'Bicentennial Man' hasn't aged well

"Bicentennial Man" - **1/2 - Science Fiction - Robin Williams, Sam Niell, Embeth Davidtz, Oliver Platt. Directed by Chris Columbus.

In 1999, people worried about the future. I remember the big deal everyone was making about how all the world's computers would crash when it became the year 2000. Granted, it seemed a little overboard at the time but now it just seems ridiculous.

This is much like Robin Williams' sci-fi dramedy about an android seeking to become human. It's a story that's been told over and over again, through various mediums. It's been told in fairy tale form (which in turn became Disney animation) through Pinocchio. It's also based on Isaac Asimov's short stories which have been interpreted in "I, Robot" in later years and as the cult classic film "Blade Runner", albeit in a much darker and violent setting.

Just like a combination of the depressing Ridley Scott "Blade Runner" and Disney's animated feature about the infamous puppet, Bicentennial Man doesn't really fit together well. It keeps changing tone throughout the overly long movie. It has great potential as it deals with some heavy subject matter, yet it never confronts the issues and rather just uses those issues as gimmicks to make you care for the lead character, Andrew.

This is not to say that the film is without its moments of a wonderful story. Andrew, played to perfection by the comedian Robin Williams, really does well in showing his growing emotion and learning to deal with the changing world around him. The real scene-stealer here, however, is Oliver Platt. Even though he's given very little to do, he truly makes the most of his moments.

Part science fiction, part comedy, part drama, part romance, part human interest, part fantasy, it never catches its stride and takes off. It's truly a shame as there is some real potential here. It does come much closer than the more critically praised "Artificial Intelligence", which has very little intelligence in the script and is far too dark. Were "Bicentennial Man" cut down a bit, it would be a nice little film.

Also, beware of the misleading rating. Although it's presented as a family movie, there are some moments with some rather frank sexual content, considering it's light rating. Although it would've been comparatively mild, it still warrants a PG-13 rating for its more vulgar moments.

"Bicentennial Man" is rated PG for Language and Some Sexual Content.