Review of ¡Three Amigos! (1986) by Joe D — 16 Aug 2008

Even though this movie is considered one of the comedy classics of the 80s, for some reason I had written it off in my youth as silly and boring. When Tropic Thunder came out this week it instantly made me think of the plot of Three Amigos where three movie stars get themselves into trouble after a big misunderstanding, and I decided to give the movie a second shot.

Though the movie occasionally drags, I realize now that Three Amigos is considered a classic for a reason. The canteens in the desert, sneaking into the studio to steal the costumes, even random line readings like "Sew, very old one! Sew like the wind!" took me completely off guard as I giggled along with glee. The Invisible swordsman sequence is a stroke of genius reminiscent of classic Monty Python. The movie succeeds in moments like these, where it revels in its own silliness. That's the reason it's been admired and quoted for over 20 years. I certainly wrote the movie off too soon.