Closed Captioned; Soundtrack English; English Subtitles; Dolby Digital 5.1 Re; Sensor Matic
Robin Williams performs his signature physical comedy in the title role of this musical-fantasy based on E. C. Segar's comic-strip hero, which finds the spinach-eating sailor searching for his missing father, meeting Olive Oyl, and coping with the bully Bluto. The burger-happy Wimpy is also featured in the colorful cast of characters.
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.
Theatrical Release: December 12, 1980.
POPEYE was shot on location in Malta.
After a long pre-production period in which the script was passed from one director to another (including Hal Ashby, Arthur Penn and Mike Nichols), Robert Altman ended up helming the project.
Robert Evans commissioned a script from the POPEYE comic strip creator E. C. Segar and Jules Feiffer after he was outbid for the rights to the screen version of ANNIE. At one point during the development of the project, Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin were signed on as Popeye and Olive Oyl.
Ray Walston (TV's MY FAVORITE MARTIAN) appears as Poopdeck Pappy.
Popeye Reviews:
"...[Duvall is] one of a number of odd, unexpected treasures....High-spirited..."-- Vincent Canby, New York Times
This is Great Stuff although panned by critics I originally saw this movie when it hit theaters. It was great then and it's still great.
It is pretty unique as movies go, but it's very well cast and perfectly portrayed. It is very much like the cartoons it was modeled after and it is entertaining in the extreme.
-TC Submitted by tcharp1 (Lubbock, TX) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
POPEYE A REAL GEM! EXCELLENT SOUNDTRACK! AND ROBIN WILLIAMS IS TOP SHELF. BLUTO IS LARGE! Submitted by DJTHEDJ2005 (CAMBRIDGE, MASS. USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Popeye was a great movie. I ordered Popeye for my 5 year old and he loved it and it had been a while since I saw it but it was still as good as I remembered it. Submitted by tinkerbell19782005 (Sumter, sc) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Popeye is a great family movie! Language, violence, and in-your-face sensuality are virtually non-existence in this movie. Some of the songs might be corny but other than that Popeye is a good movie that you can sit down with your kids and enjoy. Submitted by bengs (Kinta, OK, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Enchanting and Inviting This movie is very cute! I remember seeing it in the early 80s when it came out and thought it was great. Now that my grandchildren are older and always want to watch more than just cartoon movies and they love music, I thought this movie would be an excellent choice for me to have included in my library of movies. I can hardly wait till they see it this weekend. Shelly Duvall steals the show as Olive Oyl. She is perfect. I still have the songs rambling around in my head ever since watching it last weekend. Many of the songs I remember hearing on TV but don't remember where. They are such catchy tunes.
Great movie. Robin Williams is also outstanding as Popeye. Submitted by a reviewer (Menomonee Falls,Wi,USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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