Being There

Chance has spent his life tending the garden and watching television, living in a wealthy Washington, D.C. townhouse. His manner is old-fashioned and courteous, and he understands the world through a TV-screen lens. He is content with his sheltered routine until the events that follow begin to disrupt it.

With the elderly owner dead, the estate lawyers order Chance out of the townhouse. He loses his shelter and security, finding himself adrift in the outside world for the first time.

Chance wanders the streets after eviction and is confronted by a knife-wielding youth, a moment that exposes his naiveté. He clumsily tries to 'click' the attacker away with a TV remote, highlighting how detached he is from real danger.

While passing a TV shop, Chance sees his image captured in the window and becomes entranced. He steps backward onto the sidewalk, unaware of approaching danger, and is struck by a limousine.

Eve Rand, the glamorous wife of Ben Rand, brings Chance to their palatial estate after the accident. The resident doctor, Dr. Allenby, and Ben decide to keep Chauncey nearby to observe him.

Ben admires Chauncey, assuming he is an upper-class, educated businessman who has fallen on hard times. His impression is formed by Chauncey’s direct, composed demeanor.

Ben introduces Chauncey to the President, who asks for political wisdom about the economy. Chauncey’s garden-themed remarks about 'stimulating growth' are misread as serious policy, and the President later quotes him in a speech.

Chauncey rises to national prominence by attending major Washington events and forming a close rapport with the Soviet ambassador. He becomes a fixture in political life, while his mysterious background remains unseen by most officials.

Chauncey appears on a popular talk show where his practical gardening advice is mistaken for political insight. The appearance cements his image as a political oracle, while onlookers process what it all means for the presidency.

Louise privately mocks his intelligence, saying he has 'rice pudding between the ears' and that whiteness is what lets him succeed. Secret Service and sixteen foreign agencies scramble to uncover Chauncey Gardiner's true background.

Ben dies and Chauncey shows genuine sadness, admitting he loves Eve and that he is just a gardener. Dr. Allenby contemplates revealing the truth but remains silent, choosing to savor the happiness Chauncey brings to Ben's final days.

At Ben's funeral, pallbearers whisper about replacing the President and eventually name Chauncey as a potential successor. Chance wanders the wintry estate, straightens a fallen pine sapling, and walks across a frozen lake with his umbrella, while the President quotes Ben: Life is a state of mind.