No, we don't mean it that way! Get your mind out of the gutter, pervs. In honor of the new movie "Savages" (July 6), we're obviously talking about how it seems like the best star vehicles have three wheels.

Occasionally, a fourth wannabe will try to awkwardly insert himself into the ménage à trois (witness poor Ernie Hudson in "Ghostbusters"), but history's proven that a triad has always struck a chord with audiences. So, sticking with that agreed-upon equation, here's a list of nine trios that prove that, as Schoolhouse Rock taught us, three really is a magic number.

9. Will, Elizabeth and Captain Jack in the 'The Pirates of the Caribbean' Series (2003-11)

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are one of those couples that would be -- let's face it -- sort of boring. So while they might act otherwise, you just know they totally get off on keeping company with the likes of weirdo Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Sure, he's always showing up needing help with his debts, and kind of ruined their wedding. But he's a real hoot and half and a heck of a lot more entertaining than yet another bridge night at the country club.

8. The Angels of 'Charlie's Angels' (2000)

Inspired by the cerebral '70s TV show of the same name, the three lethal ladies of this hit film offered audiences every flavor of woman imaginable. There was Cameron Diaz (the pretty blonde one), Drew Barrymore (the pretty redhead one) and Lucy Liu (the pretty brunette/Asian one). All bases got covered. Not that female audiences didn't receive their fair share of eye candy, too: Bill Murray and Crispin Glover were there heating up the screen ...

7. The Three Amigos in '¡Three Amigos!' (1986)

Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short play dandy silent-film stars who are expected to save a small Mexican town from bandits when they are mistaken for actual heroes. But first, they must overcome their shared and immense cowardice as it slowly (very slowly) dawns on them that the desperate villagers expect gunplay, not jaunty musical numbers.

6. The 'Twilight' Love Triangle (2008-11)

In this PM-centric saga that's become the obsession of tweens, recently turned teens and adults with tweenaged hearts, Bella lives out every girl's dream of being fought over by a sensitive vampire and a 'roid raging werewolf. While it's cute that she stays pals with the hairy-backed hunk after shacking up with Edward, we recommend not letting Jacob near the newborn when there's a full moon. Could get ... messy.

5. The 'Superbad' Boys (2007)

Some great threesomes are less smooth than others. Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse might not possess the skills and dashing looks of the Three Musketeers, but charm comes in many forms. In this case, it came in the form of three awkward high school seniors searching for booze, so as to gain entrance to a party where they hoped they could get some action. And they succeeded in failing their way into our hearts.

4. Frodo, Sam and Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy (2001-03)

A pair of pint-sized xenophobes from the Shire overcome their shortcomings and embark on a perilous journey to deposit the The One Ring into the fires of the solicitor-hindering Mount Doom. But it's only after the lads add the "wacky neighbor" of Middle-earth, Gollum, to their quest that their combined strengths culminate in a classic movie trinity. There's Frodo, with his earnest courage; Sam, with his homoerotic loyalty; and Gollum, with his crippling paranoid schizophrenia. The Golden Girls have got nothin' on these three.

3. The Three Stooges (the Originals)

It's a safe bet that when these slapstick dunces team up, 1+1+1= 0. Although there were many Stooges (Ted, Moe, Larry, Shemp, Curly, Joe, Curly Joe, Emil ...) the magic number on screen at any given time was always three. See, that way, while two of the stooges whaled on each other, a third could be readying a 2x4 to nail 'em both.

2. Luke, Han and Leia in the "Star Wars" Trilogy (1977-83)

In what started out as a classic, often amusing love triangle with "Star Wars" and ended as an incestuous Greek tragedy near-miss (we hope) in "Return of the Jedi," Luke Skywalker and Han Solo vie for Princess Leia's affections while jointly battling the Empire. Only in the final installment do Luke and Leia figure out why that first kiss felt "relatively" unsettling.

1. Harry, Ron and Hermione in the 'Harry Potter' Series (2001-11)

Don't we all wish the subjects forced upon us in school seemed applicable in everyday life? Perhaps the appeal of the "Harry Potter" series is that these three friends got to live out every kid's dream: going to classes that teach useful information like how to fly brooms or cause your enemy to dance against her will. In little more than a decade, these Hogwart alums have gone from near obscurity to becoming the heroes of one of the most beloved stories of all time.

Originally published Oct. 19, 2011.