so it must be important. So as it points out in the film description, this isn't slapstick comedy as in The Pink Panther, but more along the lines of The Mouse That Roared. The meaning behind the film is more important to the enjoyment of it, rather than rolling over laughing, as in a lot of Peter Sellers films. If you want to think, you'll love this film, but if Star Wars, speaking of accepting the absurd, is your cup of tea, don't waste your time.Movie Review: Sellers Finest Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
It's unfortunate that this film and not "The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu" was Peter Sellers' final film because "Being There" would have been a fitting valedictory for a brilliant yet uneven film career. "Dr. Strangelove" may have been Sellers' finest film but his work here as Chance the gardener is his most challenging role. I've seen this film a number of times over the years and the most common perception of Chance is that he is a stupid man. Upon further viewing I'm not so sure that Chance is unintelligent but a man sheltered from life's harsh realities and forcefed an alternate reality of banal television. I think Sellers understood this distinction and from that he taps into the pathos of Chance and gains the audience's sympathy. I used to take a harsh view of Chance's wealthy patron's, the Rands(Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas) as ignorant dupes. On further review these are lonely people whose high station in life has isolated them from the larger society from all but the sycophants and yes-men. So what if Chance's banal allusions to gardening is misinterpreted as something profound? If their interpretation brings joy to their otherwise depressing lives then so be it. I also do not take as harsh a view of the public at large who like the Rands have also misinterpreted Chance's non-profundities. From my understanding the intention of author Jerzy Kosinski was to satirize the television generation and that Kosinski was a bit contemptuous of Chance. In my opinion the film, if it does not so much embrace innocence, it does yearn for it even if television is the culprit.Movie Review: Sellers plays himself in an incredible performance
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie isn't exactly an authentic replica of the Jerzy Kozinski book from which it was made...but it IS an incredible film in its own right, one I consider a classic. For the first time, Seller really seems to reveal his true nature on screen, ironically by portraying a man who really WASN'T all there emotionally, closely parallelling Seller's own personality (see the recent HBO movie about him,The Life and Times of Peter Sellers, to get a more detailed look at Sellers' life and personality) in so many ways.
The basic premise of the movie is simple - a gardener has been kept secluded from the world, exposed only to television. As a result, his view of things is rather flat, not fully fleshed out. His personality is equally flat but also serene and straightforward. When he encounters the outside world, his simplicity is seen as wisdom and Sellers makes this odd scenario...well, believable.
This movie was made during a particularly turbulent period in Seller's personal life and yet he manages to be serene, even placid, on film, giving no hint at the emotional turmoil in his offscreen life. Just as Sellers defied categorization (he is, after all, the same actor who made The Pink Panther movies with Blake Edwards as well as Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, this movie is in a class all its own.
Those who love Popular Culture should have a field day analyzing how television can affect one's view of the world, for better or worse. The rest of us will just sit back and enjoy a truly one of a kind performance.
Movie Review: That famous ending
Summary: 5 Stars
All I can say is the final shot is a masterpiece of cinema. To convey the entire theme of a film in one single shot, in such an understated and almost off-handed way, is nothing short of filmmaking genius. The film would have been memorable without it, but it's this final icing on the cake that just floored me. I can only wonder how long it took director Hal Ashby to dream it up, because I read the original script and it only ends with Peter Sellers walking away from the funeral and tending to a broken tree. Ashby must have had a brainstorm on the set and it was a brilliant one. Watching Peter Sellers walk on water -- as we hear the President end his eulogy with the words: "Life is a state of mind" so effortlessly sums everything up it's almost frightening. When I saw it, I had to rewind the DVD at least five or six times just to savior the meaning. You just don't see that kind of thing in movies anymore.
And to those who think it's some sort of Christ metaphor, I take exception and I think the President's dialogue supports me. The final shot is simply saying that Sellers' character was never told you couldn't do all these amazing things; his childlike innocence was never diluted by doubts about what can and can't be accomplished in this world -- even impossible things like walking on water. He doesn't know it's impossible because no one told him. Indeed, life is a state of mind, and I think thats a mighty powerful idea all on its own.