Couch Potato Classics

When it comes to choosing a movie for a night curled up on the couch (preferably by the fire, mug of hot chocolate in hand, and heavily buttered popcorn nearby), there are a few qualifications that must be met. It has to be funny, thoughtful, and at times dramatic. It’s best to choose a movie with Steve Martin. Even better? Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short, in The Three Amigos.

These masters of comedy come together in a film that ridicules many of our most outrageous stereotypes about Mexicans, pokes fun at our American idiocy, (“Do you know what “nada” means? Dusty Bottoms: Isn’t that a light chicken gravy?”).

The three amigos, Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, and Ned Nederlander, are a riot to watch. Formerly silent film stars, these actors find themselves suddenly unemployed and journey to Mexico on a supposed job offer. As it turns out, the locals need help fending off El Guapo, a nasty villain, terrorizing their town. The Mexicans think the Amigos are really there to save their town, and the Amigos think it’s all a part of a movie. It’s almost meta-theatrical.

Their motto –“Wherever there is injustice, you will find us. Wherever there is suffering, we’ll be there. Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find…The Three Amigos!” – leaves you with something to think about (would it be a leap to say American Imperialism?).

The Three Amigos passes the couch potato classics test with flying colors, and will undoubtedly fill the room with loads of laughs.