Three Amigos! ** (1986, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short) – Classic Movie Review 11,358

Three Amigos! (1986): ‘They’re Down On Their Luck And Up To Their Necks In Senoritas, Margaritas, Banditos And Bullets!’

Director John Landis’s 1986 comedy Three Amigos! stars Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short as three softy-sissy silent screen cowboy actors out to save a Mexican village from bloodthirsty banditos, in this amiably amusing Three Stooges / The Lone Ranger meet the Seven Samurai / The Magnificent Seven Western spoof. Lucky Day (Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chase) and Ned Nederlander (Short) find they now have to play their onscreen bandit fighter roles for real.

The endearing performers work hard to please and there are some funny moments, especially from Martin who is by far the most talented of the trio.

The film’s faults are that the screenplay (by Steve Martin, producer Lorne Michaels and Randy Newman who also wrote the songs) runs out of steam, that the stars are not quite as winsome as they appear to think, and that director Landis has problems with pace and timing the gags.

But overall it is goodish, silly slapstick fun.

Also in the cast are Patrice Martinez, Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, Joe Mantegna and Jon Lovitz.

The score is by Elmer Bernstein, who also wrote the famous score for The Magnificent Seven (1960) which this film spoofs.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,358

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