Flick Flops: Retro Rewind – Three Amigos! (1986)
Three actors, one mistaken identity, and a whole lot of exaggerated hip thrusting—This week we are going all the way back to 1986 for Three Amigos! starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short in an Old West adventure where the bullets are real, and the cluelessness is even realer. Does this classic comedy still make us laugh, or is it a ‘plethora’ of disappointment? Saddle up, amigos!
Movie Details
• Release Date: December 12, 1986
• Director: John Landis
• Writers: Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Randy Newman
• Stars: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alfonso Arau, Tony Plana, Patrice Martinez
Fun Facts
• Randy Newman, better known for composing Toy Story’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” co-wrote the script and even voices the singing bush.
• The film was originally intended for Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, and John Belushi, but Belushi’s passing changed the lineup.
• John Landis directed the film right after Spies Like Us (1985), another comedy with a similar buddy dynamic.
• The Three Amigos! salute (elbows out, hands to chest, then a hip thrust) has been referenced in numerous films and TV shows.
• The film’s villain, El Guapo (played by Alfonso Arau), later became a successful director himself, most notably for Like Water for Chocolate (1992).
Interesting Details
Three Amigos! is a classic fish-out-of-water comedy that combines slapstick humor with a Western setting. It follows three washed-up silent film stars who are mistakenly hired to defend a small Mexican village from the ruthless bandit El Guapo. The film parodies old Hollywood Westerns while leaning into the comedic styles of its three leads.
The script underwent multiple rewrites, and at one point, Steven Spielberg was interested in directing with Bill Murray and Robin Williams in leading roles. The final version delivered a mix of absurdity and charm, from talking turtles to the infamous “infamous” misunderstanding.
Though Three Amigos! received mixed reviews upon release, it has since become a cult favorite, with fans celebrating its quotable lines (“Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?”) and musical interludes, including the whimsical “My Little Buttercup” sequence.
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