Popeye
The sailor man travels to Sweethaven, falls in love with Olive Oyl, adopts Sweetpea and makes an enemy with Bluto.
- Director: Robert Altman
- Genre:Comedy / Family / Musical / Romance
- Runtime:114 minutes
Cast
Robin Williams : Popeye
Shelley Duvall : Olive Oyl
Ray Walston : Poopdeck Pappy
Paul Dooley : Wimpy
Paul L. Smith : Bluto
The film begins with an animated cartoon slide of Popeye on his ship with the words “MAX FLEISCHER presents” at the top; the cartoon is “Blow Me Down” (1933). When the doors open, he is quick to say, “Hey! What is this, one of Bluto’s tricks?! I’m in the wrong movie!”
One dark and stormy night, the gruff but goodhearted seaman Popeye rows his small dinghy into the harbor of the quaint seaside community of Sweethaven. There he rents a room at the Oyls’ boarding house, where he quickly falls for their daughter Olive. But Olive’s hand has already been promised to Captain Bluto, a bully and ruffian who is in charge of collecting taxes for the mysterious Commodore. Popeye and Bluto take a quick disliking to each other, and get in a large fight.
Popeye, who was orphaned at an early age, is in the midst of searching for his missing father, but what he does not realize is that he is closer than he thinks to completing his quest. Along the way, he encounters an assortment of characters, including George W. Geezil, J. Wellington Wimpy, “Oxblood Oxheart” (The dirtiest fighter alive), and a greedy, unnamed taxman. Eventually Popeye and Olive are brought together when they find Swee’Pea, an adorable foundling. It is soon discovered that Swee’Pea can predict the future, whistling when he hears the right answer to a question posed. Wimpy soon learns of this, and uses the baby to gamble. Popeye is outraged and takes Swee’Pea away from him.
When Swee’Pea is kidnapped, Popeye and Olive Oyl go looking for him. Olive and Wimpy soon find that Swee’Pea was taken on the Commodore’s ship, and who else should be the Commodore but Popeye’s father, Poopdeck Pappy. Bluto has tied up Pappy, and is going to use Swee’Pea to find Pappy’s old treasure. Olive and Wimpy go tell Popeye what they’ve discovered, but Popeye does not believe them. Popeye goes to the Commodore’s ship where he finally meets his father, from whom he learns the secret to gaining great strength (spinach). The irony of this discovery is the revelation that Popeye despises spinach.
Bluto kidnaps Swee’Pea and Olive Oyl, then begins to sail on his boat to an island on which the Commodore has said his hidden treasure is located. On the way, he tries to use Swee’ Pea’s predictive ability to precisely locate the treasure. Popeye, Pappy, Wimpy, and their friends give chase on another boat and chase Bluto to Pirate’s Cove. Using a cannon, Pappy tries to sink Bluto’s ship, but, in the end, has to ram it. Olive is trapped in a tube that is tossed in the water, and Pappy manages to get up on the cove with Swee’Pea and Popeye’s friends. Read more
