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Popeye
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Popeye (1980) -- The sailor man travels to Sweethaven, falls in love with Olive Oyl, adopts Sweetpea and makes an enemy with Bluto.

Overview

User Rating:
4.8/10   10,232 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Altman
Writers:
E.C. Segar (comic strip Thimble Theatre)
Jules Feiffer (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Popeye on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1980 (USA) more
Tagline:
Haves a happy holiday wit me an' Olive! more
Plot:
The sailor man travels to Sweethaven, falls in love with Olive Oyl, adopts Sweetpea and makes an enemy with Bluto. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Popeye Now Public Domain in EU—Mickey Mouse Next?
 (From JustPressPlay. 1 January 2009, 8:43 PM, PST)

Popeye gets discharged in Europe
 (From Comicmix. 1 January 2009, 6:34 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Masterpiece. You heard me right. MASTERPIECE! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robin Williams ... Popeye

Shelley Duvall ... Olive Oyl
Ray Walston ... Poopdeck Pappy
Paul Dooley ... Wimpy
Paul L. Smith ... Bluto
Richard Libertini ... Geezil
Donald Moffat ... The Taxman
MacIntyre Dixon ... Cole Oyl
Roberta Maxwell ... Nana Oyl
Donovan Scott ... Castor Oyl

Allan F. Nicholls ... Rough House (as Allan Nicholls)
Wesley Ivan Hurt ... Swee'pea
Bill Irwin ... Ham Gravy, the Old Boyfriend
Robert Fortier ... Bill Barnacle, the Town Drunk
David McCharen ... Harry Hotcash, the Gambler
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
114 min | Argentina:115 min | Finland:97 min (1981)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Vistasonic
Certification:
Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG (Approved No. 26147) | Singapore:PG | Brazil:Livre
Filming Locations:
Anchor Bay, Malta more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The many sunken ships in the harbor were actually seaworthy vessels that were rented or bought and then sunk. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: The Paramount logo used at the opening was never used for any of the Paramount Popeye cartoons, though it is portrayed as being from a Popeye cartoon. Also, the opening credits sequence shown (doors of the wooden ship) was from the earlier Fleischer Studios cartoons, as opposed to the later Paramount cartoons. more
Quotes:
Popeye: [singing] I yam what I yam and I yam what I yam that I yam / And I got a lotta muscle and I only gots one eye / And I'll never hurt nobodys and I'll never tell a lie / Top to me bottom and me bottom to me top / That's the way it is 'til the day that I drop, what am I? / I yam what I yam. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in 10 Items or Less (2006) more
Soundtrack:
I Am What I Am more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
70 out of 91 people found the following comment useful:-
Masterpiece. You heard me right. MASTERPIECE!, 17 November 2002
10/10
Author: joeshannongabe

I see that lots of people hate this movie. I guess I can see why. It's so idiosyncratic, so loose, so out there, so...Altman. But this is truly one of the sweetest, gentlest, and most tender movies I have ever seen. This movie can be enjoyed if for no other reason than for its total lack of irony. Like Popeye, it is what it is. And I believe it to be a masterpiece.

This was Robin Williams first serious movie role (2 full years before Garp) and he is a brilliant Popeye. He brings so much humanity and pathos to this character that it is easy to see the great movies in his future. Shelly Duval was born to play Olive Oyl and she does not squander the role of a lifetime. And in a smaller role, a standout performance is turned in Bill Irwin as Ham, Olive's bumbling, stumbling, clown of an ex-boyfriend.

The real star of the show, however, is the atmosphere that Altman conjures up, bringing the 2d comic strip vividly to life and setting you down in this magical little island town of Sweet Haven. Harry Nilssons score is pitch perfect and his songs help to sketch out the characters motives and emotions ("He Needs Me", sung by Duvall, is currently being revived thanks to it's being prominently featured in PT Anderson's "Punch Drunk Love").

One more thing about this movie- I can watch it with my three year old son and we sing the songs and both enjoy it immensely. There are so few movies that can do that. Like I said, a masterpiece!

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Popeye (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
was olive oil realy that annoying in the cartoons? markhamilrules
Underrated Film Athema
Popeye's suicide -- bet you didn't know lsl-4
Who was Geezil to the Oyls? Rylie1994
Popeye vs. Superman wetdry
Popeye's Mom's death samhain4000
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