History YMMV / BeingThere

* HilariousInHindsight: Actors Richard Dysart and David Clennon both appeared in this movie and shared a scene together, three years later both Dysart and Clennon would appear in ''Film/TheThing1982'' as Copper, who is a doctor too like Dysart's character in this movie, and Palmer.

* ComedyGhetto: The most likely reason Creator/PeterSellers didn't win, especially when a mentally challenged character is usually OscarBait.

* ValuesResonance: The growing importance of style over substance, sound bites, etc. in media and politics since TheSeventies has granted both novel and film this.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novella is still in print, but with a picture of Creator/PeterSellers as Chace on the U.S. cover.

* DeathOfTheAuthor: Kozinski's message about "style over substance" politics has been lost, with many people seeing [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged the movie as an inspiration for those with mental disabilities to better themselves]].

** Following Ben's actual demise, Chance vaccuously feels his head with his hand exactly like he had the Old Man, as if he has similarly felt nothing. When the camera cuts to Chance's face however, he is visibly weeping. Chance had genuinely matured during his time with Ben.
* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Kosinski was accused of plagiarising the 1932 Polish novel ''The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma''. Nowadays, it's generally assumed the plots are not really that similar. While both feature a sudden rise of an unexpected character, Nicodemus was not simple-minded, he was poor, and at the end of the novel is usually not perceived as sympathetic.

** Is Louise, Chance's caretaker, right to be annoyed as seeing her former charge gain political power, or is she an ableist who has always looked down on Chance for his mental issues? Was she right to peg Chance as a moron, or did she make [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Chance's problems worse by assuming he could never function in society]]?[[note]]Sadly, the idea that mentally ill people were beyond help wasn't exactly uncommon at the time. It is therefore possible for Louise to have been a well-meaning person who gave up on Chance.[[/note]]

* DeathOfTheAuthor: Kozinski's message about "style over substance" politics has been lost, with many people seeing [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged as an inspiration for those with mental disabilities to better themselves]].

* TearJerker: Despite the otherwise farcial plot, Ben Rand's sickness and eventual death are played with genuine pathos. Within spending the whole movie being misinterpreted or spluttering the right answer by sheer luck, Ben's health is treated among few factors Chance shows sincere alertness towards due to previous experience.

** Is Louise, Chance's caretaker, right to be annoyed as seeing her former charge gain political power, or is she an ableist who has always looked down on Chance for his mental issues? Was she right to peg Chance as a moron, or did she make [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Chance's problems worse by assuming he could never function in society]]?

* AccidentalAesop: While the movie's comedy comes from people putting so much faith and reverence into a man without much intelligence, the movie seems to also argue that people like Chance shouldn't be kept isolated from society. Chance's problems stem from being isolated from society than any innate intelligence, and throughout the movie he does show emotional growth and mental development.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation

* IdiotPlot: A rare case where people not asking obvious questions is part of the story's point.

** "Now get this, honky. You go tell Rafael that I ain't taking no jive from no Western Union messenger." (More because of the [[HilariousOuttakes Hilarious Outtake]] than the actual scene with the quote).

* HilariousInHindsight: Actors Richard Dysart and David Clennon both appeared in this movie and shared a scene together, three years later both Dysart and Clennon would appear in ''Film/TheThing1982'' as Copper, who is doctor too like Dysart's character in this movie, and Palmer.

** By modern standards, Chance could be seen as autistic rather than mentally challenged, given his behavior. Either way, is it possible he could have been, or still might be, capable of more than he already is if he'd been given professional help rather than treated as a MadwomanInTheAttic? Given that he does have genuine talent as a gardener, it shows he is at least capable of holding a blue-collar job and more if he was given more chances in life.

* AwardSnub:
** General opinion nowadays is that Creator/PeterSellers should have won the Best Actor UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for this film; he lost to Creator/DustinHoffman in ''Film/KramerVsKramer''. (Sellers himself blamed the GagReel during the end credits for destroying the illusion of the character.)
** The film wasn't nominated for Best Picture, Director or Adapted Screenplay.

** One possibility is that Chance is dyslexic or had some other learning disability that made him unable to read. As often happened with children with learning disabilities in the past, his caregivers may have assumed that he was mentally retarded in all other aspects and decided not to bother even trying to teach him anything and to keep him isolated from the rest of the world.

** By modern standards, Chance could be seen as autistic rather than mentally challenged, given his behavior. Either way, is it possible he could have been, or still might be, capable of more than he already is if he'd been given professional help rather than treated as a MadwomanInTheAttic? Given that he does have genuine talent as a gardener, it shows he is at least capable of holding a blue collar. If he could get a tutor, he probably could be capable of more.

* Is Louise, Chance's caretaker, right to be annoyed as seeing her former charge gain political power, or is she an ableist who has always looked down on Chance for his mental issues? Was she right to peg Chance as a moron, or did she make [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Chance's problems worse by assuming he could never function in society]]?

** By modern standards, Chance could be seen as autistic rather than mentally challenged, given his behavior. Either way, is it possible he could have been, or still might be, capable of more than he already is if he'd been given professional help rather than treated as a MadwomanInTheAttic? Given that he does have genuine talent as a gardener, it shows he is at least capable of holding a professional position.
** Is Louise, Chance's caretaker, right to be annoyed as seeing her former charge gain political power, or is she an ableist who has always looked down on Chance for his mental issues? Was she right to peg Chance as a moron, or did she make [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Chance's problems worse by assuming he could never function in society]]?

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novella is still in print, but with a picture of Creator/PeterSellers as Chance on the U.S. cover.

** By modern standards, Chance could be seen as autistic rather than mentally challenged, given his behavior. Either way, is it possible he could have been, or still might be, capable of more than he already is if he'd been given professional help rather than treated as a MadwomanInTheAttic?

** The TwistEnding of the film begs the question of [[spoiler: Chance's true nature: is he The Fool or The Messiah? The filmmakers intended the former, but knew the latter interpretation was possible.]]
*** A rather twisty interpretation suggests that he started as the former, and became the latter as people grew to believe in him.

* FridgeLogic: A rare ''in-movie'' example. Louise, a black cook who knew Chance his entire life, complains about it.
-->'''Louise:''' It's for sure a white man's world in America. Look here: I raised that boy since he was the size of a piss-ant. And I'll say right now, he never learned to read and write. No, sir. Had no brains at all. Was stuffed with rice pudding between th' ears. Shortchanged by the Lord, and dumb as a jackass. Look at him now! Yes, sir, all you've gotta be is white in America, to get whatever you want. Gobbledy-gook!