Popeye

Goofy and lighthearted, director Robert Altman brings Popeye to the big screen as a live-action musical-comedy. Adapted from the comic, a sailor named Popeye comes to the quirky small town of Sweethaven looking for his long-lost father. Featuring a strong cast, the film is full of entertaining performances from Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston, and Paul Dooley. Williams in particular is quite good, delivering a unique interpretation of Popeye that’s a bit softer than the cartoon version. And the music is also especially well-done, with catchy and whimsical songs such as “I’m Mean,” “He Needs Me,” and of course “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.” Yet a lot of the film’s energy is lost through Altman’s poor directing, which is often unfocused. But despite its faults, Popeye is incredibly charming and fun.

Very poor. Safe to say, I didn't enjoy 'Popeye' one bit - despite the presence of one Robin Williams. He is pretty alright in the role of Popeye, but I personally didn't like the uneven/whacky nature of the film. I see - and appreciate - what they were going for, it just doesn't come off in my opinion. It's all very pedestrian. The characters around Popeye are annoying, as are the very forgettable musical numbers which don't fit in. I had high hopes for this, given I had heard good things of the titular character (not necessarily from this, just overall) as well as the fact of Mr. Williams appears. For me, in terms of his films that I've currently seen, this is closer to 'Hook' than (the awesome) 'Bicentennial Man'. I'm sure many out there would disagree on that latter point, as well as my view of this film itself. That's fine, each to their own of course. I, though, couldn't wait for it to finish.