BEING THERE

BEING THERE - 1979

RATED - PG Probably best suited for older teens and above. Some sexually related dialogue and a scene where a woman fully clothed masturbates (mostly off screen) to attract a man who is not interested. No nudity and one scene of language from a gang member.

RATINGS - 16 Amazon (4/5), 445,118 Netflix (3.8/5), 22,017 IMDB (8/10), Roger Ebert (4/4).

STARRING - Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine,

AWARDS - 1980 Academy Award for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR & BEST ACTOR nominee. AFI TOP 100 Laughs, 1981 BAFTA nominees for BEST ACTOR, BEST ACTRESS & BEST FILM. 1980 Golden Globe awards for BEST ACTOR & BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR and nominees for BEST MOTION PICTURE, BEST DIRECTOR & BEST ACTRESS.

THEME - Satire, relationships.

STORY - Peter Sellers plays Chance the long time gardener for a wealthy gentlemen who dies early in the film. Chance's life revolves around television and gardening. He has a TV close by wherever he is, even while working. His ability to communicate with others is limited to parroting what he hears and sees on TV. Put out on the street (literally) when the owner dies with nothing but a suitcase full of the owner's custom made suits (perfect fit except about 3 inches short in the legs) he tries to find what life has next. A minor accident lands him in the home of a wealthy and dying industrialist who has a powerful influence on the presidency. (the film is set in D.C.) who assumes that his cryptic speech and tailor made clothes represent an eccentric genius. (The real genius is Seller's acting in the film) His 'words of wisdom' (often the most recent words he has seen on TV) take on a life of their own when coming from the mouth of this 'genius'. Read Roger Ebert's review for a more in depth discussion of the various levels of interpretation one might read into the film. While not everyone (action oriented viewers) will appreciate this film, it is a terrific satire on our culture and the way people react with pre-conceived perceptions of the way people dress and talk. While set in D.C., a great deal of the movie is filmed at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, an unbelievable landmark. People have discussed the meaning of the last scene, where Chance (appears to) walks on water across the pond, since the film was released. Great discussion potential, terrific acting and a fun (although somewhat quirky) movie. Enjoy. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/19/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB/TRAILER, ROGER EBERT

THE GREAT MCGINTY

THE GREAT MCGINTY - 1940

RATED - NR but probably PG for adult themes and non-graphic violence.

RATINGS - 664 IMDB (7.7/10), 4,571 Netflix (3.6/5)

STARRING - Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus. Preston Sturges directorial debut.

AWARDS - ACADEMY AWARD for Best Screenplay (Preston Sturges)

THEMES - Political satire, political corruption.

STORY - The film begins in a night club in a Banana Republic somewhere. The opening screen states that two men cross paths-one who lived a life of dishonesty and for a minute became honest and one who lived a life of honesty and for a minute became dishonest. A businessman away from home is drunk and tempted to do something that he will regret. The club singer gets him over to the bar to help sober him up and there they both listen to the story of regret (told in flashbacks) of the bartender who was once a successful and wealthy politician, although his career in politics started as a bum. He was offered $2 in a bread line if he would go and vote in the mayoral election for the incumbent. The Mayor's campaign chairman rationalized that a lot of people who wanted to vote just couldn't get out to vote and they were casting the vote they would have wanted to vote. Not only does he vote but he votes 37 times. The politicians see this good looking (when he gets all cleaned up) guy as a potential candidate, someone who can be manipulated for money to do whatever they want. He is more than willing to play the role. Part of the role is to find him a wife to play the role. This 'arranged ' marriage eventually turns into the real thing and he actually falls in love with his wife. He works his way up to Governor of the state where he can really deliver the goods to his political cronies. But his wife begins to have an influence on his conscience. He struggles with the decisions he's made and the relationships he's developed. While, it is clearly too much to assume all politics is this way, it is not too much to believe that it happens more than we would like to admit. Preston Sturges apparently got much of the ideas for the film from a judge who gave him real life cases. Read John Grisham's latest novel, THE APPEAL, for more inside political tricks. When you consider all the 'earmarks' that are added to the bills President Bush has signed over the years, it makes you wonder how many McGintys we have in Congress. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews 03/02/2008

LINKS - IMDB , AMAZON