There are those films that deserve the shots they receive, and then there are those that are unfairly attacked. Popeye, Robert Altman’s ’80 adaptation of the spinach-mulching cartoon character, is arguably one of the most unfairly slagged oddities ever.

Robin Williams (before the overkill) took hits for his incessant mumbling, but I loved him and Shelley Duvall (here, as ever, the picture of weirdness) in the leads. The film is certainly a one-of-a-kind musical, with its bizarre set design and often unusually downbeat numbers. Some, despite the dire box office revenues this film suffered through, have survived; Paul Thomas Anderson recycled “He Needs Me” (as sung by Duvall) in his critical hit Punch-Drunk Love last year.

The film, long declared a shipwreck, was rife with trouble from the get-go. During production, Duvall apparently did damage to her neck due to all that Olive-Oyl neck stretching; she sued the studio for damages. Produced by Robert Evans, the film performed so badly it’s credited as one of key moments of his demise. Now out on DVD (with no extras—surprise!), I recommend a second look.

» Matthew Hays