Being There (1979)
Jamal's Rating: 5 stars
Netflix Average Rating: 3.8 stars
Chance the gardener is dedicated to his work at a wealthy old man's estate in Washington D.C. and his life outside of tending the gardens is spent watching anything and everything on TV. Not that he understands what he is watching; he merely likes to imitate the TV personalities, as a child would. When Sellers is forced to leave the house and garden he tended, he wanders around looking for work until he is involved in a mishap and taken in by a wealthy family with a lot of political clout. They mistake his exquisite dress, confident manner, and patient, straightforward discourse for profoundness and knowledge, and set him up for all kinds of trouble with politicians and TV people. Peter Sellers' work here, as a simple and carefree man who lacks self-awareness is brilliant, and his rise to power is prescient in a way of George W. Bush's ascension to Presidency; the effect of the film indicates not that the common man knows something about politics, but that nobody really knows anything at all. Colorful cartoon TV segments like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and Cheech and Chong's "Basketball Jones" break up the understated grays of D.C. in an eerie way.
Watching this movie, my perception of who was the fool and who was in control switched probably every 10 minutes.
ReplyDelete