Three best friends

Basking in the warm glow of The Hangover trilogy’s newest release, we remember some of the best friendship threesomes in comedy film and television:


Stooges (1934-59) — Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

The three wise guys were anything but. Though there were a few casting rotations, it’s safe to assume any pies or ladders to the face are paying homage to the kings of slapstick comedy.


Ghostbusters (1984) — Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis

The outdated graphics aren’t the only thing laughable about this cult film. Bill Murray’s deadpan delivery and sly wit stand out in this supernatural story of ghost-nabbing numbskulls.


Three Amigos (1986) — Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short

This is probably the only film where a charmingly gallant piano rendition of “My Little Buttercup” strikes fear into the hearts of a Mexican village. Sardonic undertones at their finest.


Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) —Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck

Maybe the three best friends that anyone could have. How many of us spend our “sick days” on top of a float serenading thousands of people? Make sure you include Bueller’s wit and whimsy in your day off.


Princess Bride (1987) — Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant

A gentle giant. A soft-spoken swordsman. A flippant farm boy. Chuckles and romantic pursuit even a too-cool-for-school grandson can’t resist.


Lion King (1994) — Timon, Pumba, Simba

The witless wisdom of a warthog and meerkat that teach us two men can raise a baby together and stars are just fireflies that got stuck in the sky.


The Geeks of Freaks & Geeks (1999) — John Daley, Martin Starr, Samm Levine

Three preteens that John Bender would deem neo maxi zoom dweebies. Giggle over their adorable pubescence as they relate to one another through Star Trek and false pride in their towel-whipped bodies.


O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000) — George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson

Who knew all Homer’s Odyssey needed was some revived folk music, sepia tones, and suh-thurn ayack-cents to set the scene for a silly-smart jailbreak comedy. Come for the trio’s chemistry, stay for their performance as the Soggy Bottom Boys.


The Lonely Island (2005-present) — Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone

Responsible for the ridiculous brilliance of SNL’s Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box, this group hitched their wagon to Youtube and achieved viral fame. Though they now have hundreds of raunchy, celebrity-studded shorts under their belts, the boys’ goofy outside endeavors include an O.C. spoof and Hot Rod, a feature-length film about a failed stuntman.


Superbad (2007) — Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Chris Mintz-Plasse

One night and three horny, socially-awkward teens trying to get laid in pleated pants. This movie’s profanity-laced hilarity set the precedent for every high school conversation from 2007 on, informing an entire generation of what was funny.


Pineapple Express (2008) — Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride

How could we not include the movie in which a dealer, his client, and their bleeding getaway driver discuss sharing a three-way, best-friends-forever heart locket? Two of the characters lit a joint and called the trifecta of joint-smoking power the future. If Judd Apatow continues to be at the helm, that’s exactly what’s on the horizon: an abundance of weed buddy comedies packed with explosions and improv.


The Hangover (2009) — Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

Alan, his beard, and belly might be their own holy comedic trinity. Having drugged his new “Wolf Pack” during a Vegas bachelor party, he spends the rest of the chaotic movie trying to find the groom. Led by neurotic dentist Stu and pretty boy Phil, the threesome encounters Tyson and tiger and tasers, oh my!