While the poster is strongly inspired by Magritte, the movue is about a simple, sheltered gardener who becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful businessman and an insider in Washington politics.

In 2015 the United States Library of Congress selected Being There for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

"Based on the satirical novel by the late Jerzy Kosinski, Being There is an apparent farce which disguises a sharp-edged black comedy. Its commentary on politics and the vagaries of public perception are as relevant today – if not more so – than when the original story was written in 1970, or the film released in 1980." Far Out Magazine (Jul 2017)