Three amigos

Posted by: | March 19, 2009 | Comments Off on Three amigos

This movie was funny but something someone said in class got me thinking. This movie is about three amigos that believe they’re in a show, because of a silent movie that shows them as being heroes. Now… they’re Americans. Carmen actually states that no one can help them, especially Mexican men who just seem lazy and drunk all the time. Now, this movie is making fun of the stereotypes in westerns like the wild bunch, were mexicans are actually shown as Lazy, drunk and well, corrupt and megalomaniacs. But at the same time it is showing the stereotype and promoting the idea that Americans are going to save Mexico, because in the end they do. Three americans come up with the plan and destroy a whole lot of bandidos. And in the end, it does show the stereotypes and does nothing to portray them differently. So because of this, does this work as the satire it is intended to, or does it fall under the category of movies about Mexico with bad stereotypes like The Wild Bunch or High Noon?
I think it falls under the category of movies about Mexico with bad stereotypes and this is why: We are in a spanish class studying about Meican cinema, and we see things differently. But this movie is not intended for college students in a class about Mexican cinema. Its meant for the Average middle class American that thinks of Mexico as what is shown in the big screen: dirty, full of bandidos, drug lords and mexican woman who can’t defend themselves. The movie does nothing to change the view of Mexico. It makes fun of the stereotypes, but does not show a real Mexico. Where in the movie does the director or writer try to change the stereotype? If a 10 year old watches this movie he is going to believe the things in the film, and still believe that Americans are the heroes and Mexicans are drunk and lazy. Yes, they exxagerate it and make fun of it, but I am not sure that a lot of people would read it the way we do. Now, if we talk about, it made a good presentation of stereotypes in Westerns and ridiculing them, but my point is that it did not try to change the expectations. El guapo was still a sick bandido, Carmen was the dame in need of help, the people got drunk, etc. I really think this is goign to be a movie to talk about because they exxagerated in such a manner that we could tell it was a farce, but maybe not everyone can.


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