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Popeye

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Popeye (1980)

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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... 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

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 24, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Popeye

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/16/07
Variety

A good idea gone down the drain under Altman's spotty direction.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/16/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Altman's live action take on the comic strip sailorman is typically idiosyncratic and wilful, but, sadly, far from being any good.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

No review available.

comment Comment
11/04/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The plotting of this 1980 feature -- outsider in a hostile environment -- is personal to Altman, though few of the feelings survive the clutter.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
04/16/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
07/06/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/02/03
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
Showbizz.net

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The fantastically cartoonish look isn’t enough to compensate for the plodding story and overall disinterest I had in the characters.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
06/05/04
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide

I reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy hated this movie...

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
07/10/07
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Popeye is a sustained eureka.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
06/30/03
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
10/21/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

The film's not much chop, but Williams is right at home as the spinach-swallowing sailor

comment Comment
05/12/05
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

A wacky treat.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/05/04
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

If you strip away the film’s loyalty to its source material, it’s not difficult to see that, in many ways, Popeye is Altman’s comic spin on McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/19/03
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Most people hate this rambling, Robert Altman-directed comic strip movie, but I loved it as a kid and I still love it.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Altman's job was to convey the spirit of the old cartoons, not dish up some ultraslick Hollywood sitcom fodder. He gets the job done right.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/23/03
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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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...

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