Being There

Being There. 1979 Lorimar Productions.
Starring: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart
Director: Hal Ashby
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Peter Sellers plays Chauncey "Chance" Gardiner, a simple gardener (zing!) for a wealthy man's townhouse in Washington D.C. He has lived there his entire life, with seemingly no contact with the outside world, except from what he sees watching television. Aside from his benefactor, the only other person in Chance's life is Louise the maid, who cooks his meals, and never misses a chance to berate him in some fashion since she only views Chance as a child trapped in the body of an older man. After his employer dies, Chance has to leave his sheltered existance, discovering the outside world for the first time.

One evening, Chance is struck by a car driven by Ben Rand (Douglas), who takes him in to give him a place to recover. Chance talks about being asked to leave his benefactor's house by attorneys, which Rand misinterprets as Chance losing his gardening business after it tanked. Pretty soon, Chance's simple and straightforward commentary about tending a garden are construed as statements containing great wisdom, as well as keen knowledge of business matters and American politics.

The portrayal of Chance by Sellers is truly magnificent as he perfectly captures the world view of an outsider who has literally never strayed from his home, finding himself in some truly awkward situations, like the scene where he calmly approaches a street gang inquiring on where he can find a garden to work in.

Recommended.