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Consider this one the biggest surprise for me this HoF as I was expecting this film to be a complete bore. Boy was I wrong, I found myself utterly glued to the screen once Mr. Gardner made his way to the mansion. It is indeed a slow start and the film could benefit from losing about 20 minutes, but I was surprised by how much I was invested in this character. The entire time I was expecting people around him to finally clue in and the whole charade to come crashing down, I like that it never did though, it made the film feel "sweeter" if that makes sense. The entire film had a Forrest Gump vibe.
I had no idea what this movie was about and based on the poster I assumed he was an angel or going up to heaven. Then as the movie began I assumed the angel on earth aspect was correct as he seemed to be "different". I finally accepted the fact that he is simply a man who doesn't know his own limitations in life, then the ending is thrown at us and I question the religious angle again. Yet it also makes sense with the fact that he doesn't understand his limitations. The man doesn't understand he shouldn't be able to walk on water, but he does. Everything is simply coming up aces for him, despite his own non-understanding of the very interactions in question.
Sellers does a magnificent job in this role and reading about how this was a passion project for him (almost a decade to get it made) then have him pass away within a year afterwards is a tad depressing. The film has a melancholic vibe throughout, but it's mixed with an odd sense of positivity. Being There is a genuine surprise of a movie and one I'm glad I watched.
Being There
Consider this one the biggest surprise for me this HoF as I was expecting this film to be a complete bore. Boy was I wrong, I found myself utterly glued to the screen once Mr. Gardner made his way to the mansion. It is indeed a slow start and the film could benefit from losing about 20 minutes, but I was surprised by how much I was invested in this character. The entire time I was expecting people around him to finally clue in and the whole charade to come crashing down, I like that it never did though, it made the film feel "sweeter" if that makes sense. The entire film had a Forrest Gump vibe.
I had no idea what this movie was about and based on the poster I assumed he was an angel or going up to heaven. Then as the movie began I assumed the angel on earth aspect was correct as he seemed to be "different". I finally accepted the fact that he is simply a man who doesn't know his own limitations in life, then the ending is thrown at us and I question the religious angle again. Yet it also makes sense with the fact that he doesn't understand his limitations. The man doesn't understand he shouldn't be able to walk on water, but he does. Everything is simply coming up aces for him, despite his own non-understanding of the very interactions in question.
Sellers does a magnificent job in this role and reading about how this was a passion project for him (almost a decade to get it made) then have him pass away within a year afterwards is a tad depressing. The film has a melancholic vibe throughout, but it's mixed with an odd sense of positivity. Being There is a genuine surprise of a movie and one I'm glad I watched.