When it was released it 1999, Chris Columbus' 'Bicentennial Man,' based on Isaac Asimov's popular science-fiction novella, was met with very mixed reviews. Perhaps the final product differed from what critics and audiences were expecting. After all, any film starring Robin Williams (in the years before dark streak 'Insomnia,' 'One Hour Photo') could quite reasonably be expected to be a hilarious, all-out comedy, which this is not. 'Bicentennial Man,' despite having a few amusing moments, is played largely for sentimentality, and this is to be expected, considering the reputation of its director. No doubt, also, that many children were dragged along to what parents were anticipating to be an enjoyable family film. Quite frankly, there is plenty of material that would not be ideally suited to the very young, including discussions of sex and a few unexpected expletives. Nonetheless, the film is ultimately very innocent and enjoyable, with a heartwarming message of freedom, love and belonging.
William plays Andrew, a household android of the NDR series, who is purchased by Richard Martin (Sam Neill) and his family in April, 2005. Despite some friction between Andrew and several of the family members (particularly the elder daughter, Lindze Letherman), he eventually becomes a valued member of the Martin family, revealing a capability for creativity and emotion that is unique to his kind. Andrew strikes up a life-long friendship with the youngest daughter, "Little Miss" (Hallie Kate Eisenberg, later Embeth Davidtz), though, being immortal, the ravages of time soon take their tolls on all those he knows and cares about. Above all else, Andrew strives to become human, eventually sacrificing his own immortality for the opportunity to be considered a real person. At its core, the film is a science-fiction retelling of the story of Pinocchio, with a love story thrown in for good measure.
Robin Williams is excellent in the main role, giving his character the likable innocence and (im)perfect comedic timing that the role requires. This is especially notable because Williams spends the entire first half of the film in an android costume, with his metallic face still showing a surprisingly wide range of emotions. Sam Neill is also very good, though it's unfortunate that his character is only present for the first section of the film. Embeth Davidtz (who plays two pivotal characters) is adequate enough, thought not particularly noteworthy. Oliver Platt is quite good as Rupert Burns, the fund-deficient mechanical geek who dedicates a lot of his life to making Andrew human, giving him a face, skin, organs, and ultimately the ability to die.
Considering the futuristic setting, special effects are used surprisingly sparingly, with Columbus opting for impeccably-designed film sets or more traditional settings over extravagant visuals. Andrew lives for almost exactly 200 years (hence, the title 'Bicentennial Man'), and the implications of this particularly that Andrew eventually loses all those that are dear to him are exploited for maximum emotional resonance, even if the film is overly-sentimental on many occasions. The themes of the film, and the basic story of an android learning to love and striving to be human, were later used (to greater effect) by Steven Spielberg for 'Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001).' Nonetheless, 'Bicentennial Man' is a nice film to watch, and is well worth a look, if only for being such an ambitious undertaking for the director and star.
William plays Andrew, a household android of the NDR series, who is purchased by Richard Martin (Sam Neill) and his family in April, 2005. Despite some friction between Andrew and several of the family members (particularly the elder daughter, Lindze Letherman), he eventually becomes a valued member of the Martin family, revealing a capability for creativity and emotion that is unique to his kind. Andrew strikes up a life-long friendship with the youngest daughter, "Little Miss" (Hallie Kate Eisenberg, later Embeth Davidtz), though, being immortal, the ravages of time soon take their tolls on all those he knows and cares about. Above all else, Andrew strives to become human, eventually sacrificing his own immortality for the opportunity to be considered a real person. At its core, the film is a science-fiction retelling of the story of Pinocchio, with a love story thrown in for good measure.
Robin Williams is excellent in the main role, giving his character the likable innocence and (im)perfect comedic timing that the role requires. This is especially notable because Williams spends the entire first half of the film in an android costume, with his metallic face still showing a surprisingly wide range of emotions. Sam Neill is also very good, though it's unfortunate that his character is only present for the first section of the film. Embeth Davidtz (who plays two pivotal characters) is adequate enough, thought not particularly noteworthy. Oliver Platt is quite good as Rupert Burns, the fund-deficient mechanical geek who dedicates a lot of his life to making Andrew human, giving him a face, skin, organs, and ultimately the ability to die.
Considering the futuristic setting, special effects are used surprisingly sparingly, with Columbus opting for impeccably-designed film sets or more traditional settings over extravagant visuals. Andrew lives for almost exactly 200 years (hence, the title 'Bicentennial Man'), and the implications of this particularly that Andrew eventually loses all those that are dear to him are exploited for maximum emotional resonance, even if the film is overly-sentimental on many occasions. The themes of the film, and the basic story of an android learning to love and striving to be human, were later used (to greater effect) by Steven Spielberg for 'Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001).' Nonetheless, 'Bicentennial Man' is a nice film to watch, and is well worth a look, if only for being such an ambitious undertaking for the director and star.