When a villainous bandit terrorizes her small Mexican village, a real-life damsel in distress (Patrice Martinez) enlists the help of three goofy singing cowboy Hollywood stars--mistakenly believing that they are as heroic in person as they are onscreen. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short star as the swashbuckling Three Amigos! The wimpy actors think they are going south of the border to perform a one-time show for a large fee. When they are fired from their studio, they have no choice but to accept the offer and head south for the show of a lifetime. As they arrive in the tiny oppressed village, they begin to realize that they are caught in a horrible case of mistaken identity and must truly fight for their lives against the evil marauder El Guapo (Alfonso Arau). They cowardly run for their lives and the village is almost destroyed until they realize the importance of their mission and are forced to use real cunning and bravery to try to defeat the villain and his hordes in order to prove that the Three Amigos! were truly as courageous and heroic as they appeared onscreen. This hilarious spoof of old-fashioned Westerns features marvelous physical comedy from its strong cast.