"Wherever there is injustice, you will find us...Wherever there is suffering, we'll be there...Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find...
The Three Amigos!"
When one of their films fails to make money, three cowboy movie stars from the silent era — Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), Lucky Day (Steve Martin), and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) — are sacked. Young Mexican woman Carmen (Patrice Martinez) makes them what appears to be a career-saving offer: a high-paying job in her village. The three seize the chance, anticipating performing their standard act, but Carmen thinks they are actually heroes and asks them to get rid of the villain El Guapo from her home (Alfonso Arau).
Silly.Daft.infantile.Great. Once on Steven Spielberg's shortlist of films to make, this very absurdist comedy finds Chase, Martin and Short in their 80s heyday. Directed by John Landis (Blues Brothers, Trading Places and Coming to America ) it was a box office bomb but has since become a cult classic.
The score is vintage Elmer Bernstein, some songs are by Randy Newman and has an acting cameo as a singing bush.
Three Amigos! hasn't had the same impact on mainstream culture as, say, Ghostbusters, but has some cracking highlights including the choreographed Amigos salute, the height of the wall during their studio escape, great dialogue and quips "you can kiss me on the veranda" and the “Plethora of piñatas” scene.
I mentioned at the beginning its silly and immature but in a good hearted and fun clever way unlike its modern day crass equivalent in say an Adam Sandler comedy. It's almost a throwback to the Martin and Lewis, Bob Hope era and also a light critique of the old movie studio system.
The idea of a bunch of actors mistakenly think they are on a gig but actually... was later explored in both Galaxy Quest and then Tropic Thunder but neither of them had a musical number in the desert with the crooning tortoise, or the invisible swordsman or the singing bush....
our tee is a tribute to the classic comedy movie, grab yours here
