Bicentennial Man
1999 · Directed by Chris Columbus
Original language: English
- drama
- romance
- science fiction
The story
Richard Martin buys a gift, a new NDR-114 robot. The product is named Andrew by the youngest of the family's children. "Bicentennial Man" follows the life and times of Andrew, a robot purchased as a household appliance programmed to perform menial tasks. As Andrew begins to experience emotions and creative thought, the Martin family soon discovers they don't have an ordinary robot.
What it’s like
Warm, unhurried domestic light carries most of this film: sunlit kitchens, wood-panelled rooms, and soft interiors in amber and cream, with a clean, glossy 1990s studio finish rather than gritty texture. Camera moves are measured and often frame the robot Andrew at a respectful distance, letting the family's houses and the slow passage of decades play out in gentle tableaux. The futuristic world is understated, all tidy suburbs, quiet workshops and modest gadgetry, not neon or chrome spectacle. Sound leans on a sentimental orchestral score that swells at each milestone, with plenty of room for dialogue and small domestic noises. The mood is wistful and tender, warm and earnest, with a melancholy undertow as Andrew watches people he loves age and die while he does not. Pacing is leisurely and episodic across a long life, suited to a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or an evening when you want something sincere and emotionally open. Its arc follows a patient, gentle machine gradually seeking to be recognised as a person. Intensity is low: no graphic violence, mild peril, and romance kept chaste and sentimental. For viewers who want heartfelt, family-friendly science fiction with a bittersweet lean.
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