Popeye

1980 • 113 minutes

About this movie

Based on the long-running comic strip created by E.C. Segar (and less on the animated cartoons created by Max Fleischer, which were decidedly different in tone and approach), Popeye follows the sailor man with the mighty arms (played by Robin Williams in his first major film role) as he arrives in the seaside community of Sweethaven in search of his long-lost father. Popeye meets and quickly falls for the slender Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall, in the role she was born to play), but Olive's hand has already been promised to the hulking Bluto (Paul Smith), of whom Olive can say little except, well, he's large. Eventually, Popeye and Olive are brought together by Swee' Pea (Wesley Ivan Hurt), an adorable foundling, and Popeye finally meets his dad, Poopdeck Pappy (Ray Walston). Director Robert Altman in no way tempered his trademark style for this big-budget family opus, crowding the screen with a variety of characters and allowing his cast to overlap as much dialogue as they want.

Ratings and reviews

The 1980 Popeye movie is a really weird and colorful adventure! Robin Williams is hilarious as Popeye, and the whole movie has a fun, cartoony vibe. It's definitely not your typical movie, but it's a lot of fun to watch.

Popeye is a really weird and funny movie! Robin Williams is hilarious as Popeye, and the whole movie has a really cartoony feel to it. It's definitely not a typical movie, but it's a lot of fun to watch.

This film is singular in its reverence for the original cartoon from which it derives its story and characters. Duvall and Williams are the perfect character actors to portray these iconic, slapstick cartoon staples. Their movements and vocal choices are inspired. The songs are downright ridiculous, and they mostly don't rhyme. Duvall seems to be the only actor involved who is interested in hitting any of the notes. This film is mythic, and shouldn't be missed under any circumstances.