I’ll be honest with you, I was a bit down after I watched all those dramatic films from a few weeks ago. A man can only take so much drama. So when it came time to queue up a new movie, I decided I needed a good old fashioned comedy. Not some romantic comedy date movie, a real comedy. So I did what any self- respecting child of the eighties would do. I rented Three Amigos.
Now this is comedy. Steve Martin and Martin Short, two great tastes that taste great together. And Chevy Chase. . . nah, we’ll deal with him in a moment. All in good time.
Here’s the synopsis in 50 words or less: Three silent movie stars get fired. A woman from a Mexican village sees their movie, thinks they’re real heroes, and asks for their help. They think she wants to pay them them to put on a show. Hilarity ensues.
Oddly enough, hilarity really does ensue. All three actors play to type and have awesome names. Steve Martin (an old favorite of mine) is Lucky Day, the frustrated leader surrounded by idiots. Martin Short is the clumsy one, this time a former child star named Ned Nederlander. And Chevy Chase is Dusty Bottoms as played by … well, Chevy Chase.
Most of the movie comes from a simple misunderstanding (the meaning of the word infamous), and with masters like these, the movie holds onto the funny for the whole time. The chemistry the three have is wonderful, and I think a lot of the funny comes from the fact that they’d worked together so much and knew each other’s beats and when to get out of each others’ way. I love it when comedians know how to do that. It’s a skill all its own.
Randy Newman did the music for Three Amigos, and he did a beautiful job of it. Two pieces in particular, My Little Buttercup and Blue Shadows have stuck in my brain like Randy Newman songs tend to do, and for once I don’t mind it. My cube-mates think I’m a bit loony (what else is new), but doggone it, I like humming the songs. They should just be relieved that I don’t do the dance like I do at home…I mean, like I don’t do anywhere.
I haven’t said much about the plot so far, and to tell the truth, the plot is almost irrelevant. Sure, there’s stuff going on with Lucky falling in love with Carmen (played by the beautiful Patrice Martinez), and the townsfolk are terribly frightened by the horrible, evil, murdering, villainous monster infamous El Guapo, but the plot is really just a punchline delivery system, and it gets out of the way when it’s time for the joke.
Now, let’s talk a little about Chevy Chase. I’m not a fan. He always plays the same guy, and his delivery is always a self-conscious “Hey, I’m doing something funny!” thing, and that just grates on my nerves. Somehow, though, it works in Three Amigos. In fact, there were a couple laugh-out-loud moments from Chevy, and no one was more surprised than me. His standard delivery actually worked in the Invisible Swordsman scene (great fake-out punchline, by the way). And the scene in the desert when he was gargling the water was hilarious. I watched it a couple times. Very good work.
There are so many other good things I could say about this movie, and so many more great bits, but I’ll spare you. Watch it for yourself and be prepared for a silly, wild ride.
Oh, and on my 40th birthday? I want a sweater.
