Popeye (1980)
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A gruff sailor finds himself in a coastal town where he must protect a young child and a woman from a local bully.
The story
Popeye, a gruff but good-hearted sailor, arrives at the small coastal town of Sweethaven while searching for his missing father. He rents a room at the Oyl family's boarding house, where the Oyls plan to have their daughter, Olive, become engaged to Captain Bluto, a powerful, perpetually angry bully who manages the town in the name of the mysterious Commodore. The night of the engagement party, Olive sneaks out after discovering that the only attribute that she can report for her bullying fiancé is size. She encounters Popeye, who has failed to fit in with the townsfolk at the party. The two eventually find an abandoned baby in a basket.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After finding an abandoned baby, Popeye and Olive adopt the child, naming him Swee'Pea. Bluto, enraged by Olive's absence at his party, beats up Popeye and imposes heavy taxes on the Oyls. Popeye helps the Oyls by winning a prize from a boxer, Oxblood Oxheart. Later, it is discovered that Swee'Pea can predict the future by whistling. A local mooch, Wimpy, uses the child to win at horse races, leading to a dispute between Popeye and the others. After Popeye confronts the taxman, Wimpy kidnaps Swee'Pea at Bluto's orders. During a private moment, Olive hears Popeye lamenting that Swee'Pea deserves two parents. The next day, Popeye learns that the mysterious Commodore is actually his father, Poopdeck Pappy. Bluto kidnaps Olive and Swee'Pea to find buried treasure. Popeye, Pappy, Wimpy, and the Oyl family chase them to Scab Island. During a final confrontation, Pappy reveals a collection of items from Popeye's infancy, including spinach. When a giant octopus, Salty Sam, attacks, Bluto force-feeds Popeye spinach. The spinach grants Popeye immense strength, allowing him to defeat both Bluto and the octopus, while Bluto is left defeated and 'turned yellow.'
- First release year
- 1980
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Altman
- Writers
- Jules Feiffer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robin Williams · Popeye the Sailor Man; Shelley Duvall · Olive Oyl
- Genres
- musical comedy; romance; adventure
- Themes
- Fatherhood; Protection; Identity
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Action-packed; Musical
- Setting
- The coastal town of Sweethaven and Scab Island.
- Premise and plot tags
- Comic Strip Adaptation; Musical; Adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- E. C. Segar's Popeye comics
- Franchise connections
- Popeye
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews initially but has been more positively reappraised over time, with some critics praising its ability to translate comic strip elements into sophisticated entertainment.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Picture · Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Original · Win; Best Fantasy Film · Saturn Award · Nomination
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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