'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
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