¡Three Amigos! (1986)
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Three fired silent film actors are mistaken for real heroes by a village under threat from a bandit.
The story
In 1916, the bandit El Guapo and his gang threaten the Mexican village of Santa Poco. Carmen, the village leader's daughter, seeks help and finds a silent film featuring 'The Three Amigos,' a trio of gunfighters. Believing they are real heroes, she sends a telegram to them. In California, the actors portraying the Amigos—Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Ned Nederlander—are fired from their studio after demanding a raise. They receive Carmen's telegram and mistake it for a job offer. They steal their costumes and travel to Mexico, where they are welcomed by the villagers who believe they are the heroes they need to stop the bandit.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After arriving in Santa Poco, the Amigos perform a show that leads the villagers to believe they defeated a bandit raid. However, when the real bandit El Guapo and his gang arrive, the Amigos realize they are facing real danger and flee in fear, leaving the village to be looted and Carmen to be kidnapped. Ned convinces Lucky and Dusty to return and become real heroes. They attempt to summon a magical swordsman but fail. The Amigos eventually track El Guapo to his hideout. During a chaotic confrontation, Ned defeats a German pilot who had idolized his skills, and the Amigos manage to escape with Carmen. Returning to Santa Poco, the Amigos rally the villagers to fight back using their sewing skills. When the bandits arrive, the villagers—all dressed as Amigos—ambush them. The bandits are defeated, and the Amigos refuse the villagers' money, riding off into the sunset after declaring that justice has been done.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Landis
- Writers
- Steve Martin · writer; Lorne Michaels · writer; Randy Newman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Steve Martin · Lucky Day; Chevy Chase · Dusty Bottoms; Martin Short · Ned Nederlander; Alfonso Arau · El Guapo; Tony Plana · Jefe; Patrice Martinez · Carmen
- Genres
- Western; comedy
- Themes
- Identity; Heroism
- Tone and mood
- Absurdist; Comedy
- Setting
- A Mexican village and a film studio in California in 1916.
- Premise and plot tags
- Fish out of water; Buddy comedy; Parody
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Three Caballeros
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but has gained a cult following for its absurdist humor, musical sequences, and ensemble performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 44% · scale: percentage · review count: 43; Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 13; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The original working title was Three Caballeros.; Steve Martin performed his own lasso tricks.; The film was ranked 79th on Bravo's list of the 100 Funniest Movies.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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