Bicentennial Man (1999)

Director:

Chris Columbus

Writers (WGA):

Isaac Asimov (short story "The Bicentennial Man")
Isaac Asimov (novel) ...

Release Date:

17 December 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

One robot's 200 year journey to become an ordinary man.

Plot:

An android endeavors to become human as he gradually acquires emotions.

Plot Keywords:

Box Office Flop | Freedom | Humanity | Liberty | Slavery

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Andrew Martin
Embeth Davidtz	...	Little Miss Amanda Martin / Portia Charney
Sam Neill	...	'Sir' Richard Martin
Oliver Platt	...	Rupert Burns
Kiersten Warren	...	Galatea
Wendy Crewson	...	'Ma'am' Martin
Hallie Kate Eisenberg	...	Little Miss Amanda Martin - Age 7
Lindze Letherman	...	'Miss' Grace Martin - Age 9
Angela Landis	...	'Miss' Grace Martin
John Michael Higgins	...	Bill Feingold - Martin's Lawyer
Bradley Whitford	...	Lloyd Charney
Igor Hiller	...	Lloyd Charney - Age 10
Joe Bellan	...	Robot Delivery Man #1
Brett Wagner	...	Robot Delivery Man #2
Stephen Root	...	Dennis Mansky - Head of NorthAm Robotics

Also Known As:

200 Jahre Mann, Der (Germany)
Andrew Martin (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #37072) | Philippines:G | Finland:S | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company:

1492 Pictures

Trivia:

The car that Ma'am drives in the film is the same car used in Demolition Man (1993).

Goofs:

Some of the continents on the world map in the council chamber are in the wrong positions, notably South America (which is rotated significantly) and Australia (which is directly below India). This may have been an attempt to illustrate continental drift, however, these continents would not have moved that significantly in only 200 years.

Quotes:

[after learning the fate of most sperm cells]
Andrew: They die? One feels badly for them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stella Shorts 1998-2002 (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Mesicku na nebi hlubokóm (Rusalka's Song to the Moon)

A good well-paced touching movie

This movie surprised me. Having been a fan of Issac Asimov for many years I thought that this adaptation with Chris Columbus at the helm would be terrible. I was wrong. Some may complain that this movie is too long and slow, but I would wager that their attention spans are somewhat lacking. If you are looking for a high action movie with robots then you have come to the wrong place. If you are looking for a sci-fi based romantic comedy about the personal growth of one man...er robot, then this is the movie. The comedy was well written and well played, appropriately placed in each moment. AS for the character of Andrew(Robin Williams), though he is supposed to be a robot you really connect with his character and sense his growth over time. Unlike A.I. his character learns and grows and has real not fabricated emotional attachments. I give this movie an 8 or 9. Very good.