Overview
A simple-minded gardener's unexpected journey leads him into the heart of political intrigue and influence.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- deadpan
- witty
- gentle
- quiet movie night
- classic film evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a smart, sophisticated, subtly provocative satire elevated by Hal Ashby's direction and Peter Sellers's sensitive performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chance has learned about the world almost entirely from television, while politicians and businessmen reinterpret his gardening remarks as strategic wisdom.
Chance becomes a political insider because influential people project intelligence, intention, and expertise onto his limited statements.
The film maintains gentle comic surfaces while satirizing politics, business, celebrity, and the audience's own assumptions about identity.
Chance's understanding of society comes through television, making screen images his primary framework for interpreting the outside world.
Films like Being There, and why
The Man Who Wasn't There
Shared qualities include sophisticated political satire, deadpan comedy, social misrecognition, and an enigmatic outsider protagonist.
A Serious Man
Both are understated, philosophical comedies about a socially opaque protagonist whose passivity exposes the absurdity of institutions and other people's assumptions.
Harold and Maude
Both use gentle, surreal social comedy and a seemingly simple central figure to critique status, identity, and the stories people impose on others.
Nashville
Both are New Hollywood satires with restrained performances, institutional absurdity, and an outsider navigating elite American society.
Movie Details
- Director
- Hal Ashby
- Release Date
- 1979-12-19
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (1169)
Cast
- Peter Sellers
- Shirley MacLaine
- Melvyn Douglas
- Jack Warden
- Richard Dysart
- Richard Basehart
- Ruth Attaway
- David Clennon
- Fran Brill
- Denise DuBarry
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- TCM, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Being There about?
- A sheltered gardener becomes an accidental Washington oracle when powerful people mistake his television-bred simplicity for political wisdom.
- What is Being There like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Being There as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Being There violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Being There.
- What did critics think of Being There?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a smart, sophisticated, subtly provocative satire elevated by Hal Ashby's direction and Peter Sellers's sensitive performance.
- Which films are like Being There?
- Films with a similar feel include The Man Who Wasn't There, A Serious Man, Harold and Maude, and Nashville.
- How long is Being There?
- Being There runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch Being There?
- In United States, Being There streams on TCM, Howdy Amazon Channel.
