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: #4412 in DVD
• Brand: WILLIAMS,ROBIN
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 131 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

Robot To Human, cool
This movie is really good. this movie is aboput a robot who wants to become human. thats pretty cool. it is also a heartwarming story. this movie show no matter if you are man or machine if you put your mind and heart into something you can achive it.

"Welcome to the Human Condition."
The Good Things
*Extras include a featurette and trailer.
*A number of heart-warmingly funny parts (but nothing knee-slappingly hilarious).
*A number of slick special effects.
*Good production design.
*Generally a good story. Even though it has no really strong conflict, it is epic, classy, and as sci-fi, brings up some interesting ideas about robotics.
*Very strong themes concerning the nature of humanity.
*Excellent characters, acting, and writing.
*Good music.

The Bad Things
*The story is driven entirely by the main character's quest, and thus plays out more like a biography (kind of like "Forrest Gump" or something). It is a bit long, and without any major conflict to drive the story, it can be seen as tedious or dull.

The Questionable Things
*Video quality is generally not bad, but some parts have obvious amounts of film grain or particles.
*Thematic elements may not be appropriate for children (rated PG).

This is a cute sci-fi movie with occasional bits of touching comedy, romance, drama. Not only is it heart-warming and intriguing, but it also encapsulates a certain essence that makes it comparable to classic sci-fi (like the works of Isaac Asimov, whose works is a basis for this film). Some people may find this kind of thing boring. But for most serious sci-fi fans (and perhaps comedy fans), it is quite worthwhile.

There's something not quite right, here
Try as he might, he just can't overcome the fact that he's a machine. Don't we all feel like that sometimes? This witty and wonderful movie will make you wonder about the meaning of life and the reasons we are motivated to keep going. Watch this on election night instead of the news coverage. Keep hope alive.