Bicentennial Man

Bicentennial man... what an oddity. The machinery looks real, which is fascinating, and the practical effects make this less of cinema and more of a Passion Project. So many scenes were truly excellent, and especially the development of the beginning of the film where a unique robot is learning sentience. The ending is when it starts to fall apart, as Williams stops acting like a machine and starts acting more like "himself." There are just many off-putting things about the situation, especially a pessimism for the maturity of humans, which, regardless of how factual this is, makes for a jarring experience of, "I'm a robot that wants to be a human because I feel like a human." Essentially he added "sentient robot" to the gender list. What I mean is, simply, is if he was happy being Himself, a sentient robot, then I think the message would have been stronger than him thinking "I'm sad humans don't accept me as a human-robot; I just need more organs."

One of my favorite Robin Williams movies. He plays the character with grace and simple understanding. I would recommend this movie to feels that AI can be a danger to man kind. He shows us that AI can evolve into being as kind and understanding, wanting to grow and learn about being human,including death. It is a touching movie.

This is my favorite Robin Williams movie! It heart warming and funny! You won't regret buying this movie!!

Good movie accompanied by a great soundtrack. Film is a hidden treasure staring Robin Williams and Sam Neil.

I love this movie!!!! Came fast!

When this film was released 18 days before the turn of the century it was hurt at the box office by two nearly fatal blows. The first was the temporary backlash against Robin Williams at the time for his performance in the manipulative Patch Adams. The second was the onslaught of reviews that called it "schmaltzy" and "overly-sentimental". Well, I never found it to be that way. If you want to watch a horribly manipulative and sentimental emotional rape then check-out the other Columbus/Williams movie Mrs. Doubtfire. I'd rather throw myself into the path of an oncoming combine harvester than watch that again.The film opens in 2005 (the "near future" at the time) as Mr. Martin (Sam Neill), a wealthy businessman has a robot servant delivered to his luxurious home. As soon as the robot is powered up he seems to be...different. His name is Andrew (which means "man" or "manly") and while his body may be robotic, his personality is not. In fact he very slowly develops and learns human characteristics as he interacts and responds to the world around him.Mr. Martin is astonished by Andrew's ability to understand art and music. He treats him like a member of the family and educates him by the fire every night on the customs and history of mankind. As the years pass and lives fade away Andrew sets-off on a decades-long journey to find other robots like him. The quest ends when he meets Rupert Burns (Oliver Platt), a robotics engineer who turns Andrew from a simple robot into a life-like android. Upon returning home with his new appearance he falls in love with his old master's great-granddaughter, who is an exact double of her grandmother. They want to be with each other so badly but know they will never be accepted by society unless Andrew can become fully human. Which is impossible.Or is it? It's a question for the atheists and religious zealots to fight over. At what point does Andrew develop a soul? Why is he different from other robots? Did God give him the gift of human emotion? It is a cosmic selection or is it up to the World Council to declare Andrew human? It all builds to a heartbreaking ending, that is honestly one of the toughest movie endings I have ever had to sit through. I can't even write about it so I'll end my description here.This is familiar territory for Williams though. His performance as Mork learning about Earth and marrying a human woman is rather close to Andrew Martin's journey to become a man. And although I wouldn't call it a kid's film, or even a comedy, there are still a lot of laughs. But not in the usual anarchic Williams style. Andrew's curiosity of the world is a much more refined and quieter performance. It's a shame that most people can't see that it's Williams inside the suit for the first hour of the film as it makes us forget he's there on the screen and perhaps appreciate his acting ability less.James Horner's score is also simply wonderful. It's hard to believe the man who gave us the storming action sound of Commando and Aliens could also be capable of something so warm and beautiful. I guess they didn't give him the award for Titanic for nothing. For this movie he again teamed-up with Celine Dion to record the song "Then You Look At Me", which is the perfect tune to roll the credits to. I don't care what you think about me, I love it. Even if the lyrics make that ending even more harrowing.Despite going as far ahead as the year 2205, there's no utopia or dystopia subtext to distract us from the story of Andrew's life. The evolution of technology and architecture is handled subtly and is unobtrusive. It's a quirky irony though, that Andrew's inventions and discoveries help save lives and forward the human race despite not being fully human himself.Bicentennial Man is certainly the most mature and subversive film of Chris Columbus' career as a director. As I said, not a kid's film but a masterpiece of science-fiction and character drama. How anyone could ever truly hate this film is beyond me.

BICENTENNIAL MAN: The Best Movie I've Ever Watched with Great Respect- We do not often realize what we have until we lose it. This movie tells us what our <<freedom>> means to us and reminds us of how prestigious for us to have existed as <<Humans>>.- <<One has studied your history. Terrible wars have been fought where millions have died for one idea: freedom. And it seems that something that means so much to so many people would be worth having>>.In the year of 2205, the World Congress declares that the robot, known as Andrew Martin, has finally been recognized as the 200-year oldest Human Being and approves his legal marriage to his wife Portia. Andrew was created by Humans as a property with an artificial brain run by orders from the will of his Human owners. Although he is a mere machine, he feels tremendous sadness as he has to watch the people whom he <<loves>> leave him dying one by one as years pass by. He feels even sadder because he doesn’t have tears to cry despite the <<feeling>> he doesn't even know how to describe. He’s got <<emotion>>. I believe that emotion is the purest and the most complex part of our soul. The immortal android Andrew chooses to be a mortal Human Being eventually facing his own death. And right a few seconds before the World Congress announces that he’s legally been recognized a Human, quietly, very quietly he takes his last breath next to his wife he <<loved>>. His wife Portia, too, turns off her LSS (Life-Support System) and dies in peace holding her dear husband’s hand.Galatea: I’m sorry he didn’t see it.Portia: Maybe he didn’t need to… Could you do me a favor? Would you mind unplugging me?Galatea: ……Portia: That’s an order...(Galatea unplugs Portia from her LSS)Portia: Thank you, Galatea.Galatea: …As the great Andrew Martin used to say, <<One is glad to be of service>>…Here we learn that Galatea possesses Human emotion like his old master and friend Andrew Martin. She obeys Portia’s order and unplugs her from the LSS. Robots are run by the program created by the <<will>> of Humans, and the <<will>> defines:1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, cause a human being to come to harm.2. A robot must obey all human orders except where those orders come in conflict with the first law.3. A robot must protect itself, so long as doing so does not conflict with the first two laws.According to these three Robotic Laws, a robot must disobey one’s Human owner when given an order to harm that person. But Galatea obeys Portia against the law. She makes the decision based on her own <<will>>, and it is because she understands Portia’s emotion. Watching Andrew’s life so devoted to the Human values that have been forgotten among Humans, Galatea, at the moment of Andrew's death, ends up understanding the complicated <<Human emotion>> that cannot be understood by any being other than Humans. Galatea has become a complex being like we humans. Therefore her last line <<One is glad to be of service>> isn’t the programmed, routine robot words anymore. She means it from the bottom of her own <<heart>>.Portia: (holding Andrew’s hand after Galatea unplugs her) I’ll see you soon.I don’t cry, but watching this scene I felt hot tears spring out of my eyes.As the title BICENTENNIAL <<MAN>> says, Andrew is the oldest <<HUMAN>> except the exceptional figures from the ancient myths. As a robot, he could've lived forever. But he would rather die a man than live for all eternity as a machine in order to be acknowledged for who and what he is, for the simple truth of the <<eternal recognition of his existence>> so as to live or die with dignity.I recommend this great movie to my fellow Human brothers and sisters who want to know how valuable beings we all are and why, even though we are all going to die anyway, it is worth suffering to live our tough lives.

Touches all the emotional buttons, cinematically excellent & special effects that leave me wondering "how'd they do that?" Still 5* in present day!

As you can see from my review title this is more than just about a a robot wanting to become a man but more of ones self journey through life and searching for it's meaning and by the end Andrew Martin achieves just that and a whole lot more. We begin with Andrew as he is being halled into the living room where he would meet his family for the next 200+ years giver or take, they (the family) soon realize that Andrew is no ordinary robot he is unique he has emotion, feelings and desires of a normal human being and along the way displays those things in such a way that he becomes an honouray part of their family. As his owners grow older they of course eventually sitcom to death and he has sole funny interactions with "little miss" as her older self and her great grand daughter and he struggles with their complete and utter resemblence and then as little miss like her father and mother before she too sitcoms to death. As Andrew struggles with the fact that he wants to become more & more human he begins to realize one unavoidable fact.. He has fallen in love with Portia (the great grand daughter of little miss) and he realises in order to win her heart he must make the next step in becoming all man and stop her from marrying another man and when he does and they are together he wants to be recognised as a human being which doesn't come to till they are both during and he dies before they deliver the final verdict to indeed recognise him as a human being and Portia says that maybe he didn't need their approval which is one the big morals of the story which is to be true to you and follow your heart & your dreams. I absolutely love this and I always will, I highly reccomend it.

Look beyond the gormless faces on the front cover of Robin Williams and a dopey looking robot and you will find a decent movie. The cover is a put off as it really does give the impression this is a comedy. Yes, it has laughs, but the focus is far deeper than tongue in cheek comedy.Bicentennial Man is a rollercoaster of a movie looking into a future with domestic robots for human use. Fair enough, it could happen. But what happens if a computer chip starts functioning on its own and strives to become more human like and think for itself? Does this eventually lead to a sentient being capable of emotion or love? This film is a 400 year epic journey starting from the roots of a young robot and ending in a love so deep, it can even make a hard bloke weep.

This one of a few movies that has really had an impact in me. Everything about it is pure brilliance. The story is fantastic, the actors do a fantastic job.The late Robin Williams has achieved something great in this movie playing a robot integrated in family life and start to understand on its own without the program chip turned on. Me describing the movie its not enough and recommend you getting it and watching it yourselves. Its simply brilliant. Love it

this if a well thought out film. the effects are good and the story effective. its a great film when it comes to seeing the changes brought on by the passage of time. you get to see a good few hundred years of development in this. robin williams does well. he is a bit silly but thats him. he does the sad parts well and for someone so animated he plays a good robotto. this film is easily capable of bringing a tear to the eye. it is profound and touching, two qualities id never have expected from this flick.very good family film and also good for the older viewer. it has many different levels for different peoples.looking for serious sci-fi? skip this. looking for some fun, realism and emotion mixed all together? this is your cup of tea. . . enjoy

Loved Robin Williams in most of films he did. This one highly unusual given he didn't do much in sci fi in his career. It's poignant and uplifting a kind of fable. We follow Willams as Robot over 200 years as he tries to become more human than just machine. At end he gets what he wants to bell human being through technology, but at what price when the family that originally bought him all die of old age. I won't give final await its sad but in strange way uplifting.