Sika’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time! 24. Three Amigos (1986)
24. The Three Amigos! [DVD]
Plot: When silent film stars Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) get fired, they get a job offer from Mexico: Doing a show with the infamous El Guapo. They arrive only to learn that El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) is not an actor, but a cruel gang leader suppressing the town’s people.
When he kidnaps the mayor’s daughter Carmen (Patrice Martinez) all hope rest on the shoulders of the three actors.
They’re Down On Their Luck And Up To Their Necks In Senoritas, Margaritas, Banditos And Bullets! (tagline)
Also Starring: Tony Plana, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna, Phil Hartman
Directed by:
John Landis
Written by: Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Randy Newman
Length: 104 min
Budget: $25,000,000 (estimated)
Gross Revenue: $39,246,734 (USA)
Review: So what in the world could be better than watching Al Pacino play a gay bank robber? Easy question. Chevy Chase in a big hat.
Favorite Quote:
Mr. Flugelman: Do you know what “nada” means?
Dusty Bottoms: Isn’t that a light chicken gravy?
Seriously, I just realized something.. I only have 5 days to complete this list or else Janne the Director is going to win our bet!! 5 days and 24 posts to go, including this brilliant film!! That’s like five a day!? I need to speed things up. Well, with this movie it’s easy, I just copy/paste the stuff Janne the Director himself said about “Three Amigos” in his Top 10 Steve Martin Movies list. I totally agree with all he had to say.
You might argue that out of the 3 amigos Steve was the least funny one BUT I’d say that… yeah, he was the least funny one. He was the straight guy that glued the comedy styles of Martin Short (the physical fall on your ass kind) and Chevy Chase (the dead pan kind) together and without him this jewel of a film would’ve been an uneven mess. And saying that you are the least funny guy in ¡Three Amigos! is like saying you are the least tanned face on Jersey Shore. /Janne the Director
There, another one down! Only 23 to go…
Nerdiest Movie Trivia: Originally the movie was supposed to star Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Martin mentioned it in a Playboy interview published January 1980, referring to the movie as The Three Caballeros.
PREVIOUS ON THE LIST: 25. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Related articles
- Film: Interview: John Landis (avclub.com)
- A Short Interview With Martin (06880danwoog.com)
- Chevy Chase: “I’m Not Gonna Do ‘Fletch’ Unless I’m Fletch.” (buzzfeed.com)
My little buttercup, has the sweetest smile. Dear little buttercup, won’t you stay awhile.
I recently re-watched this in May. The last time I saw it before that was 1986, on a big screen. I couldn’t believe how hilarious it was, and how I’d forgotten how hilarious it was.