☰
Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Being There

Play trailer Poster for Being There PG Released Dec 19, 1979 2h 10m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 62 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Simple-minded Chance (Peter Sellers), a gardener who has resided in the Washington, D.C., townhouse of his wealthy employer for his entire life and been educated only by television, is forced to vacate his home when his boss dies. While wandering the streets, he encounters business mogul Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas), who assumes Chance to be a fellow upper-class gentleman. Soon Chance is ushered into high society, and his unaffected gardening wisdom makes him the talk of the town.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Being There

Being There

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Smart, sophisticated, and refreshingly subtle, Being There soars behind sensitive direction from Hal Ashby and a stellar Peter Sellers performance.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More (62)
Joe Pollack St. Louis Post-Dispatch Under the direction of Hal Ashby, in his first film since Coming Home, Sellers gives an impressively disciplined performance, always taut and under control. The difficulty with the film, however, is that the screenplay is basically a one-joke story. Apr 7, 2022 Full Review Ed Potton The Times (UK) Gently directed by Hal Ashby, this satire of a ruling class in which nobody knows anything is almost plausible, and certainly topical. Rated: 4/5 Jan 17, 2020 Full Review Richard Combs Sight & Sound The result must be one of the boldest of commercial comedies, for the way it turns on passages of dead time, the dreadful pauses while other characters struggle to see the significance in each of Chance's cryptically meaningless remarks. Jan 16, 2020 Full Review Bianca Garner Filmotomy Being There is simply reminding us of how fragile our state of being actually is. Oct 3, 2024 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap Peter Sellers' last great performance came in this gently satiric look at the dawning mass media culture from the book by Jerzy Kosiński. Rated: 4.5/5 May 30, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Alternately lovely and lacerating. Rated: 3.5/4 May 24, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (1000+)
Ed . No one has the time to read anymore, but I made some time after recently learning that the movie was based on an earlier novel. This is one example of the motion picture being superior to a book, though, to be fair, the novel is a very brief 118 pages. You can find it by searching the Internet Archive - that is, if you can read. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/22/25 Full Review Stephen C Funny in 2 1/6 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Peter Sellers as Chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/10/25 Full Review alan g Highly over rated and strange. Peter Sellers is catatonic through the whole film. Critics liked it because it was artsy. They didn't want to be criticized as stupid. It is not artsy. It is stupid, unfunny, confusing and poorly made. It is supposed to be a commentary on modern society and how fake it is. It is a not. It is a narcissistic vision by a bunch of hasbeens. It should be confined to small out of the way theaters off the main stream. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Russ G An unfunny comedy, starring Peter Sellers when he was in the throes of severe mental illness. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/05/25 Full Review William B One of the best of Peter Sellers. Masterpiece. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/24 Full Review Sam N "Being There" is a clever and funny film that remains relevant today, featuring Peter Sellers as Chance, a simple gardener whose TV-influenced comments are mistaken for profound wisdom, turning him into an unlikely celebrity. Directed by Hal Ashby, the film's calm and slow pace enhances its magic, encouraging viewers to think deeply. It satirizes how easily powerful people can be deceived by appearances and the media's influence on opinions. With an unforgettable ending, the film humorously and thoughtfully reveals how the simplest individuals can expose the absurdities of the world. Overall, it's an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Being There

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Hal Ashby

Director

Peter Sellers

Chance ('Chauncey Gardiner')

Shirley MacLaine

Eve Rand

Jack Warden

President 'Bobby'

Melvyn Douglas

Benjamin Turnbull Rand

Richard Dysart

Dr. Robert Allenby

More Like This

View All
The In-Laws 89% 83% The In-Laws Watchlist Arthur 86% 77% Arthur Watchlist TRAILER for Arthur The Toy 3% 54% The Toy Watchlist A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy 74% 57% A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy Watchlist Royal Flash 50% 63% Royal Flash Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Being There

Being There (1979) Being There (1979) Being There (1979) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Simple-minded Chance (Peter Sellers), a gardener who has resided in the Washington, D.C., townhouse of his wealthy employer for his entire life and been educated only by television, is forced to vacate his home when his boss dies. While wandering the streets, he encounters business mogul Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas), who assumes Chance to be a fellow upper-class gentleman. Soon Chance is ushered into high society, and his unaffected gardening wisdom makes him the talk of the town.
Director
Hal Ashby
Producer
Andrew Braunsberg
Screenwriter
Jerzy Kosinski
Distributor
United Artists, Warner Bros.
Production Co
NatWest Ventures, Northstar, BSB, Enigma, Lorimar Film Entertainment, CIP, Fujisankei
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 19, 1979, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 7, 2015
Runtime
2h 10m
Sound Mix
Mono
Most Popular at Home Now