Being There

Being There

A story of chance.

PG 1979 · 130 min · ★ 7.6 (1K) · Comedy, Drama

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.

Directed by Hal Ashby · Written by Jerzy Kosiński

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

TCMHowdy Amazon Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeSpectrum On Demand

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

4h 17m together

Being There

Coming Home

Both from Hal Ashby.

More from Hal AshbySee all →

The Children's HourThe Children's Hour · 1961
The Children's Hour
★ 7.71961
MovieDrama
An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.
In the Heat of the NightIn the Heat of the Night · 1967
In the Heat of the Night
★ 7.71967
MovieCrimeDrama
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
The Big CountryThe Big Country · 1958
The Big Country
★ 7.61958
MovieDramaWestern
Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.
Harold and MaudeHarold and Maude · 1971
Harold and Maude
★ 7.61971
MovieComedyDrama
A deadpan young man obsessed with death meets an eccentric septuagenarian who teaches him to live life to the fullest.
The Best ManThe Best Man · 1964
The Best Man
★ 7.31964
MovieDrama
The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.
The Last DetailThe Last Detail · 1973
The Last Detail
★ 7.01973
MovieDramaComedy
Two Navy men are ordered to bring a young offender to prison, but decide to show him one last good time along the way.
Coming HomeComing Home · 1978
Coming Home
★ 7.01978
MovieDramaRomance
In 1968 California, a Marine officer's wife falls in love with a former high school classmate who suffered a paralyzing combat injury in the war.
The Cincinnati KidThe Cincinnati Kid · 1965
The Cincinnati Kid
★ 7.01965
MovieDrama
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
Jake's JourneyJake's Journey · 1988
Jake's Journey
★ 7.01988
MovieScience FictionComedy
A normal teenager is transported to a Monty Pythonesque medieval fantasy land where an odd, adamant knight takes him on a quest.
Beverly Hills BuntzBeverly Hills Buntz · 1987
Beverly Hills Buntz
★ 7.01987
SeriesDramaComedy
A former police detective transitions to working as a private investigator in Beverly Hills, navigating quirky cases and eccentric clients. His street-smart attitude and unorthodox methods clash with the upscale environment.
Bound for GloryBound for Glory · 1976
Bound for Glory
★ 6.91976
MovieMusicDrama
A biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, discovering the suffering and strength of America's working class.
The Thomas Crown AffairThe Thomas Crown Affair · 1968
The Thomas Crown Affair
★ 6.81968
MovieCrimeRomance
A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes that he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist--until he must match wits with an insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! · 1966
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
★ 6.51966
MovieComedyWar
When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the coast of a New England island, its commander orders his second-in-command, Lieutenant Rozanov, to get them moving again before there is an international incident. Rozanov seeks assistance from the island locals, including the police chief and a vacationing television writer, while trying to allay their fears of a Communist invasion by claiming he and his crew are Norwegian sailors.
The Loved OneThe Loved One · 1965
The Loved One
★ 6.21965
MovieComedy
The suicide of his expatriate uncle draws Englishman and poet Dennis Barlow into California's booming funeral industry.
Let's Spend the Night TogetherLet's Spend the Night Together · 1982
Let's Spend the Night Together
★ 6.21982
MovieMusic
The Rolling Stones' record-breaking 1981 North American arena tour documented by director Hal Ashby. Featuring the biggest Rolling Stones songs from the first 20 years - in the words of Mick Jagger, "a feel of what it's like to be there", as 20 cameras take you onstage with the band in this groundbreaking, dynamic tour.
ShampooShampoo · 1975
Shampoo
★ 6.01975
MovieComedyDrama
On Election Day, 1968, irresponsible hairdresser and ladies' man George Roundy is too busy cutting hair and dealing with his girlfriends and mistress Felicia Karpf, whose husband Lester is having an affair with his ex-girlfriend Jackie.

More Like This

Love, SimonLove, Simon · 2018
Love, Simon
★ 8.02018
MovieComedyDrama
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online.
Let Me Eat Your PancreasLet Me Eat Your Pancreas · 2017
Let Me Eat Your Pancreas
★ 7.02017
MovieDramaRomance
A dying girl meets a nonchalant boy who found out her secret. She decided to fulfill her bucket list with none-other-than the boy who couldn't care less about the world.
Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now · 1979
Apocalypse Now
★ 8.31979
MovieDramaWar
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Amores PerrosAmores Perros · 2000
Amores Perros
★ 7.62000
MovieDramaThriller
A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man.
A History of ViolenceA History of Violence · 2005
A History of Violence
★ 7.22005
MovieDramaThriller
An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.
The Elementary ParticlesThe Elementary Particles · 2006
The Elementary Particles
★ 6.22006
MovieDramaRomance
Based on Michel Houellebecq's controversial novel, Atomised (aka The Elementary Particles) focuses on Michael and Bruno, two very different half-brothers and their disturbed sexuality. After a chaotic childhood with a hippie mother only caring for her affairs, Michael, a molecular biologist, is more interested in genes than women, while Bruno is obsessed with his sexual desires, but mostly finds his satisfaction with prostitutes. But Bruno's life changes when he gets to know the experienced Christiane. In the meantime, Michael meets Annabelle, the love of his youth, again.
Three Colors: BlueThree Colors: Blue · 1993
Three Colors: Blue
★ 7.61993
MovieDrama
The wife of a famous composer survives a car accident that kills her husband and daughter. Now alone, she shakes off her old identity and explores her newfound freedom but finds that she is unbreakably bound to other humans, including her husband’s mistress, whose existence she never suspected.
All About My MotherAll About My Mother · 1999
All About My Mother
★ 7.61999
MovieComedyDrama
Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.
Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryCharlie and the Chocolate Factory · 2005
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
★ 7.02005
MovieAdventureComedy
A young boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker.
BrokenBroken · 2014
Broken
★ 7.12014
MovieActionCrime
Following the brutal rape and murder of his 16-year-old daughter, Sang-hyeon stumbles into an ever-widening conspiracy of rage, revenge, and murder.
Desert HeartsDesert Hearts · 1985
Desert Hearts
★ 7.11985
MovieDramaRomance
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
NotoriousNotorious · 1946
Notorious
★ 7.71946
MovieDramaRomance
In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.
Rome, Open CityRome, Open City · 1945
Rome, Open City
★ 8.01945
MovieDramaWar
During the Nazi occupation of 1944 Rome, Resistance leader Giorgio Manfredi is pursued by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a means of escape.
The CelebrationThe Celebration · 1998
The Celebration
★ 7.71998
MovieDrama
The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.
Once Upon a Time in AmericaOnce Upon a Time in America · 1984
Once Upon a Time in America
★ 8.41984
MovieDramaCrime
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Snow CakeSnow Cake · 2006
Snow Cake
★ 7.12006
MovieRomanceDrama
A drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.
The Devil Wears PradaThe Devil Wears Prada · 2006
The Devil Wears Prada
★ 7.42006
MovieDramaComedy
A young woman from the Midwest gets more than she bargained for when she moves to New York to become a writer and ends up as the assistant to the tyrannical, larger-than-life editor-in-chief of a major fashion magazine.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter