2008 update: We recently watched it again, and it was almost as fresh as the first viewing. A really fine movie.<br /><br />CAUTION -- MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS --<br /><br />I put this film roughly in the same category as "Pleasantville" and "The Truman Show", in that they require you to suspend disbelief to show how, ultimately, it is better to really live and love then die, rather than live a "perfect" and protected life. I rate all of these "8" of 10.<br /><br />"Bicentennial Man" starts in 2005, and a new robot, an Android they name "Andrew", is delivered to an obviously well-off family. But Andrew is a "defective" robot. He is not only infinitely intelligent, being able to read and memorize everything, learn to play piano, carve beautiful figures from wood, etc., but he also develops "feelings", which none of the other robots do. Robin Williams plays the robot beautifully, and is "in costume" most of the film.<br /><br />Eventually Andrew realizes that everyone he cares about leaves him - they die. But he is determined to not accept that. First he sets out and wanders all over, for years, searching for another like him. There are none. Returning "home", he meets up with who he thinks is "Little Miss" (Embeth Davidtz), but she doesn't recognize him. Because she is really Portia, a spitting image of her grandmother, "Little Miss". That's how long he has been gone.<br /><br />Andrew had been in love with Little Miss when she married 50 or so years earlier, but as just an android could do nothing about it. He falls in love with young Portia and this time is determined. Somewhere in all this, I forget exactly where, he asks for his "freedom", not that he wants to leave, or quit serving, but he has learned that freedom is a basic need that all people with feeling desire. He ends up moving away and building his own house along the coast.<br /><br />He finds a workshop of the son of an android pioneer. Andrew first asks to be made to look like a human, so is given a human-looking covering, which then has him looking like Robin Williams. Over the years Andrew invents various ways to make him closer and closer to being human, including a central nervous system so he can "feel", and the ability to eat and drink. (Funny scene, in bed with Portia, his stomach growls, then he farts, is surprised, says "I'll need to have him make me a muffler.") He also invents many replacement organs that become in widespread use among humans.<br /><br />He goes before the "council" of SanFrancisco to be declared human. No luck. Much later, around age 200, he has had further "modifications" which now results in his aging, and wearing out, along with Portia. He goes before the "world council", and on his and Portia's deathbeds, sees via TV that he is finally "human", then he dies, and Portia asks the nurse to "pull the plug."<br /><br />The whole 2-hour film is filled with funny dialog, funny scenes, and interesting insights. But this film is not, strictly speaking, a "comedy". It is definitely a serious film, with a real message, but is very entertaining - the novelty is use of a "futuristic" Android who wants to become human. Robin Williams again does a wonderful job creating a one-of-a-kind character.<br /><br />If you want to look at this film as a "nit-picker" you can find many little flaws within it. But to focus on that is missing the point entirely. Why even view the film, in that case, because we know there will be no such robots, at least not by 2005? For me, the film works very well and I will remember it for a long time.