Product Description

From the acclaimed director of MRS. DOUBTFIRE, Academy Award(R)-winner Robin Williams (1997, Best Actor, GOOD WILL HUNTING) stars in a delightfully heartwarming comedy about one extraordinary android who just wants to be an ordinary guy! It doesn't take long for the Martin family to realize Andrew (Williams), who was purchased as a mere "household appliance," is no run-of-the-mill robot! Funny, incredibly lifelike, and possessing an astounding level of creativity, this special machine soon takes on a life of his own -- and eventually begins a centuries-long quest to achieve true humanity! A crowd-pleasing comedy hit -- everyone is sure to love this touchingly entertaining movie treat!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7006 in DVD
• Brand: Disney
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 132 minutes

Amazon.com
Bicentennial Man was stung at the 1999 box office, due no doubt in part to poor timing during a backlash against Robin Williams and his treacly performances in two other, then-recent releases, Jakob the Liar and Patch Adams. But this near-approximation of a science fiction epic, based on works by Isaac Asimov and directed, with uncharacteristic seriousness of purpose, by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire), is much better than one would have known from the knee-jerk negativity and box-office indifference.

Williams plays Andrew, a robot programmed for domestic chores and sold to an upper-middle-class family, the Martins, in the year 2005. The family patriarch (Sam Neill) recognizes and encourages Andrew's uncommon characteristics, particularly his artistic streak, sensitivity to beauty, humor, and independence of spirit. In so doing, he sets Williams's tin man on a two-century journey to become more human than most human beings.

As adapted by screenwriter Nicholas Kazan, the movie's scale is novelistic, though Columbus isn't the man to embrace with Spielbergian confidence its sweeping possibilities. Instead, the Home Alone director shakes off his familiar tendencies to pander and matures, finally, as a captivating storyteller. But what really makes this film matter is its undercurrent of deep yearning, the passion of Andrew as a convert to the human race and his willingness to sacrifice all to give and take love. Williams rises to an atypical challenge here as a futuristic Everyman, relying, perhaps for the first time, on his considerable iconic value to make the point that becoming human means becoming more like Robin Williams. Nothing wrong with that. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Not a kid's film at all. Touching and thought provoking.
The first thing that struck me about this film was the fact that it wasn't funny. Sure it had its moments like other dramas, but being billed as a comedy, this was surprising. The second is that most children watching this film will be bored and confused with the subject matter. Although it is a clean family movie, the topics covered (i.e. euthanasia, discrimination, immortality, etc.) are most definitely adult.

I am glad it wasn't a simple comedy, as within I found a touching, human story about a robot's search for meaning and humanity. It is a remarkable film, with great acting by both Robin Williams and Sam Neil. This was combined with a great score and wonderful visuals. It truly is a great film.

In conclusion, if you're looking for the comedy from the trailer look elsewhere. If you're looking for a family movie which your younger kids can get into, look elsewhere. This is a thought provoking and touching drama which contemplates very complex issues in a highly entertaining manner. I loved this film and highly recommend it.

Film Gives a Heart to Asimov's Intellectual Robot Story
Based on the Isaac Asimov short story "The Bicentennial Man" which was later adapted by Robert Silverberg in "The Positronic Man," director Chris Columbus has managed to merge a powerful romantic epic with Asimov's intellectual story.

The story was written to celebrate the 1976 Bicentennial of the USA and Asimov's story told about a robot that strives to be human. While this is a very prevalent idea nowadays, i.e. Data on Star Trek, it was pretty original at that time.

Columbus shows wonderful respect for the source material, which he betters in every way. How often can you say that of a movie? Columbus understands that in the future everything will not be immediately different. The film portray this by slowly adding futuristic elements on top of real settings. In an era of CGI sets that don't look real, this sci-fi movie is all the better for it's matter of fact approach to the future.

The performances are uniformly great with Williams giving such a strong performance beneath the costume that when his face is revealed it is a little startling. He also injects a sense of humor that makes more powerful the romance and pathos of the plot.

This is a film that deserved better than it got. It is an epic, in the sense of Tolstoy and "Gone With the Wind", with a science fiction worldview.

In this film of a robot's search to become more human, we feel more strongly the precious gift of our own humanity. That is all we can ask of any work of art.

Bicentennial Man
For years I have been a great fan of Issac Asmov. Without a doubt, Bicentennial Man was my favorite of his stories because, although most of Asmov's robot novels have a more intellectual ending, this one had more real depth and feeling than anything I have ever read from him. The movie expands on this in a profound way and extends Asmov's novelette into a full feature in a way I have seen few books rendered to film. Although I have seen some bad press on this movie, (notably Robert Ebert) DON'T believe it, my fiancee loved it so much she had to see her favorite parts again after it was over, and she is NOT a science fiction fan (of a fan of Asmov for that matter.) I have also heard that the humor was also rather dry, and I don't believe that this is true either. Although Robin Williams was not the zany character he usually is, many of his jokes were extremely funny. (Ex. A buddhist walks up to a hotdog vender and says, "make me one with everything.") I believe that the more subdued tone he played worked with the tone of the character. His usual antics would have looked inappropiate for a robot who was not supposed to have a personality at all. Over time, his character does learn to be more expressive, but never to the extreme extent of Williams in other movies (Ex. The Fisher King.), however, my fiancee said that William's concept of phyisical and emotional love was one of the most romantic things she had ever heard. Other comments aside, I believe this is one of the best films I have seen in months, and I would HIGHLY recommend it. The DVD is well done with an excellent transfer, good Dolby Digital effects, and it DOES have a trailer and movie featurette. (a previous review made on this BBS before the DVD was even released, says it did not.)