The_Film_Cricket It would be easy for me to say that 'The Three Amigos' goes no place fast if I believed for a moment that it intended to do anything fast. In fact, the movie is so lacadaisy that I think even the stars were checking their watches.The movie has all the earmarks of what could have been. It stars Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short whose brilliant individual work on 'Saturday Night Live' is completely missed here. They play The Three Amigos; a comedy team whose recent box office receipts has caused the studio to hand them their walking papers.Meanwhile down in Mexico a woman sees one of their movies and thinks they are the real deal. She sends a fractured telegram hiring them to save their village from banditos and being in need of work they oblige. Unfortunately they misread the cry for help and think that they are being called to do a publicity show which leads to a long (and I do mean long) series of misunderstandings until very late in the film when they begin to realize that the banditos aren't kidding around.Steve Martin whom I liked in some of his more critically panned films like the underrated 'The Man With Two Brains' seems too in on the joke. Martin Short does almost nothing and Chevy Chase gets one or two moments right and then stands to the side of the screen looking on at the moment.Maybe the problem is that the film feels too safe. We get the feeling that Martin, Chase and Short are in on the joke and that kills the spontaneity of the comedy. The Three Amigos have a trademark gesture which ends with them thrusting their hips forward and coughing. That's not funny because it feels rehearsed. I like it when comedians don't play the moment for laughs. Watch Gene Wilder in 'Young Frankenstein' when he is trying to figure out how to work the revolving bookcase and you'll see what I mean.

s_albert From the three buffoonic Amigos to el Guapo and his sweater-knitting henchmen, this farcical comedy-western is a mindless journey of snickers and chuckles. Make no mistake, this movie IS stupid -- on purpose. The singing bush?...the Invisible Swordsman?...campfire-singing animals?...please. But the comedic brilliance of Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short sells even the silliest shtick.On the other hand, there are some classic pieces and one-liners in here that demonstrate the film's writing depth, which shouldn't be overlooked, including the surprisingly deep relationship between el Guapo (Alfonso Arau) and his right-hand-man, Jefe (Tony Plana).All in all, you don't really watch this to digest a movie and follow the evolution of characters, you watch it in chunks as skit after skit that affords endless enjoyment if you allow it.So give it a go and have fun...you might be surprised.

Scott LeBrun ...This movie will be the cause of it! Of course, I am kidding, as this is really a charming tribute to and spoof of the earlier days of filmmaking, as a silent era Western trio, "Lucky Day" (Steve Martin), "Dusty Bottoms" (Chevy Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short), find themselves out of work after their last movie flopped and they won't listen to the studio head's suggestion. As fate would have it, a representative of a besieged Mexican village has seen one of their movies and takes it as fact, offering them 100,000 pesos for what they think is a personal appearance when in reality they're being hired to get rid of the fiendish bandit, El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) and his crew who have been terrorizing them. Yes, this is the same basic story also told 13 years later in "Galaxy Quest", but quite likable and funny. Some of the jokes are dragged out a little too long, creating some awkwardness, but overall this is just too hard to resist. Written by Martin (who also takes an executive producer credit), producer Lorne Michaels, and singer / songwriter Randy Newman (who provides the voice of The Singing Bush), its look is just perfect, and for the most part it moves along quite well, providing not one but two scenes of climactic action. The second involves a nice bit of trickery and ingenuity; one can't help but like the characters and the bad guys are also very entertaining in their own right. A few catchy musical numbers add to the fun, with enthusiastic performances by the talented star trio, who definitely look like they're enjoying themselves. Future director Arau, who'd also been a key bad guy in "The Wild Bunch" 17 years before this, is a hoot as El Guapo, and Patrice Martinez as the impassioned Carmen is just gorgeous and immensely appealing and certainly could have had a solid film career after this. It's also great to see Joe Mantegna as the flamboyant studio head, as well as Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman as his underlings. Particularly funny sequences include the musical number "Blue Shadows" (those horses are hilarious!), the moment where Lucky realizes the danger he and his buddies are truly in, and their assault on the bad guys' stronghold. Of course, the movie isn't just gags; the story is strong enough to sustain its length and keep viewers smiling. There are enough things here to make one laugh out loud and maintain interest (including the fantastic music score by the legendary Elmer Bernstein, whose credits range from "The Magnificent Seven" to "An American Werewolf in London" to "Ghost Busters"), right from start to finish. Eight out of 10.

thismeensyou Three Amigos is definitely one of the funniest films of all time! I have created a facebook page for Amigo Fest! coming soon to Virginia! LIKE us on Facebook to receive updates and info on the upcoming fest! Amigo Fest will be a celebration of all things Three Amigos! It will include costumes, games & a viewing of the film at a local "cantina" in Charlottesville, VA! In the same vein as the successful Lebowskifests, it will be a party not to miss. Would I say there will be a plethora of pinatas? Perhaps. A "My Little Buttercup" sing-a-long? Who knows? A lot of tequila (it's like beer)? Absolutely! Join the community and maybe we'll see you there!