Let’s get one thing out of the way: if you’re not a fan of Robin Williams, then you’re gonna have a bad time.
If you haven’t seen the live-action Popeye movie, based off of the comic character by the same name, you are in for an absolute treat. Robin Williams portrays our protagonist, having sailed into the town Sweethaven and looking to start a new life. The community appears apprehensive to Popeye’s presence, one character eventually running into the home our hero is renting a room from to inform everyone about the stranger in town. Even The Taxman (Donald Moffat), literally a guy on a bike shouting at everyone to pay some bizarre tax, is the first to greet Popeye with a list of taxes he has to pay just to get out of his boat.
Oh, and businesses throw up “Closed” signs as Popeye walks through.
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So after the uncomfortable presence of the character bearing news of the stranger, we meet Olive Oyl, as portrayed by Shelley Duvall. Fusing with an “ugly hat” on her engagement day, she acts the part of any child in an episode of My Super Sweet 16. Then we discover who her fiancée is; Bluto.
Bluto is played by Paul L. Smith, who was also the Archduke in Maverick and the Beast Rabban in Dune. Bluto makes his entrance by shouting out to the townsfolk that it’s time for lights out. They comply with no protest. Using his size as his weapon, Bluto intimidates and bullies the people of Sweethaven to bend to his will. At their engagement party, Bluto walks ominously around a room full of people, pulling out petals of a flower. With each pluck, he says “She loves me…she loves me not…she’ll marry me…she won’t marry me…” Each pluck is met with an excited cheer or a mournful “awww.”
In one scene, literally while singing a song called “I’m mean,” Bluto tears apart a room. He smashes furniture, wraps lamp posts around people’s necks, tears down walls, and throws people around, among many other atrocities. But the people smile and sing along with him. I mean, I’m no mental health expert, but it might be Stockholm Syndrome if you’re providing choreography and harmonies to your abuser’s temper tantrums.
And oh yeah. There’s a baby. It’s Swee’Pea (Wesley Ivan Hurt). And Popeye seems like a nurturing father.
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One of the big work arounds for older audiences, particularly those who didn’t watch the cartoon, is that you have to understand it’s a kids movie. I mean, a 1980’s kids movie (there’s a couple curse words that you wouldn’t expect in a Disney kids movie today, but Pinocchio had drinking and smoking). There’s choreographed songs, an aversion to vegetables (which eventually save the day, as every child aware of Popeye could predict, once he’s force fed them by Bluto), and lots of odd acrobatic pieces with silly faces. Incidentally, some of those antics are performed by Bill Irwin who went on to play Paul in Rachel Getting Married, Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street, and Lou Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Another thing to remember is there are multiple stories woven together in this movie. I write it off as to have some rapid conflict/solution moments to keep the young audience’s attention, but they weave them together in a not-quite-so-bumpy format. If you’re able to overlook these relatively small issues, then the movie is delightful. And they make it worth your while, as most children’s movies do. There’s some sneaky adult humor, as well as an actor portraying Pappy (Ray Walston) that could’ve been a George Carlin impersonator.
Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe because we’ll never get another Robin Williams, but the movie has a special space in my heart. Cheese (or spinach) and all.
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