America was in a bad way in the 1970’s, and political dramas from the time reflected the malaise. While Network gets a lot of attention (and rightfully so, as a great film) in the genre, an underappreciated classic from the same milieu is Hal Ashby’s 1979 film Being There. In contrast to Network, with its brash calls to action (“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”), Being There has a subtlety to its observations, and dare I say, might have aged better. I think we’re too fragmented as a society to all shout out from our windows in unison, after all. Spoilers below the fold!

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