Review of Being There

The slow and illiterate gardener Chance (Peter Sellers) has spent all his life inside the house of Mr. Jennings in a poor area of Washington D.C. His only contact with the outside world was through television. When Mr. Jennings dies, the house is shut-down by the family lawyer and Chance is forced to leave the place. While wandering on the streets, a limousine hits his leg and the owner, Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine), invites him to go to her house to be treated by her husband's doctor and avoid any trouble in the hospital. She misunderstands his name and calls him Chauncey Gardner. When the simple Chance is introduced to her husband, Benjamin Rand (Melvyn Douglas), that is terminally ill with anemia, he becomes his friend and Ben interprets his wordings as metaphoric, transforming Chance in adviser of President Bobby (Jack Warden) and prominent figure in the world of economy and politics.

I must confess that this is the first time that I watch "Being There" and my first thought was that "Forrest Gump" is visibly inspired in this movie. Peter Sellers is once again fantastic in the role of a man that does not know that he does not know and therefore is capable to achieve everything. The forty-five years old Shirley MacLaine is still an extremely beautiful and seductive woman in this film. Melvyn Douglas has a top-notch performance in this movie, unfortunately one of his last movies. Jack Warden is hilarious in the role of an annoying president. The situations are surrealistic but seem to be realistic, and indeed it is a great joke with politicians and their cynical world. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Muito Além do Jardim" ("Far Beyond the Garden")