Being There (1979)

Overview · Where to watch · Cast & crew · Reviews

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.

• Released: 1979-12-19
• Genres: Comedy, Drama
• Runtime: 2h 10m
• Status: Released
• TMDB rating: 7.6/10 from 1,165 votes

Directed by Hal Ashby.

Top cast

• Peter Sellers as Chance
• Shirley MacLaine as Eve Rand
• Melvyn Douglas as Benjamin Rand
• Jack Warden as President 'Bobby'
• Richard Dysart as Dr. Robert Allenby
• Richard Basehart as Vladimir Skrapinov
• Ruth Attaway as Louise
• David Clennon as Thomas Franklin
• Fran Brill as Sally Hayes
• Denise DuBarry as Johanna Franklin

Full cast & crew

Where to watch Being There

• United States: stream on TCM, Howdy Amazon Channel; rent on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home; buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
• United Kingdom: rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube; buy on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube
• India: rent on Amazon Video
• Canada: rent on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video; buy on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo, YouTube, Amazon Video
• Australia: stream on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel; rent on Apple TV Store, Amazon Video; buy on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

Movies like Being There

If you enjoyed Being There, these movies have a similar feel:

• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
• The Sound of Silence (2019)
• Benny & Joon (1993)
• All the President's Men (1976)
• Tyson's Run (2022)
• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)
• Worth (2021)
• Official Secrets (2019)
• All the Way (2016)
• The Giver (2014)
• Snowden (2016)
• Miracle Run (2004)

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