Artificial Intelligence: A. I.
2001  PG-13  SCIENCE FICTION  2h 26min
CAST— Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, Brendon Gleeson, Sam Robards, William Hurt, Jake Thomas, Ken Leung, Michael Mantell, Adrian Grenier
MUSIC— John Williams  DIRECTOR— Steven Spielberg  BASED ON— Super Toys Last All Summer Long (story), by Brian Aldiss

     A futuristic sci-fi drama that takes its inspiration from the story of Pinocchio, yet fails to inspire or bring any semblance of joy. A child-like robot has been created to have the capacity to love, to feel genuine emotion for the first time. The robot, David, has been sent to live with a married couple for a little R&D. Not understanding the ways of the world David reacts out of fear and confusion. Seeing these things as apparent glitches his parents decide to return him; rather than see him destroyed by his creators his surrogate mother leaves him to fend for himself, hoping that he’ll have a better chance of survival. So begins a broad adventure to return to his parents as a real boy; but first he must find the Blue Fairy, of Pinocchio fame. Aided by another robot, Gigolo Joe, he’s off on his never ending quest to become flesh and blood. Dark and murky, mirthless and overlong, this Spielbergian dud leaves one with an acute sense of melancholy. Keep an ear out for the voices of Chris Rock and Robin Williams, who go uncredited as two A. I. beings along the journey. AKA: A. I.
OUR RATING— **