2008 update represent we recently watch it again and and it be almost as fresh a the first viewing . a really fine movie . caution may contain some spoiler i put this film roughly in the same category a pleasantville and the truman show and in that they require you to suspend disbelief to show how and ultimately and it be well to really live and love then die and rather than live a perfect and protected life . i rate all of these positive . bicentennial man start in 2005 and and a new robot and an android they name andrew and be deliver to an obviously well off family . but andrew be a defective robot . he be not only infinitely intelligent and be able to read and memorize everything and learn to play piano and carve beautiful figure from wood and etc . and but he also develop feeling and which none of the other robot do . robin williams play the robot beautifully and and be in costume most of the film . eventually andrew realize that everyone he care about leaf him they die . but he be determine to not accept that . first he set out and wanders all over and for year and search for another like him . there be none . return home and he meet up with who he think be little miss ( embeth davidtz ) and but she doesn not recognize him . because she be really portia and a spitting image of her grandmother and little miss . that how long he have be go . andrew have be in love with little miss when she marry 50 or so year earlier and but as just an android could do nothing about it . he fall in love with young portia and this time be determine . somewhere in all this and i forget exactly where and he ask for his freedom and not that he want to leave and or quit serving and but he have learn that freedom be a basic need that all people with feeling desire . he end up move away and build his own house along the coast . he find a workshop of the son of an android pioneer . andrew first asks to be make to look like a human and so be give a human look covering and which then have him look like robin williams . over the year andrew invents various way to make him close and close to be human and include a central nervous system so he can feel and and the ability to eat and drink . ( funny scene and in bed with portia and his stomach growl and then he fart and be surprise and say i will need to have him make me a muffler . ) he also invent many replacement organ that become in widespread use among human . he go before the council of sanfrancisco to be declare human . no luck . much later and around age 200 and he have have further modification which now result in his aging and and wear out and along with portia . he go before the world council and and on his and portia deathbed and see via tv that he be finally human and then he die and and portia ask the nurse to pull the plug . the whole 2 hour film be fill with funny dialog and funny scene and and interesting insight . but this film be not and strictly speak and a comedy . it be definitely a serious film and with a real message and but be very entertain the novelty be use of a futuristic android who want to become human . robin williams again do a wonderful job create a one of a kind character . if you want to look at this film a a nit picker you can find many little flaw within it . but to focus on that be miss the point entirely . why even view the film and in that case and because we know there will be no such robot and at least not by 2005. for me and the film work very well and i will remember it for a long time .