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Being There (1979) - IMDb
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Being There (1979)

PG | | Comedy, Drama | 26 May 1980 (Denmark)
A simple, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful businessman and an insider in Washington politics.

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (screenplay)
Reviews
Popularity
2,840 ( 312)

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ON DISC
Won 1 Oscar. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Ruth Attaway ...
Louise
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Thomas Franklin (as Dave Clennon)
Fran Brill ...
Sally Hayes
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Johanna Franklin
Oteil Burbridge ...
Lolo
Ravenell Keller III ...
Abbaz
Brian Corrigan ...
Policeman by White House
Alfie Brown ...
Old Woman asked for lunch (as Alfredine Brown)
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

Taglines:

Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

26 May 1980 (Denmark)  »

Also Known As:

Chance  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry B. Dawkins, who plays Billings the X-Ray Technician, really was an X-Ray technician. In the 1990s he became head of the Radiology Department at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina, one of this film's shooting locations. See more »

Goofs

When the President is shown aboard Air Force One asking aids about "Chancey Gardner", immediately prior is shown a twin engine Boeing 737 taking off. A 737 has never been outfitted as a presidential plane. More accurately, a Boeing 707 taking off should have been shown. 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]
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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

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 31 December 2015 (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Different Ways
Performed by Buffy Sainte-Marie and Caroll Spinney
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User Reviews

 
Stellar Sellers
22 November 2004 | by (Charlotte NC USA) – See all my reviews

Melvyn Douglas as Ben Rand and Shirley MacLaine as Eve Rand were only two examples of the great casting in this film. The best casting of course was to place Peter Sellers in the role of Chauncey "Chance" Gardener. I have watched this film many times and each time I see something else to enjoy in Peter Sellers' performance along with something else to mourn for his passing. In "Being There" Sellers abandons the crowd pleasing slapstick which attracted the droves for the "Pink Panther" series to offer a far more sincere performance that to me is flawlessly in-character and ultimately believable. I am constantly debating with myself whether "Dr. Strangelove" or "Being There" was Sellers' best work. "Being There" is very enjoyable and I never seem to get tired of it. Apart from Sellers standout performance, "Being There" from every angle is an extremely well made film that holds up well to remain engaging 25 years later and is no doubt a source of pride for all involved in any regard. In short, this is a movie that, "I like to watch!"


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Should be Reissued: Trump personifies Chance awrobel
Missing/deleted scene chrisvanlaer
One of the greatest endings in Cinema history forbidden10
Difficult to Watch nitrocow
Melvyn Douglas MrDeltoid77
I like the commercial clips and love the music TheGrandman
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