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Popeye (Clam)
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by Paramount
Sales Rank: 18104
Price: $9.95
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Nothing interests filmmaker Robert Altman more than a contained culture that mixes bare humanity with local eccentricity (think of his <i>M*A*S*H</i> and <i>Nashville</i>). So Altman's <i>Popeye</i> (1980), based on the old comic strip, works best as a portrait of a busy, cluttered, cartoonish town called Sweethaven. But it is much less successful as a comprehensible story about the famous sailor with massive forearms and a relationship with Olive Oyl (Shelley Duvall). Robin Williams plays Popeye with his usual brilliance for mimicry, Paul Dooley makes a credible Wimpy, and Paul L. Smith makes an impression as the oversized bully, Bluto. But this strange, disastrous film never becomes more than an expensive workshop airing out Altmanesque themes. <i>--Tom Keogh</i>
Viewer Reviews
Glad I Finally Got Around To Viewing This
I had known of this film for a long time but did not realize it was a musical, nor that it was so entertaining. Most of the music was done in short segments and the songs were decent. None were excellent, but none were awful, either.
Popeye was fun to hear. Robin Williams had the famous sailor's mumbling down to a tee. I suggest you watch this with the English subtitles on so you can get all of what Popeye says, or you'll miss a lot of funny lines. The same can almost be said of Shelly Duvall's impersonation of "Olive Oyl," although you can understand her better. She, too, was fun to watch. I read somewhere that she was very depressed over her performance in this film, but she shouldn't have been. She was perfect for the role.
I didn't think the supporting characters were much, such as Bluto or Wimpy, but Popeye's dad, "Poopdeck Pappy," (Ray Walston) who appears late in the film is a real hoot. "Pappy" adds a lot of spark and energy to the film, just when it was really needed.
Overall, it's a nice, pleasing type of film. It's no award-winner, but it's a lot better than what you might have read from national critics. If you like Popeye's cartoons and comics, you should like this film, too. I would gladly watch this again.
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Popeye (Clam)
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