The 1950s was not the best decade for the Popeye theatrical series or Famous Studios, the early-50s efforts being better and a little more consistent than those from the late-50s. The less polished animation quality, lower gag count and varying effectiveness of them and less fresh stories being the primary reasons for the inferior quality, compared to several of the 40s Famous Studios Popeye cartoons and Fleischer Studios' output.
'Friend or Phony' is one of not many Popeye cartoons to leave me not sure of what my stance was, was not sure what rating to give it between 5 and 6 (my ratings for something that made me unsure or conflicted). Not easy to sum up either, but in a nutshell 'Friend or Phony' is well made and somewhat interesting but it was not a very easy cartoon to enjoy, some may find that it may leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.
Will start with the good things. The animation is bright and colourful with some nice backgrounds and neat drawing, not long after the animation quality of the Popeye cartoons would become more uneven. The music is sumptuously orchestrated with clever use of instrument and rhythmically full of character. The pre-existing clips were not used cheaply and didn't interrupt the flow, the story not feeling too much like a framing story linking the clips together.
A few amusing, if not hilarious, moments here and there, if more in the clips, and the dynamic between Popeye and Bluto was interesting. As was seeing Popeye more vulnerable than usual, did feel sorry for him. The voice acting is blameless too, with two of the studio's most prolific voice actors for good reason.
However, the story despite its interest points didn't completely grab me and the wild energy could have been much more as there is nowhere near enough of that here. Amusing moments are too far and between in a cartoon that is actually pretty depressing.
Do have to agree that the climax was pretty ridiculous and somewhat mean-spirited as well. Did not like how Bluto was characterised, his treatment of Popeye is far too cruel even for revenge, his comic timing is lost and it is impossible to root for him.
In conclusion, a long way from bad but not a fan of this regrettably. 6/10