Film

Being There 1979

Directed by Hal Ashby

  • Comedy, Drama
  • 130 min
  • PG

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

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.

ComedyDramausa presidentwashington dc, usabased on novel or bookidentityautismimpotencebotanistphilosophicalambivalentbaffleddignified

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  • Is this Hal Ashby's best work?

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  • Would Being There hit harder if it came out today rather than in 1979?

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  • Is Being There a masterpiece, not merely a very good film?

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Character

Contemplative, open-ended, cool and spare.

  • contemplativerelentless
  • resolvedopen-ended
  • cooloverwhelming
  • sparerichly built
  • unpretentiousprestige

Who loves it, who doesn't

The Prestige HunterThe Prestige Hunter: loved by 44The IronistThe Ironist: loved by 22The ProvocateurThe Provocateur: loved by 22The EmpathThe Empath: loved by 11The ArchivistThe Archivist: loved by 11The OmnivoreThe Omnivore: loved by 11The SincereThe Sincere: loved by 11The Genre DevoteeThe Genre Devotee: disliked by 10 / 1loved (4★+)disliked (2.5★ or less)

20 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Genre Devotees.