Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Brian Aldiss (short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long")
Ian Watson (screen story)

Release Date:

29 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not.

Plot:

A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Fairy | Forest | Artificial Intelligence | Fairy Tale

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 40 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Dec. 7

2:00 PM

HBO

Cast

Haley Joel Osment	...	David
Frances O'Connor	...	Monica Swinton
Sam Robards	...	Henry Swinton
Jake Thomas	...	Martin Swinton
Jude Law	...	Gigolo Joe
William Hurt	...	Prof. Hobby
Ken Leung	...	Syatyoo-Sama
Clark Gregg	...	Supernerd
Kevin Sussman	...	Supernerd
Tom Gallop	...	Supernerd
Eugene Osment	...	Supernerd
April Grace	...	Female Colleague
Matt Winston	...	Executive
Sabrina Grdevich	...	Secretary
Theo Greenly	...	Todd

Also Known As:

A.I. (USA) (working title (promotional title))
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (USA) (poster title)
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and violent images.

Runtime:

146 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:12 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 (re-rated) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Gresham, Oregon, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Stanley Kubrick worked on the project for 12 years before his death, but along the way decided to let Steven Spielberg direct, saying it was "closer to his sensibilities". The two collaborated for years, resulting in Kubrick giving Spielberg a complete treatment and lots of conceptual art for the film prior to his death.

Goofs:

Continuity: When David picks up the lamp and swings at his other self, he swings right handed but it shows him swinging left handed.

Quotes:

Teddy: What happened?
David: I don't know.
Teddy: I think we're in a cage.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Guys And Dolls

The Kubrick Dialectic, the Spielberg Inheritance, the AI Challenge

The "literalists" are clearly not happy with A.I. So now is a good time to recall that "2001: A Space Odyssey" was greeted upon release with derision, confusion, dismissive reviews, public consternation, and, oh yeah, some thought it was an absolute masterpiece. Beyond the monolithic influence of that film (think of Han Solo's jump to lightspeed, etc.), the symbols of "2001" -- TO THIS VERY DAY -- cannot be decoded using anything but the most personal, interpretive language. The obelisks, the message of the obelisks, the Star Child, Cosmonaut Dave's "room", HAL-9000's true motivation – all these things remain in our collective subconscious as indelible images that refuse to be concretely defined between or among viewers. WHAT CAUSES THIS CONFLICT OF PERCEPTION? IS IT INTENTIONAL? Again and again, Kubrick's films take us to a No-Man's Land of narrative and moral ambiguity, stranding us, forcing us to make decisions, demanding interpretation (or we can judge the surface, walk away, hate the film). To my perception, Kubrick is the only, true "Brechtian" film director. The device Brecht proposed is "Alienation Effect", or put simply, Leading the audience down two, divergent paths at once. My favorite example is "Barry Lyndon". Being the adventures of a young man, handsome, virtuous, well-meaning, ambitious, full of promise. Yet in every scene, the camera "pulls-back" revealing Barry (but never to himself) to be womanizing, self-absorbed, criminally inclined, socially inept, not very bright, morally bankrupt, and at last, a broken shell of a man. Or let's consider "Strangelove": Did Kubrick really create a headbanger, slapstick comedy about nuclear proliferation, mass destruction, and military/political incompetence? The real question is "Who else could have?" Well, that's my take on Kubrick's artistic sensibility, and, without daring to presume Spielberg's motivation, it's what drew them both to "A.I." Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy, cuddly Teddy Bears on one hand, but on the other hand – social institutions are faltering forever -- parenthood, childhood, science, industry, sexuality -- all distorted beyond repair. And Humans, the ultimate A.I. protagonist, seem blissed-out, in denial, more interested in creating "Davids", "Darlenes" and "Gigolo Joes" than in rising water levels and the imminent threat of extinction. Therefore, I believe A.I. is getting precisely the response all Kubrick films "INITIALLY" get. Spielberg's reputation and career can withstand anything that public perception might bring to his films, but I keep thinking that A.I. is the riskiest moment of his artistic life.