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Bicentennial Man

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Bicentennial Man (1999)

December. 17,1999
|
6.9
|
PG
| Drama Science Fiction
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Richard Martin buys a gift, a new NDR-114 robot. The product is named Andrew by the youngest of the family's children. "Bicentennial Man" follows the life and times of Andrew, a robot purchased as a household appliance programmed to perform menial tasks. As Andrew begins to experience emotions and creative thought, the Martin family soon discovers they don't have an ordinary robot.

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Fluentiama
1999/12/17

Perfect cast and a good story

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SoTrumpBelieve
1999/12/18

Must See Movie...

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Beanbioca
1999/12/19

As Good As It Gets

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WillSushyMedia
1999/12/20

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

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powermandan
1999/12/21

'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)

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dmichelson-01609
1999/12/22

This is an excellent movie. It didn't follow Asimov's story, but it went in the same direction. The actors were superb and affecting in their roles. Robin, Embeth and Sam (to be familiar and brief) nailed their parts and had me believing in their characters. Oliver Platt was also excellent as the robot/android scientist. It's one of my favorite movies however... Two regrets: 1- This movie is STILL not on BluRay! AI finally came out in that format, but if you want to see this movie in hi def you have to stream it. 2- The soundtrack has James Horner's background music and beautiful "You Look at Me" w/ Celine Dion but hot the other popular songs covered by other artists. They were done beautifully as well and should have been included. I don't understand the problem with studios not catering to the likes of audiences instead of their own legal and profit-driven short-sighted interests. They'd make more profits if they aligned their products with the public's likes instead of their own statistics or industrial expectations. Nevertheless, this is a great movie and one of Robin Williams' best. It's also true SF, not SciFi, which is monster and space battle driven. SF is idea driven.

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Hollywood_Yoda
1999/12/23

This is a film that didn't get as much attention or credit as it was due when first released. Bicentennial Man is an extraordinary story about one robot's journey into humanity and the struggles he endures.With a story by Isaac Asimov, and superb acting by Robin Williams, this film will entertain and delight you. It's not an average Asimov story, as it is lighthearted and dramatic, instead of action-packed, like I, Robot.I enjoyed Sam Neill as Sir, the family patriarch and friend to Andrew. The special effects in the film were amazing too, however passed over by the Oscars. It was nominated for best makeup, but it didn't win, unfortunately.A great film for the whole family, although for the younger audience, explaining may be in order.

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grmorin-240-159508
1999/12/24

It has to first be acknowledged that making a film from an epic spanning 200 years is quite difficult. Chris Columbus hits a home with Bicentennial Man, with a precise mixture of pacing, technical sophistication, and trueness to the original story. This is definitely one of Robin Williams' quieter performances, and though we don't see him for much of the first half of the film, his brilliance as a dramatic actor still shines through.I think what is missed by many is the way this film explores the idea of the soul, that we are something more than these crude vessels in which we temporarily reside. This story is about someone who was misplaced in a slightly different vehicle, who spent the majority of his lifetime trying to prove it. For those that knew him closely in the story, his sentience was without question, but like many who are treated as second- class citizens, he longed for a greater acceptance, a true equality.

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