RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Popeye
Popeye

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Popeye (1980)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
58 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jun 24, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Popeye

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

No review available.

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

I reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyy hated this movie...

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

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

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

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.

comment Comment
12/27/04
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A thoroughly charming, immensely appealing mess of a movie, often high-spirited and witty, occasionally pretentious and flat, sometimes robustly funny and frequently unintelligible.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Kooky and odd and brilliant in the most warped way imaginable.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/16/04
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

A wacky treat.

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

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...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
36% 36% Angels & Demons
95% 95% Star Trek
25% 25% Four Christmases

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
67% 67% Public Enemies
75% 75% Julie & Julia
95% 95% The Cove
85% 85% World's Greatest Dad

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Take a trip through Clint Eastwood's career!

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

RT looks at Disney's best animated movies!

Total Recall

Total Recall

A look back at Keith David's best movies!

Five Favorites

Five Favorites

Sam Worthington shares his favorite films!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • David Lynch Says He Turned Down Return of the Jedi Source: CinemaBlend.com
12
  • Thomas Dolby Starts a Star Wars Rumor Source: Ain't It Cool News
11
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Headed for IMAX Source: Collider.com
46
  • James Cameron Developing Sci-Fi Film for Fox Source: ComingSoon.net
8
  • Peter Jackson Reveals Which LotR Characters Will Return for The Hobbit Source: MTV
21
  • Josh Brolin Rumored for Men in Black 3 Source: Los Angeles Times
24
  • Malkovich and Hathaway Rumored for Spider-Man 4 Source: Movieline
88
  • Avatar Picks Up Golden Globes Buzz Source: HitFix
66
  • Disney's Upcoming Hand-Drawn Movies Revealed Source: Slashfilm
21
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Keith David's Best Movies
60
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
57
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
37
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: The Blind Side Takes the Lead
29
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
  • The Gimmicks That Changed Cinema: Part 1
24
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Avatar's Sam Worthington
46
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
23
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Popeye at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Popeye at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Best Sci-Fi This Decade
Best Sci-Fi This Decade External Link

Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.

40 Worst Films of the 2000s
40 Worst Films of the 2000s External Link

Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.

10 Questions For Zac Efron
10 Questions For Zac Efron External Link

The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.

Best Decade Ever!
Best Decade Ever! External Link

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure External Link

In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.