Bicentennial Man (1999)

The Remains of the Day meets I, Robot in a sensitive exploration of what it means to be loyal, creative, free, loving, and a human being. Based on the seminal and prolific science-fiction writings of Isaac Asimov, who created worlds and cultures spanning thousands of years where robots (operating under the Three Laws of Robotics) gradually become indistinguishable from humans (and ultimately God), Bicentennial Man gives us Robin Williams as Andrew, a unique robot with the continual desire and capacity to grow and to better himself. Initially purchased as a household appliance (albeit a mobile and polite one) and treated as property, Andrew displays a sensitivity and an aspiration to continually learn that serves him well in his loyalty towards his family (esp. Sam Neill as Sir and Hallie Kate Eisenberg plus Embeth Davidtz as his beloved Little Miss and, later, her granddaughter Portia). He is emancipated by his first owner and begins a quest to gradually approximate humanity not only in his interior creative and emotional life but also in his exterior appearance (and, later, in his internal construction). The robotic design and capacity for facial and emotional expression in this movie are unparalleled and all other technology is well-designed too (with the possible exception of Andrew's cheeseball built-in head-mounted holographic projector). Robin Williams really makes this movie, and the ensemble cast does a warm job of their family dynamics esp. for a sci-fi movie. Robin gets to play the rapid-fire comedian briefly and he utters a number of low-key but funny one-liners as he learns to express his frustration with humans who share a certain gene pool. (Best line: "Does it involve a window?") Kiersten Warren refreshingly plays a ditzy female robot of no romantic interest to Andrew and Oliver Platt plays a sympathetic friend. This movie is similar to but not as long as A.I. and would make a good thinking-family film for children older than 10 (due to a four-letter foray and morning-after pillow talk). However, I was disappointed in the last two minutes, which proved perversely anticlimactic twice over -- and implied that the Hippocratic Oath will no longer exist in 2205. 4.5 stars.