'Being There'

I just wanted to scream at the TV at all the characters taking the guy seriously. I mean, did everyone not notice he was retarded?

Also, Shirley McLaine is so cute. She's quite a bit older here, but she still brings it. I have a serious, unlawful thing for her.

"Being There" does do something that you don't find in a lot of movies. Having no preconceived notions about the film, I didn't know what it was about or what to expect. I knew Peter Sellers and McLaine starred.

Initially you paint Sellers' character with the broad Forrest Gump brush that has cognitive issues, but he's too wise and lucky for anyone to really notice.

However, as the plot unfolds, you realize it's a comment on modern politics, the media and how people communicate. Or not communicate. It's kinda about not listening, which, by the second hour, you're not yelling at the TV because the other characters wouldn't listen anyway.