¡Three Amigos! (1986)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Steve Martin (written by) and
Lorne Michaels (written by) ...

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Western

Tagline:

They're Down On Their Luck And Up To Their Necks In Senoritas, Margaritas, Banditos And Bullets!

Plot:

Three unemployed actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to replay their bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Village | Mexico | Bandit | Horse

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Lucky Day
Chevy Chase	...	Dusty Bottoms
Martin Short	...	Ned Nederlander
Alfonso Arau	...	El Guapo
Tony Plana	...	Jefe
Patrice Martinez	...	Carmen
Jorge Cervera Jr.	...	Bandito #1 (as Jorge Cervera)
Kai Wulff	...	German
Abel Franco	...	Papa Sanchez
Fred Asparagus	...	Bartender
Jon Lovitz	...	Morty
Joe Mantegna	...	Harry Flugleman
Philip Gordon	...	Rodrigo
Michael Wren	...	Cowboy
Gene Hartline	...	Silent Movie Bandito

Also Known As:

The Three Caballeros (USA) (working title)
Three Amigos (USA) (alternative spelling)
Three Amigos! (Australia) (cable TV title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG (Certificate #28272) | Netherlands:6 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA

Company:

L.A. Films

Trivia:

'Nederlander' is Dutch for 'Dutchman (from the Netherlands)'.

Goofs:

Continuity: Dusty leaves Carmen's room in El Guapo's compound wearing the guard's outfit, including his sombrero, presumably having left his own behind. After he is captured and forced to watch Ned's duel with the German, he is wearing his Amigo sombrero again.

Quotes:

Lucky Day: Look up here!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Office: The Meeting (#6.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

THE BALLAD OF THE THREE AMIGOS

Underrated, Underappreciated, and Misunderestimated

5 reasons to love this film: 1. The sight of Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) telling the incomprehensible, self-indulgent story of when he met Dorothy Gish ("you know, Lillian's sister") to a bunch of patient, albeit bored Mexican kids. 2. Lucky Day (Steve Martin) trying to get his buddies' attention as they break into the studio--progressing from an owl's soft "hoo" to a crowing "LOOKUPHERE...LOOKUPHERE" 3. The opening song and Elmer Bernstein's great score (he also scored the classic comedies "Animal House" and "Stripes") 4. The Three Amigos singing "My Little Buttercup" in a Mexican cantina 5. The Amigos fighting back tears as Lucky Day informs his buddies that, in fact, they have been summoned not to perform, but actually to fight the evil El Guapo--Martin Short's tearful line, "Why am I in Mexico?" is hilarious, almost as funny as Steve Martin's follow-up, "I've been shot already!"

This is an intelligent comedy, one that pokes fun not only at the mythology of the Hollywood western, but at Hollywood itself. The three Amigos is a delight to watch, and a great addition to any family's film collection.