¡Three Amigos! (1986)

THREE AMIGOS is one of those amiable, ensemble comedy hits of the 1980s, well directed by John Landis and coming in just behind his horror classics like AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and INNOCENT BLOOD. The casting of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short as the heroic trio is irresistable and I loved the nod to silent-era filmmaking. In terms of plotting, this is a virtual reprise of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, with a trio of incompetent actors kicking up a storm in a small Mexican village beset by bandits. The jokes come thick and fast and there are some highlight set-pieces like the bit with Martin in the prison cell that really work. I particularly enjoyed the surrealist moment with the singing bush and invisible swordsman, quite genius. Another surprise is that the action scenes are very well directed and just as good as those seen in mainstream westerns.

Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short star in John Landis' 1986 western comedy. This takes place in the 1900's where we meet silent film actors, Lucky Day (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Short) who are well-known as "The Three Amigos." After being fired, they're asked by woman, Carmen (Patrice Martinez) to save a small, Mexican village from a tyrant, El Guapo (Alfonso Arau). The trio mistakenly thinks it's a movie gig, but soon realizes it's real. This pays tribute and spoofs the western genre much like "Blazing Saddles." Martin, Chase and Short are great together and the late, Elmer Bernstein's score is excellent as usual. Joe Mantegna, Jon Lovitz and the late, Phil Hartman also appear briefly. I recommend this 80's classic.

Underrated John Landis comedy with fun music. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short star as three silent film stars who are asked to defend a Mexican town from bandits. A plot reminiscent of The Magnificent Seven. It's such a fun light-hearted movie I don't see why it has so many detractors. Perhaps the humor isn't crude enough. This is certainly one of Landis' least vulgar comedies. To me the movie has an old-school kind of charm about it. It's full of lots of great sight gags, memorable lines, and cute Randy Newman songs. It moves at a nice pace and seems to enjoy its story instead of overloading you with one "bit" after another. So give it a shot if you like Landis' work or the work of the three stars. It's one of my favorite 80s comedies.

When you see those three buddies in their ridiculous costumes, you expect wisely a poor movie. But as those three amigos were among the best funny guys in the eighties and Landis isn't a baby with a camera, surely, all those great names imply that something good was due to come. And it's true: the comedy ingredients here were able to make me support the dust, the rust, the hot sun, the horses, the gunfight, the saloon, the campfire, the final attack and everything else that makes a western, a genre that i usually dislike.The script is written with intelligence as all the funny moments are not wasted but helps to build a real progression in the drama. The characters are well done: the amigos work like a team, all the others are native, the bad guys having ugly faces and the peasants pretty and kind. If all the clichés of western are indeed twisted in a ridiculous way, the huge regret comes from that the fabulous cast isn't more explosive. In other words, the movie is funny but not hilarious. For whatever reasons, adding Chevy plus Martin plus Steve plus Landis doesn't add the laughs: It's a bit like nobody dare to do something too much personal. However, this kind of humor even shy is still better than the actual comedies (see "Fockers" for example).