Bicentennial Man (film)

Last updated
Bicentennial Man
Bicentennial man film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chris Columbus
Screenplay by Nicholas Kazan
Based on
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Phil Méheux
Edited by Neil Travis
Music by James Horner
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • December 17, 1999 (1999-12-17)(United States)
Running time
132 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90-100 million [1] [2]
Box office$87.4 million [1]

Bicentennial Man is a 1999 American science fiction comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, Sam Neill, Embeth Davidtz (in a dual role), Wendy Crewson and Oliver Platt. Based on the 1992 novel The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg (which is based on Asimov's original 1976 novelette "The Bicentennial Man"), the plot explores issues of humanity, slavery, prejudice, maturity, intellectual freedom, conformity, sex, love, mortality and immortality. The film, a co-production by Touchstone Pictures and Columbia Pictures, was directed by Chris Columbus. The title derives from the main character existing to the age of two hundred years.

Contents

Bicentennial Man was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in the United States and internationally by Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International on December 17, 1999, and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. It was a box office bomb, grossing $87.4 million against a $90–100 million budget. [3] It was the last work of production designer Norman Reynolds before his retirement. [4]

Makeup artist Greg Cannom was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup at the 72nd Academy Awards. The theme song of the film, "Then You Look at Me", was written by James Horner and Will Jennings and sung by Celine Dion. [5]

Plot

On April 3, 2005, the NDR series robot "Andrew" is introduced into the Martin family home to perform housekeeping and maintenance duties and introduces himself by showing a presentation of the Three Laws of Robotics. The eldest daughter Grace despises Andrew, but her younger sister Amanda is sympathetic to him, and Andrew discovers he feels emotions, and is drawn to spend more time with his "Little Miss". He accidentally breaks one of her glass figurines and is able to carve a new one out of wood, which surprises her father Richard. He takes Andrew to NorthAm Robotics to inquire if Andrew's creativity was part of his programming. NorthAm's CEO Dennis Mansky claims this is a problem and offers to scrap Andrew, but instead Richard takes Andrew back home and encourages him to continue his creativity and explore other humanities. Andrew becomes a clockmaker and earns a sizable fortune managed by Richard after they find that robots have no rights under current laws.

Time passes, and Richard encourages Dennis to retrofit Andrew with the ability to present facial expressions to match his emotions. About two decades after being awoken, Andrew presents Richard with all the money he has made to ask for his freedom. Wounded by this, Richard refuses, but grants Andrew his independence on the condition that he may no longer reside at the Martin home. Andrew builds his own home by the beach. In 2048, Richard is on his death bed, and apologizes to Andrew for banishing him before he dies.

Following Richard's death, Andrew goes on a quest to find other NDR robots that are like him, frequently communicating back to Amanda, who has since married and divorced, and has a son Lloyd and granddaughter Portia. In 2068, during his quest, Andrew discovers Galatea, an NDR robot that has been modified with a female personality and traits. Andrew becomes interested in how Galatea was modified by Rupert Burns, the son of the original NDR designer, and finds he has a number of potential ideas to help make robots appear more human-like. Andrew agrees to fund Rupert's work and to be a test subject and is soon given a human-like appearance. Andrew finally returns to the Martin home in 2088 and finds that Amanda has grown old while Portia looks much like her grandmother at her age. Portia is initially cautious of Andrew, but soon accepts him as part of the Martin family.

When Amanda dies, this makes Andrew realizes that all those he cares for will also pass on. He presents ideas to Rupert to create artificial organs that not only can be used in humans to prolong their lives but also to replace Andrew's mechanical workings. Andrew gains the ability to eat, feel emotions and sensations, and even have sexual relationships, resulting in him and Portia falling in love. Andrew petitions the World Congress to recognize him as a human as to allow him to marry Portia, but the body expresses concern that an immortal human will cause jealousy from others. Andrew returns to Rupert for one last operation: to change the artificial fluids driving his body into a blood equivalent. Rupert cautions him that the blood will not last forever, causing his body to age and will die eventually, a fate Andrew accepts. Several decades afterwards, a now visibly aged Andrew again approaches the World Congress, with Portia as support, to appeal their past decision, wanting to be able to die with dignity.

On April 2, 2205, with Andrew's body deteriorating, he and Portia are both under life support monitored by Galatea, now with a human appearance. They hold hands and watch the World Congress as they recognize Andrew as a human being, the world's oldest at 200 years, and giving all rights confirmed by that, including validating his marriage to Portia. Andrew dies during the broadcast, which is confirmed by Galatea while Portia asserts that Andrew already knew the answer. After ordering Galatea to turn off her life support, Portia soon dies, hand-in-hand with Andrew as she whispers to him "See you soon".

Cast

Production

Walt Disney Studios was concerned about the cost of the film, estimated to be over $100 million, and even though pre-production was underway and sets were already being built they pulled the plug and halted production. The film was originally slated to be released under its Hollywood Pictures label, until it was transferred to Touchstone during production. [6] Disney chairman Joe Roth came to an agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman John Calley, to co-finance the film and agreed to split distribution responsibilities for the film between Touchstone Pictures in North America and Columbia Pictures internationally. [2]

Robin Williams confirmed in a Las Vegas Sun interview that his character was not played by a body double and that he had actually worn the robot costume. [7]

Various scenes were shot inside San Francisco City Hall, including the ball scene. The city charged Disney from $5,000 to $20,000 per day, depending on the particular location used for filming. The heat from two 10,000-watt spotlights triggered the fire sprinkler system and which resulted in flooding which caused water damage. Renovations had only recently been completed after a previous flooding incident. Filming was only interrupted for a few hours, but water damage to the ceilings, carpets, and limestone was significant. [8]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes Bicentennial Man has an approval rating of 37% based on 99 reviews, with an average rating of 4.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Bicentennial Man is ruined by a bad script and ends up being dull and mawkish." [9] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "mixed reviews". [10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [11]

Roger Ebert gave it two out of four stars: "Bicentennial Man begins with promise, proceeds in fits and starts, and finally sinks into a cornball drone of greeting-card sentiment. Robin Williams spends the first half of the film encased in a metallic robot suit, and when he emerges, the script turns robotic instead. What a letdown". [12] William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said: "[The film] becomes a somber, sentimental and rather profound romantic fantasy that is more true to the spirit of the Golden Age of science-fiction writing than possibly any other movie of the '90s".[ citation needed ] Todd McCarthy of Variety summed it up as "an ambitious tale handled in a dawdling, sentimental way". [13]

Accolades

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Williams</span> American actor and comedian (1951–2014)

Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedies alike, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Williams was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2005.

<i>A.I. Artificial Intelligence</i> 2001 film by Steven Spielberg

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a 2001 American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay by Spielberg and screen story by Ian Watson are loosely based on the 1969 short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss. Set in a futuristic society, the film stars Haley Joel Osment as David, a childlike android uniquely programmed with the ability to love. Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson and William Hurt star in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Columbus (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1958)

Christopher Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bicentennial Man</span> Novelette by Isaac Asimov

"The Bicentennial Man" is a novelette in the Robot series by American writer Isaac Asimov. According to the foreword in Robot Visions, Asimov was approached to write a story, along with a number of other authors who would do the same, for a science fiction collection to be published in honor of the United States Bicentennial. However, the arrangement fell through, leaving Asimov's the only story actually completed for the project. Asimov sold the story to Judy-Lynn del Rey, who made some small changes to the text. Asimov restored the original text when the story was collected in The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories (1976).

<i>The Positronic Man</i> 1992 novel by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg

The Positronic Man is a 1992 novel by American writers Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg, based on Asimov's 1976 novelette "The Bicentennial Man".

<i>I, Robot</i> (film) 2004 American science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas

I, Robot is a 2004 American science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, based on his original screenplay Hardwired, and named after Isaac Asimov's 1950 short-story collection. The film stars Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, and Alan Tudyk, as the robot, Sonny.

<i>Matilda</i> (1996 film) 1996 film directed by Danny DeVito

Matilda is a 1996 American fantasy comedy film co-produced and directed by Danny DeVito from a screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film stars Mara Wilson as the title character, with DeVito himself, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, and Pam Ferris in supporting roles. The plot centers on the titular child prodigy who develops psychokinetic abilities and uses them to deal with her disreputable family and the tyrannical principal of her school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embeth Davidtz</span> American–South African actress (born 1965)

Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American-South African actress and director. She has appeared in movies such as Army of Darkness, Schindler's List, Matilda, Fallen,Mansfield Park, Bicentennial Man, Bridget Jones's Diary,Junebug,Fracture,The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,The Amazing Spider-Man,The Amazing Spider-Man 2,Old, and Not Okay, and in the television series In Treatment, Californication, Mad Men, Grey's Anatomy, Ray Donovan, and The Morning Show.

<i>Stigmata</i> (film) 1999 film

Stigmata is a 1999 supernatural horror film directed by Rupert Wainwright, written by Tom Lazarus and Rick Ramage, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. The story follows an atheist hairdresser from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who is afflicted with stigmata after acquiring a rosary formerly owned by a deceased Italian priest who himself had suffered from the phenomenon. It stars Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce, Nia Long, Portia de Rossi and Rade Šerbedžija.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmalion (mythology)</span> King and sculptor in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a legendary figure of Cyprus. He is most familiar from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses, in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.

<i>Wayward Son</i> (film) 1999 American film

Wayward Son is a 1999 American drama film directed by Randall Harris and starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Pete Postlethwaite. The screenplay concerns justice and redemption in rural Georgia during the Great Depression.

<i>Junebug</i> (film) 2005 American film

Junebug is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Phil Morrison. Amy Adams received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in the film.

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> (film) 1999 superhero comedy film by David Kellogg

Inspector Gadget is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by David Kellogg and written by Kerry Ehrin and Zak Penn from a story by Ehrin and Dana Olsen. Loosely based on the 1980s animated television series of the same name, the film stars Matthew Broderick as the title character, Rupert Everett as Dr. Claw, Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny, and Dabney Coleman as Chief Quimby. Five new characters were introduced: Dr. Brenda Bradford, Sykes, Kramer, Mayor Wilson and the Gadgetmobile. The film tells the origin story of Inspector Gadget as he attempts to foil an evil plot concocted by the series villain, Dr. Claw. It was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Los Angeles, California, with the castle-like main tower of Pittsburgh's PPG Place playing a central role.

<i>Feast of July</i> 1995 British film

Feast of July is a 1995 American-British neo noir crime film directed by Christopher Menaul and produced by Merchant Ivory Productions, based on the 1954 novel by H. E. Bates, starring Embeth Davidtz and Ben Chaplin.

<i>The Gingerbread Man</i> (film) 1998 American film

The Gingerbread Man is a 1998 American legal thriller film directed by Robert Altman and based on a discarded John Grisham manuscript. The film stars Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, Famke Janssen, and Robert Duvall.

<i>Winged Creatures</i> (film) 2008 American film

Winged Creatures is a 2008 psychological drama directed by Rowan Woods and starring Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Josh Hutcherson, Guy Pearce, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Embeth Davidtz. It is an adaptation of Roy Freirich's novel Winged Creatures. It was released on DVD by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group in the United States on August 4, 2009, as Fragments.

Simon Magus is a 1999 British historical mystery drama film directed by Ben Hopkins and starring Noah Taylor and Stuart Townsend. It was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Shackleton</i> (2002 TV series) 2002 British television miniseries

Shackleton is a 2002 British television miniseries. It was written and directed by Charles Sturridge and starring Kenneth Branagh as explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. The film tells the true story of Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition on the ship Endurance. The cast includes Kevin McNally, Lorcan Cranitch, Embeth Davidtz, Danny Webb, Matt Day and Phoebe Nicholls as Lady Shackleton. It was filmed in the UK, Iceland and Greenland. The film used first-hand accounts by the men on the expedition to retell the story. Shackleton biographer Roland Huntford was a production advisor.

<i>Retribution</i> (2023 film) Film by Nimród Antal

Retribution is a 2023 action thriller film directed by Nimród Antal and written by Chris Salmanpour. The film stars Liam Neeson, Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz and Matthew Modine. It is the third remake of the 2015 Spanish film El desconocido, which follows a man (Neeson) who gets trapped in his car after receiving a threat that it will explode if he gets out.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bicentennial Man (1999) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  2. 1 2 Claudia (17 December 1999). "How 'Bicentennial Man' Survived Near-Death Experience". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Biggest movie flops: The 42 biggest box-office bombs". CBS News. 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  4. ↑ Evans, Greg (6 April 2023). "Norman Reynolds Dies: Oscar-Winning 'Star Wars' & 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Production Designer Was 89". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Broxton, Jonathan (December 17, 1999). "Bicentennial Man – James Horner". Movie Music UK. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  6. ↑ Fleming, Michael (1998-05-08). "Williams reteams with Columbus". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  7. ↑ Neil, Dave (23 December 1999). "Robin Williams reveals the mechanics of making 'Bicentennial Man'". Las Vegas Sun . Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Yumi Wilson (19 June 1999). "City Hall Doesn't Want to See Sequel to Disney Movie Flood / Stricter regulations on events held there being considered". SFGATE. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Bicentennial Man (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Bicentennial Man Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  11. ↑ "BICENTENNIAL MAN (1999) A-". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  12. ↑ Ebert, Roger (December 17, 1999). "Bicentennial Man". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (10 December 1999). "Bicentennial Man". Variety . Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Blockbuster Entertainment Award winners". Variety . May 9, 2000. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  15. ↑ Wilson, John (2000-07-12). "1999 Nominees Press Release". Razzies.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.