BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

powermandan 'Bicentennial Man' was one of Robin Williams' last films in the 90s; possibly his worst decade for film. Despite some major triumphs (Good Will Hunting, Awakenings, Mrs. Doubtfire) Williams also had his fair share of failures (Toys, Jack). In between these were some flicks with great intentions that ultimately flopped (Patch Adams, Father's Day). 'Bicentennial Man' does not really fall into any of these categories because it is not entirely good or bad. Just watch the film for yourself and be the judge and summon your own opinion on this gentle sci-fi picture. The saving grace with any Robin Williams film is Robin Williams (well, Toys is the exception). There are many funny-as-hell people that are also excellent serious actors, but Williams had a way of really reaching deep inside someone's soul and resonating his angelic soul within the viewer. And 'Bicentennial Man' was tailor-made for Williams' true self. He plays a robot named Andrew who is bought to service the Martin family. There are parallels with Andrew and Robin. Sure he's hilarious and talented, but it is his inner self that lingers on. The difference with Andrew and most other robots in movies is his growth to attaining human emotions. He loves the parents (played graciously by Sam Neill and Wendy Crewson), youngest daughter he nicknames "Little Miss", even the older daughter that hates him. They quickly think of him like one of the family, equal to them. The chemistry between Andrew and the family is fantastic. Anybody that says the relationship between Andrew and the family is cheesy and Hallmark-y is dead wrong. It's not just Robin Williams that is owning his part, it's something the entire cast and crew needed to contribute properly. And it works perfectly.Clocking in at over 130 minutes and having a title like "Bicentennial Man" it is obvious that Andrew and the Martin family was not going to happen throughout the duration of this film. But boy, I wish I wish it did. Just over an hour is Andrew and the Martins. I was absolutely loving this. There are some ups and downs in the family, none of which are cheep. There is a scene where Andrew and Little Miss are playing piano and it flashes forward about twenty years, so the flaws that are in this are forgivable. I'm not saying this first hour is perfect, but is sure is wonderful. Following the death of Mr. Martin, I was ready to eject this, thinking it was over and the time went by fast. I was so wrong. After this the movie becomes a run of the mill, equality, Pinocchio, love conquers all movie. The second hour is where the movie becomes the shmaltzy, Garry Marshall, Hallmark movie I was afraid of. He wants independence and to be full human, yadda-yadda-yadda. And this 69 minute portion feels so stretched out. He meets and inventor (another great performance here by Oliver Platt) who holds the keys to Andrew becoming as human as can be. Now the Hallmark stuff gets put on hold for some fascinating robotic innovations and wickedly cool filming. This closes the chapter of seeing Andrew looking like a robot and Andrew looking like Robin. While the special effects were cool, the progession of the story become more cliched. I know I've said numerous times how corny the second half is, but I can't stress it enough. After a long dry-spell from Little Miss, Andrew returns to surprise her with his humanoid expterior. Adult Little Miss is played by Embeth Davitz, as is her granddaughter. A romance blossoms between Andrew and this fourth generation woman. It is even cheesier than the romance in the recent 'Shape of Water.' By the end credits I went back and skimmed a few seconds from the beginning, baffled to think such a wonderful movie ended up so lousy. But, I have a talented actor to thank for helping me make it through this movie. 'Bicentennial Man' isn't entirely bad. Even some parts in the bad half are saved by excellent filming. They were nominated for an Oscar, a win would not have been a big deal. But the poor writing almost completely overclouds this aspect. If you are a huge fan of Robin Williams, then I recommend giving it a watch. If not, I recommend watching the lovely first half and stopping once Mr. Martin passes away. That is what I will do from now on.6.5/10 (rounded up)

James For a film nigh-on 20 years old, Chris Columbus's "Bicentennial Man" stands out from most others (with the possible exception of Spielberg's equally mind-blowing "Artificial Intelligence" from 2001) in its warmth, freshness and quality. Rarely was ageing makeup better deployed on screen; ... or design work (visibly drawing on the Arts and Crafts and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's version of Art Nouveau); rarely was a (James Horner) theme tune more sweeping and emotionally all-embracing; rarely was a future scenario addressed with more gusto; and rarely were meaningful emotions put on display more overtly.This is by no means the end of the creativity, as there are comic turns, some beautiful bits of natural scenery, breathtaking and optimistic cityscapes of the future and much else besides.Not bad for a film (drawing on Asimov sci-fi) that never needed to be made, posing questions that perhaps may never need to be asked.But what if? And, ultimately, why not? Cinema exists for a purpose and here we are swept, ever-movingly, through the years, and to philosophical places that at times seem to offer beauty and clarity, while at other moments pass beyond the uncomfortable. Here is a film that has no fear - ultimately declaring that a 200-year-old robot, by virtue of steady mechanical evolution, learning, imitation, personal development and contacts with others that generate love can achieve such a degree of sentience, such a level of humanity, that a soul for it might spontaneously pop into existence just for those very reasons. If this a daring conclusion, or a shocking one, well who cares? Let us have it brought before us for analysis - just bring it on! It's a real film that is doing the asking, and there is no necessity for that to be easy or straightforward, fully cohesive, or even always entirely comfortable watching.Since the late Robin Williams does the honours as "Bicentennial Man" himself, otherwise "Andrew Martin", it is surprising how little the real-life story we now know tweaks retrospectively what we see in the movie ... in either direction. But what is certain is that when the metallic android features of the film's first half ultimately give way to the face of the actor we recognise so well, - well, with the benefit of that hindsight we feel persuaded that there can seldom have been a more vivacious, alive and just plain good-looking, nice-looking, human-looking actor. At his best, Williams always had the ability to convey both warmth and sincerity, and here he does wonders.What is more, our story's Andrew (much like Star Trek's "Data" who addressed many of the same ethical, moral and philosophical questions in "The Next Generation") seems particularly adept at bringing out humanity and decency in other characters around him, most notably the erstwhile owner and ultimate liberator and friend Richard Martin (here played with intense warmth and aplomb by Sam Neill), as well as a great Oliver Platt as robotics genius Rupert Burns; and - of course - Embeth Davidtz as two separate members of the Martin family separated by two generations and making "progress" over that time in what they are willing to commit to.This is, but is also more than, a "Robin Williams" film. It has tremendous, magnificent, moving sweep; overwhelming self-belief; and a capacity - as the final credits roll - to make a viewer feel that something worthwhile and meaningful has been experienced. That's more than enough to satisfy this film-fan at least...

Jonathan Roberts For the first 45-60 minutes of 'Bicentennial Man', I was asking myself how the critics could be so irrational. It was shaping up to be a great film! Then, of course, their analysis started to make sense. A number of very good films are divided into superior and inferior halves, for instance Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket'. In this case, the downgrade of quality is noticeable but not significant enough to damage my enjoyment of the film. Sadly, that isn't the case for 'Bicentennial Man'. This film sees the perpetually enjoyable Robin Williams take on one of his most peculiar roles - a lifelike robot styled after one of the creations of literary giant Isaac Asimov. The casting of Williams seems like a good choice at first: the robot is spontaneous, upbeat and endlessly curious about the human condition. As the film progresses, though, the director seemed to get the idea that our android protagonist shouldn't just imitate humans, and instead focus specifically on behaving just like Robin Williams. With the exception of the sentimental closing minutes, the second half of the film gives us little more than an onslaught of predictable puns and forgettable humour. With around an hour of the film relying on cheap comedy in place of meaningful science fiction, I don't believe much could be salvaged from 'Bicentennial Man'. If you're drawn in by the story outline or subject matter, I'd advise you to try another Asimov adaptation (or simply read or listen to one of his amazing stories!).

Kirpianuscus the emotions are pillars of this lovely modern fairy tale. because it is only version of the old myth of Pygmalion. because it could be an useful reflection of the struggle of different minorities for be accepted. because it represents a nice meeting between Isaac Asimov text and the art of Robin Williams. it is strange to define it more than trip in future and to remember old lectures. it preserves the flavor of childhood. its dreams, stories, desires and projects. its bitter steps to the self definition. its sweet romanticism. its silhouettes from a time of precise rules and noble feelings and the chosen. humor, delicacy, few splendid scenes, version of Pinocchio and, maybe, for a part of its public, homage to Collodi.in more measure than adaptation of Asimov. a nice film. and embroidery of emotions. .