MovieChat Forums > Being There (1980) Discussion > I'm angry with the maid

I'm angry with the maid

posted 18 years ago by SilverGameDog
34 replies | jump to latest

Her name was Louise I think.
She left the house for the last time after the old man died, and was talking to Chance, she knew she wasn't coming back.
She knew that Chance, with his limited mental capacity, would have a horrible time being put out on his own.

Didn't she feel any obligation toward him? She said she raised him since he was a boy. That must have been over 30 years.
She just left him there. Knowing he couldn't function, and not knowing what would become of him. Her last words being something like "You should get yourself a nice woman..."

I think Louise is a heartless, unlikable, and unrealistic character.

[–] althotas 18 years ago

Maybe she was so tired of the white devil bring'n her down, she did not consider her actions outside of how they would be self serving.

[–] Jamo57 18 years ago

Well, two things come to mind for me:

If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben.

And secondly, later on in the movie we see her watching TV in what appears to be a boarding house or some other kind of low-income housing. She certainly didn't appear to be a woman of great means herself, and as we learn from the lawyers there were no provisions made for the domestic help by "the old man" in his will. She may have been worried about her own survival and taking on caring for Chance may have been too much for her financially.

"When I was faster I was always behind..."-Neil Young

[–] kefka_6 18 years ago

Jamo57 makes a compelling argument. Yeah, Louise didn't seem to be in a position to care for Chance and it turned out far better for Chance in the end anyway.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] cambot882 18 years ago

If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben.

I agree, Louise's actions are just a plot device. However, I think it would have been more believable if she had at least, for example, given Chance her phone number on a slip of paper. Later he might simply lose the paper since he wouldn't understand the significance. This would have at least shown that she had some real concern for him.

* God is an imaginary friend for adults. *

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] edbelfour3 14 years ago

How could she have given Chance her phone number as she was leaving? She didn't have a phone yet; she was just leaving at that point.

[–] cambot882 14 years ago

She knew where she was going to live, so she must have had some kind of contact information. An address, maybe? The police's number, or a social worker?

Leaving Chance on his own is like leaving a 10-year-old to fend for himself, so it's a strange plot hole.

* God is an imaginary friend for adults. *

[–] le_disciple79 18 years ago

Jamo57 ... exactly that`s why she left him .
i completely agree with you ...if she had taken care of chancy , then louise will not say :

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. *beep*

"he is just a gardner ... he is just great "

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] StevenSmithNYC 9 years ago

"If she had taken care of Chance, we wouldn't have a story as he would never have come into contact with Eve and Ben."

Ah, no, we just would have had a different movie, or the writer would have not been so sloppy and made it so the maid was perhaps upset with the burden of having to take care of Chance all these years. Or she was simply mad at him. Or she was a horrible person.

"And secondly, later on in the movie we see her watching TV in what appears to be a boarding house or some other kind of low-income housing. She certainly didn't appear to be a woman of great means herself, and as we learn from the lawyers there were no provisions made for the domestic help by "the old man" in his will. She may have been worried about her own survival and taking on caring for Chance may have been too much for her financially. "

No, she could have simply made a phone call to social services and the police to take care of Chance. She didn't have to financially support him.

[–] marktayloruk (2590) 3 years ago

I assumed that that was where she lived. Never thought of her as a live in maid.

[–] clawz05 18 years ago

In the book, Louise leaves prior to The Old Man's death and there is a new maid that speaks little English who is there for the death and leaves soonafter. It would have made sense keeping this for the film - that way, the maid leaving wouldn't be as bad because she wouldn't understand that Chance is unable to take care of himself.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 11 years ago

Interesting and very true.

--------
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[–] denbeez 18 years ago

To paraphrase Mark Twain, "Anyone attempting to find realism in this story will be shot!" :)))

This film isn't meant to be "realistic" in any sense. It's an allegorical satire; a fantasy.

The fact that anyone claims to be "mad at" Louise, or questions her actions in the context of this fantastic story, is in itself a testament to the success of the filmmakers who created "Being There."

[–] rokshok183 18 years ago

The original question posted is probably a redundant one in that Louise character would appear to serve out other purposes to the story.

But to cover all angles Her boarding home would suggest that she as financially incapable of taking care of chance and that after the old man died it was a simple case of every man (and woman) for themselves. She appears to be a tough hearted old lady whom you know nothing of her past and hardships to judge her so harshly.

There suggestion to chance to find a woman to care for him was a crack in her otherwise tough exterior.

If blame was to be placed for Chance'es circumstance then it should probably be directed at the 'old man' for not ensuring a contingency plan in his will. But then the 'old man' had already given a lifetime of generosity in taking care of him, and judging by the outside area that the house was situated in we dont know the wealth of the old man to be able to do that.

[–] butaneggbert 10 years ago

Even a fantasy has to have consistent internal logic.

The script is otherwise pretty solid in accounting for why any given character does a given thing. Louise's actions don't have that same validity within the universe the film creates.

Put it this way: if every other character's actions left viewers scratching their heads exclaiming, "Wait, why in the world would anyone do that!", pretty much no one would keep watching.

[–] rwsmith29456 14 years ago

I think she was angry at his celebrity when she knew he was a simpleton. It was realistic to have someone in the movie know he was a dope but nobody listens to them because they are not as 'profound'.

[–] PotassiumMan 14 years ago

Normally, in the real world, common sense would have dictated that Louise continue to take care of Chance or at least remain in touch with him after the old man died and after the house was vacated. However its a movie, so instead we get to watch the fanciful story about how by chance, (wink, wink) he totally ends up enjoying life without her. And given how scowlingly bitchy she is, you couldn't be happier for him.

[–] VelvetVoice 14 years ago

In the real world, it is typical for rich old men to think they will live forever. My husband's uncle didn't make a will until the very last minute, and then wanted it to remain in trust forever so no one could spend it. Many rich people want to take it with them.

Velvet Voice

[–] bradford-1 14 years ago

One of my favorite scenes is when Chance is walking around D.C. and accosts the heavy-set black woman, asking her to give him some lunch!

"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."

[–] jus7o 14 years ago

i initially agreed with you regarding louise, but if you think about it she really didnt raise chance. the tv raised him, louise didnt care for him thus the reason for her just abandoning him when the old man died. at the very least she tells him its time to find himself a woman. lousie left it to chance.

[–] jones8557-1 11 years ago

I was angry too at first. However, what could Louise do? She discovered at last minute "The Old Man" made no provisions for Chance. She a poor old black woman who was now out of a job. In her mind (the point of the movie) Chance would be better off than she.

[–] Cherubim1 10 years ago

Her racist rant about "whites" being privileged is just a load of BS and says more about her own angst.

I have to agree that she was not Chance's keeper. Furthermore she describeed him as being a dumb jackal yet how intelligent is she ? What position is she in to judge someone purely on how they talk and behave ? I strongly believe that Chance is more wise than anyone could conceive because he has *evolved* beyond those around him.

[–] bradford-1 10 years ago

I assume Louise was quite p.o.'d when she found out that a fairly wealthy guy she'd worked for for many years had died and left her zilch. How would YOU have reacted to that news? I may have at least have stripped the house of as much stuff as I could carry. So why should she have worried about Chance's future? Like many domestics of her time, she probably never had Social Security tax taken out of her salary, so she was about to lose out on several thousand dollars in SS payments, depending on how long she lived. Maybe she had a substantial savings account, but I doubt it. And at her age, where could she find a decent job?

May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?

[–] eelb 10 years ago

There's also the possibly that whatever intellectual potential Chance had, was thwarted by having this semi-literate maid as his only source of education as a child. Hence, whatever he knows, has come from watching TV. Also, I wouldn't doubt that the maid was once the gardener, and pawned that task off on Chance, which thereby explains his gardening expertise.

[–] mike-848 9 years ago

Yeah. I agree. She was just a big mouthed bigot who left Chance to fend for himself.

She is supposed to be so intelligent and caring yet she knew that the old man would die some day and Chance would need help, so perhaps she COULDA prepared years before for the eventuality by directin Chance to some agency at least.

No. She let's him walk out into the street in the middle of the ghetto. It's like lettin a puppy out of a car on a highway. Witch.

[–] bhoover247 9 years ago

Nobody could rightly say that the maid was intelligent. If she were intelligent she would not have stayed a maid for 30-40 years knowing that when the old man died she would be jobless. She was just a person who happened to know that Chance was an idiot and her small scene was put in for humor.

[–] 10 years ago

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