Three Amigos is a well known example of what I call 'inane comedy'. The jokes are silly and unfocused, while the film's comedy strategy and type seems uncertain. It is as thought the writers and comedian-stars weren't really quite sure what to do once the talent was assembled and threw together the first concept that came to mind, and the first comedy ideas they could conjure up to fit into the basic premise of the film.
The makings of a decent comedy are here: We have three comedian actors, a workable concept and a good comedic director at the helm (Landis). But names aren't everything. Three stars under-deliver. We get Martin Short doing his prototypical goony movements, Steve Martin's slightly less goony movements and smarminess, and Chevy Chase's buffoonery with vintage obnoxious baritone singing from time to time. But perhaps worse than the lack luster and tired performances is the fact the film has no comic direction to speak of. I'm not trying to hold this film to high standards at all---I just want some laughs from it, but more often than not you need some sort of comedy philosophy and tone to build from in order to make people laugh as much as they should. The film starts out as though it may be a satire, making fun of silent movie Hollywood and the hubris of Hollywood in general. Quickly it gets away from that and moves to making fun of three egotistical idiot-stars. From there the film turns into a 'we thought this was fake, but it is real' farce. Some seriousness is added to parts of the plot to fuel this farce scenario. The heroes then become a version of what they faked in silent movies to end the film, in both a not touching and not funny way. Some of the jokes are misunderstanding driven, some try to satirize, some are character driven (look how dumb this character is, and how egotistical this one is!) some are absurdist, while some of the better jokes are old time gags such as the canteen/desert scene and the troubled plane that lands perfectly after an obviously incongruent cut.
But the inanity of the writing, the scattered comedy focus and average performances aren't the only problems here. The execution of potentially good jokes stands out as a feature of this film. The one that comes to my mind is the strange camp-out scene with the super fake set and singing animals (including a tortoise!). The scene is odd and is full of potential laughs, but falls flat. Even those who get a chuckle out of it will be laughing less than they should. An odd feature of the film is that many of these negative aspects make it seem like a rushed, money making project, but the film was made with obvious care. The sets are really nice, the scenery is great and the supporting actors and extras are fantastic (often providing needed little laughs). Even the costumes are well made. I got as much enjoyment looking at the little Mexican village and surrounding scenery as I did from laughs.
Landis has directed many fantastic comedies, such as Animal House and Blues Brothers. This is not his best work, nor is it Steve Martin's or Chase's. It is an OK movie to watch if bored---it is slightly above average for a comedy, and slightly below average for a typical film, in my mind. There are many better places to look for laughs despite the big names. Four and ½ stars.
The makings of a decent comedy are here: We have three comedian actors, a workable concept and a good comedic director at the helm (Landis). But names aren't everything. Three stars under-deliver. We get Martin Short doing his prototypical goony movements, Steve Martin's slightly less goony movements and smarminess, and Chevy Chase's buffoonery with vintage obnoxious baritone singing from time to time. But perhaps worse than the lack luster and tired performances is the fact the film has no comic direction to speak of. I'm not trying to hold this film to high standards at all---I just want some laughs from it, but more often than not you need some sort of comedy philosophy and tone to build from in order to make people laugh as much as they should. The film starts out as though it may be a satire, making fun of silent movie Hollywood and the hubris of Hollywood in general. Quickly it gets away from that and moves to making fun of three egotistical idiot-stars. From there the film turns into a 'we thought this was fake, but it is real' farce. Some seriousness is added to parts of the plot to fuel this farce scenario. The heroes then become a version of what they faked in silent movies to end the film, in both a not touching and not funny way. Some of the jokes are misunderstanding driven, some try to satirize, some are character driven (look how dumb this character is, and how egotistical this one is!) some are absurdist, while some of the better jokes are old time gags such as the canteen/desert scene and the troubled plane that lands perfectly after an obviously incongruent cut.
But the inanity of the writing, the scattered comedy focus and average performances aren't the only problems here. The execution of potentially good jokes stands out as a feature of this film. The one that comes to my mind is the strange camp-out scene with the super fake set and singing animals (including a tortoise!). The scene is odd and is full of potential laughs, but falls flat. Even those who get a chuckle out of it will be laughing less than they should. An odd feature of the film is that many of these negative aspects make it seem like a rushed, money making project, but the film was made with obvious care. The sets are really nice, the scenery is great and the supporting actors and extras are fantastic (often providing needed little laughs). Even the costumes are well made. I got as much enjoyment looking at the little Mexican village and surrounding scenery as I did from laughs.
Landis has directed many fantastic comedies, such as Animal House and Blues Brothers. This is not his best work, nor is it Steve Martin's or Chase's. It is an OK movie to watch if bored---it is slightly above average for a comedy, and slightly below average for a typical film, in my mind. There are many better places to look for laughs despite the big names. Four and ½ stars.