Bicentennial Man

Owing to the fact that it is based on an Isaac Asimov story, `Bicentennial Man' turns out to be a more interesting and meaningful film than both its advertising campaign and its own opening section would indicate. The caveat for those seeking out a fun film for the entire family is that this movie, though initially sold as a warm cuddly comedy in the tradition of say `Mrs. Doubtfire,' actually deals with some very heavy and heady issues like sexuality, aging and dying, which may make it less-than-ideal viewing for young children.

The first section of the film is, by far, its weakest. In 2005, the wealthy Martin family receives delivery of a brand new servant android (Robin Williams) who, almost immediately, begins to display a remarkable range of human emotions and interests. Thus, we are set up for yet another in a long line of predictable tales (i.e. `Harry and the Hendersons,' `Stuart Little') in which a family comes to adopt a strange, not-quite-human creature, welcoming him in as one of their own. Indeed, in the film's early stages, there is no shortage of either bland humor or drippy sentimentality as Andrew, the android, ingratiates himself with all but one of the Martin household. The `wit' in the film consists, basically, of endless jokes about how Andrew takes all idioms at literal face value, a running gag that is, finally, as unoriginal as it is wearying.

Then, however, just as we are about to give up hope in it, the movie becomes more intriguing. Rather than staying within the context of the present life of this one family, the screenplay begins to move ahead in time, exploring Andrew's gradual growth toward total humanity, while the initial family grows up and eventually dies off. Actually, despite how one may feel about the film itself, one must admire its boldness and audacity, for it is not often that, in a film billed as a mass audience comedy, all the main characters pass on to their heavenly reward at one point or another – but, then again, how many comedies span a two hundred year time period? `Bicentennial Man' obviously has more on its mind than mere fish-out-of-water buffoonery, as it becomes an often-elegiac reflection on the transience of life, the meaning of being human and the search for societal acceptance. The mood of the film is remarkably hushed and reflective at times, which again might make it slow going for the modern mass audience more conditioned to a faster pace and giddier tone, especially in a Robin Williams film (though, of late, his films have certainly been taking on a much more somber quality, vide `What Dreams may Come,' `Patch Adams' and `Jakob the Liar'). There are times when `Bicentennial Man' seems overly impressed with its own self-importance, yet one appreciates its refusal to settle for the easy path of cheap comedy and upbeat sentiments. There is, indeed, a real sadness to much of the film.

Special acknowledgement should be made of the superb art direction, set design, costume design, makeup and special effects that together give the film its understated and believable futuristic look. In addition, James Horner's melancholic symphonic score, though a bit lubricious at times, does create an atmosphere of contemplative seriousness that perfectly matches the tone and purpose of the film.

`Bicentennial Man' may not turn out to be what you are looking for when you first seek it out, but, if you approach it with an open mind and a certain degree of tolerance and indulgence, you may be pleasantly surprised and, perhaps, even rewarded.

Best robot film ever. This really is a great film, which shows how a machine who strangely is endowed with creativity, thought and awareness unlike other robots, strives to become more than he is. This is a great film and very much about family life, emotions, what it means to be human, and trying to better oneself through both serving others and learning with others about oneself. If you ever wanted to be more than you are then watch this film. This is not so much a film about robots or sci-fi, but a film about life and humanity and relationships, love and family. The robots and sci-fi are just a scenario which allows us to explore ourselves more as humans and wonder about our existence.

Most people who have seen this movie are of the opinion that it was average at best. Indeed there is no complicated plot, no big action scenes and a predictable ending but there is a Story. It's Andrew with his Box of Chocolats, simply going through life searching for what eludes him and what we generally take for granted - humanity. The characters along the way are well acted - in particular the robot creator and his ditsy assistant. This movie is a tear jerker as Andrew's friends come and go and lifetimes pass him by without him really comprehending it all. The only real failings were the large gaps in time and how Andrew came about - but then it's difficult to compress 200 years into 1 1/2 hours. If you enjoyed Azimov's books as much as I did, then this movie is for you. Far better in my opinion than IA or I Robot who also took their cues from Azimov.

As much as I don't like to sound opinionated, I personally don't understand the hate this movie gets. Sure Bicentennial Man isn't the best movie ever but it is a great and underrated movie that is unfairly dismissed for being overly-sentimental and cloying. Some of it can be slow, but a lot compensates for any misgivings. Bicentennial Man is beautifully filmed, with lovely cinematography and scenery, while the score is gorgeous. I also loved the end credits song, and Celine Dion couldn't have been the more perfect choice to sing it. The script does have a lot of touching moments but it also has humour as well, and good humour at that. The story about life and the human condition is sweet and engaging and the film is competently directed. I really liked the characters, especially the title character who is incredibly endearing. The acting was great, Robin Williams is wonderful and he is solidly supported by Embeth Davidtz, Oliver Platt and Sam Neill. All in all, this is a very good movie. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Firstly, i have not read Asimov's book and therefore cannot remark on any errors in translation from book to film.

I have read many of the comments posted here on the IMDb, but fail to see why so many people feel the need to mention that the world is perceived as perfect in the the future, maybe it is, maybe it isn't, the fact is, it's not important. This movie quite simply follows the life of a man trapped in a robots body and his quest to be accepted in the world, and be allowed to love and cherish the people close to him.

I have to say that i didn't expect much from this movie, i thought it would be a kids film, full of typical Robin Williams style laughs, i was way off in my assumption. This is probably Robin Williams's best performance and it is a very emotional journey through change and development of the human condition.

Overall the film is quite amusing, very touching and is full of realistic characters all very well cast to not overshadow 'Andrew' as he quests over 200 years for acceptance.

A great movie 9/10