No review available.
Popeye (1980)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted: 26
Fresh: 15
Rotten:11
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Consensus: Altman's take on the iconic cartoon is messy and wildly uneven, but its robust humor and manic charm are hard to resist.
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: The classic comic strip and cartoon hero comes to life in Robert Altman's film adaptation of the adventures of the spinach-munching sailor. After he's thrown from his ship during a storm, Popeye (Robin Williams) finds refuge in a quaint... The classic comic strip and cartoon hero comes to life in Robert Altman's film adaptation of the adventures of the spinach-munching sailor. After he's thrown from his ship during a storm, Popeye (Robin Williams) finds refuge in a quaint seaside town. There he rents a room from the Oyls and meets their daughter Olive (the perfectly cast Shelley Duvall). Olive is engaged to Captain Bluto (Paul Smith), a bully and ruffian who is in charge of collecting taxes for the mysterious Commandant. Popeye, who was orphaned at an early age, is in the midst of a desperate search for his missing father, but what he doesn't realize is that the shipwreck has brought him unexpectedly close to his final destination. In bringing his own distinct vision to E. C. Segar's legendary hero, Altman creates an atmosphere that is breezy, loose, and filled with slapstick shenanigans. Williams portrays Popeye with a physically comic flair that is both honest and energetic--as do the rest of the cast members, including frequent Altman contributors Duvall, Paul Dooley, and David Arkin. Harry Nilsson's songs add to the lighthearted affair, making POPEYE an enjoyable family viewing experience all around. [More]
Starring: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston, Linda Hunt
Starring: Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston, Linda Hunt, Paul Dooley, Paul L. Smith
Director: Robert Altman
Director: Robert Altman
Get This Movie
Reviews for Popeye
The plotting of this 1980 feature -- outsider in a hostile environment -- is personal to Altman, though few of the feelings survive the clutter.
It is more than faint praise to say that Popeye is far, far better than it might have been, considering the treacherous challenge it presented. But avoiding disaster is not necessarily the same as success.
You wonder how on earth Altman did it; equally often, you feel you are watching a wacky masterpiece, the like of which you've never seen before.
Most people hate this rambling, Robert Altman-directed comic strip movie, but I loved it as a kid and I still love it.
The film's not much chop, but Williams is right at home as the spinach-swallowing sailor
Curious paring of Williams and Altman in a live action adaptation of the famous cartoon. Altman's odd sound techniques are not well suited for the material.
He takes one of the most artificial and limiting of art forms -- the comic strip -- and raises it to the level of high comedy and high spirits.
A thoroughly charming, immensely appealing mess of a movie, often high-spirited and witty, occasionally pretentious and flat, sometimes robustly funny and frequently unintelligible.
The fantastically cartoonish look isn’t enough to compensate for the plodding story and overall disinterest I had in the characters.
Latest News for Popeye
November 21, 2006:
Auteur Robert Altman Passes Away at 81
Robert Altman, the esteemed and venerable director of "M*A*S*H," "Nashville," and "The Player," died Monday from complications due to cancer. He... More...
Related Forums for Popeye
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| The Happening | |
| You Don't Mess with th… | |
| Iron Man | |
| Forgetting Sarah Marshall | |
| Sex and the City - The… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| Indiana Jones and the … | |
| 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days | |
| Mongol | |
| Standard Operating Procedure | |
| War, Inc. |
What’s Hot On RT
Around The Network
- Popeye at Rotten Tomatoes

Top Critic