Page 7 - Discover Fall 2021

wealthy Washington kingmaker who calm, and serious, never changing his tone

is dying of cancer, and is a close friend of voice or showing extreme emotion.
of the President of the United States.
Chance goes on to be introduced to
He introduces himself as “Chance,
the President of the United States, and
the gardener” to the occupants, who
he is interviewed on television after the
mistakenly judge him to be a somewhat
President takes him on as an advisor. He
sophisticated if not eccentric gentleman.
becomes a media darling, and regarded
They misinterpret his introduction to mean
as a man of great wisdom. Since public
that his name is Chauncey Gardner, and
speech is confined to short statements,
although he tells them that he was not
non-specific rhetoric, and empty platitudes
injured, they insist on bringing him to their
designed to placate an audience with a
home in the hope of avoiding a potential
relatively short attention span, Chance fits
lawsuit.
the mold to an absurd tee, to the point
His mode of dress and gentle, soft- at which he is seriously considered as a
spoken demeanor causes them to believe Presidential candidate. (That was a lot
him to be an intellectual of sorts. His only funnier in 1979 than it is today.)

conversation centers around gardening and
The final scene of the film follows the
bits and pieces of television fluff, which are
funeral of Chance’s newfound wealthy
misinterpreted by his hosts as metaphorical
friend, and as he turns and walks away
speech. He says absolutely nothing of
from the camera, he casually begins to walk
substance, and he says it rather well, in
on water… again, a harbinger of things to
even, measured tones.
come.
The ensuing plot is a rather subtle satire
Like Forrest Gump, Chance blindly
of modern political discourse, in which
stumbles into greatness, but in a
the players regard Chance’s utterances
frighteningly realistic setting. This
as deep thought. In reality, at best, they
brilliant satire is intended not as a window
might be considered empty platitudes,
into great achievement, but as a mirror
which of course capture the fancy of the
reflecting own shallow political discourse.
entire country. Because he is so ignorant of
How easily we are swayed by simple sound
the world and was educated primarily by
bites and empty blather. The movie argues
television, he speaks in simple sound bites
that if you look right, sound right, speak in
that give him the false image of a deep
platitudes and have powerful friends, you
thinker.
can go far in our society. It’s a point that is
His passion for television (“I like to hard to argue.
watch”) is seriously mistaken for voyeurism,

with hilarious results. Regardless of what
happens around him, he remains quiet,

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