L'Homme bicentenaire

It's about the beauty of life, love and mortality. A masterpiece!

As much as I don't like to sound opinionated, I personally don't understand the hate this movie gets. Sure Bicentennial Man isn't the best movie ever but it is a great and underrated movie that is unfairly dismissed for being overly-sentimental and cloying. Some of it can be slow, but a lot compensates for any misgivings. Bicentennial Man is beautifully filmed, with lovely cinematography and scenery, while the score is gorgeous. I also loved the end credits song, and Celine Dion couldn't have been the more perfect choice to sing it. The script does have a lot of touching moments but it also has humour as well, and good humour at that. The story about life and the human condition is sweet and engaging and the film is competently directed. I really liked the characters, especially the title character who is incredibly endearing. The acting was great, Robin Williams is wonderful and he is solidly supported by Embeth Davidtz, Oliver Platt and Sam Neill. All in all, this is a very good movie. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I heaven't read the book, but BICENTENNIAL MAN is a very touching and heartwarming movie about a house-robot (Robert Williams) that begins a 200-year journey to become and to be legally recognized as a human. During his journey, he has to face the fact and live with it that all loved ones around him grow older and eventually die while he is immortal.

I think that this was one of Robin Williams' best performances ever, if not the best. He proves that he can either play a 'funny wacky' character but also a serious character that will touch the hearts of the viewers. And this movie does just that.

I like the purity and the innocence of the story and I wonder why this movie has such a low rating. It's a must see for all open minded people.

Isaac Asimov, scientist, anthropologist, and philosopher all in one, thought of this Robotic subject beyond the mere joy of fantastic possibilities of computer technology -- it's a more encompassing inquiry to what if a Robot thinks, feels, loves, and yes, wants to be accepted as a human, the imperfections and all!

This Chris Columbus directed movie, with the ever-eloquent Robin Williams, and radiant double deliveries (two character portrayals) by Embeth Davidtz, is not the usual Robin Williams comedy fare. It's not "Flubber" or "Mrs. Doubtfire"; it's a philosophical fable at best. It's the reverse of John Boorman's "Zardoz" (1973), where man wanting to be eternally youthful -- here, Robot Andrew (Robin Williams) does not want to be immortal. He wants to experience and feel life, and with a beloved human companion.

This Robotic journey spanning decades, gives us life lessons, prompts us to think reflectively on questions of life and living, growing old and resignation to death. The point filtered through Portia (Embeth Davidtz) that being human is to risk and make mistakes/wrong decisions, hearkens to a quote by John Cage: "Computers are always right, but life isn't about being right."

Film score is by James Horner ("Legends of the Fall", "Braveheart", "Titanic"). Location shots include San Francisco landmarks with added air transport images (likened to "The Fifth Element") in a futuristic sky. There are no explosive actions or flying bullets, it's an immortal tale about the acceptance of being a mortal human.

Most people who have seen this movie are of the opinion that it was average at best. Indeed there is no complicated plot, no big action scenes and a predictable ending but there is a Story. It's Andrew with his Box of Chocolats, simply going through life searching for what eludes him and what we generally take for granted - humanity. The characters along the way are well acted - in particular the robot creator and his ditsy assistant. This movie is a tear jerker as Andrew's friends come and go and lifetimes pass him by without him really comprehending it all. The only real failings were the large gaps in time and how Andrew came about - but then it's difficult to compress 200 years into 1 1/2 hours. If you enjoyed Azimov's books as much as I did, then this movie is for you. Far better in my opinion than IA or I Robot who also took their cues from Azimov.