recommended

Great Film overall

Blistering performances.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

After reading the mixed to negative reviews, I was a bit worried that this film wouldn't be that great. But, to my surprise, I found that I couldn't disagree more with some of those reviews, because this movie was really damn good. The performances are great, the story is touching and well written, the narrative is gripping, and the premise is really well executed. The music score, which isn't something I usually talk about, is surprisingly great in this movie and is something worth noting. However, despite this movie being a pleasant surprise, I did find the script to be a bit messy at times. It isn't really that bad, but there were times a few lines felt out of place and/or kind of half-assed. Another thing I noticed is that this movie can drag on a bit too long in a few scenes, which, while it doesn't necessarily ruin this movie, can still be a tad bit of an annoyance when you just want to know what happens next. Overall, despite these few flaws, this is one hell of a movie, and the fact that so many people didn't enjoy it as much as I did kind of makes me sad, as I genuinely think this is one of the smartest and most heart wrenching movies I've seen with Robin Williams, as it does a good job of not only having a few funny moments, but also having a lot of heart warming moments, whether it be Andrew slowly becoming human or Andrew finally finding love. I thought this film was great and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet, because, while this is definitely not a perfect movie, it is still, in my opinion, an underrated classic.

'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)

Nice try, but since I am huge fan of Dr Asimov, I can't help but judge. The love story infused with the movie is understandable, yet brings down the phenomenal story to just a regular movie. Andrew was never portrayed as the true leader scientist he became and that he could defy the second law using pure logic. What really threw me off was the second to last sentence of the movie. This is an order, which is a complete disobedience of the First law of robotics. If you are improvising and adding extra extra stories please at least have the courtesy of following the ever first sentence of every Isaac Asimov's robotics book. "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."

Bicentennial Man (1999): Dir: Chris Columbus / Cast: Robin Williams, Sam Neill, Oliver Platt, Embeth Davidtz, Wendy Crewson: Filled with images of hopelessness that one could easily experience in rush hour traffic. It is about a robot who wishes to become human. It is 2005 and the robot becomes the newest household appliance. Sam Neill has a robot delivered to his home and he discovers that it has many human aspects. Depression sets in when the robot lives on while everyone else dies. The film never has fun with his journey. Director Chris Columbus approaches the material from different angles. He previously made Mrs. Doubtfire and Stepmom, also about supplementary role models. What is truly disappointing is that the film fails to have fun with its charming premise. Robin Williams is basically playing a robot version of himself. His whole journey is basically a bunch of subplots of little interest. Sam Neill is wasted in what amounts to a growing-old-and-die role. Platt's character is a buffoon who should go back to playing with lego.then there is a useless appearance by Embeth Davidtz that amounts to absolutely nothing. It raises questions about life and relationships but hardly uplifting when presenting these themes. Visual elements are great and are the film's best element but how can a robot find life if the story he is in is totally dead? Score: 5 / 10