Wait for it... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best film cameos that actually enhanced the movie. Major spoilers to come!
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00:00It's the Price is Right, Happy.
00:02Oh, yeah, sorry.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:05and today we're counting down our picks for the best film cameos that actually enhanced the movie.
00:09Major spoilers to come.
00:11You guys are Jump Street?
00:12Yeah.
00:13That's funny, because we were actually Jump Street.
00:16Number 20. All of them.
00:18Deadpool and Wolverine.
00:20I waited a long time for this team-up.
00:22In Sean Levy's mega-meta Deadpool and Wolverine,
00:25fan service reigns supreme.
00:27To say that the film is cameo-stuffed would be a wee bit of an understatement.
00:30After all, the movie doubles as a love letter to the Fox-era cast of super-characters.
00:34And, from Elektra,
00:36to Blade,
00:39to Johnny Storm,
00:40they all have their moments to shine.
00:42Now picture that,
00:44but everywhere.
00:45Heck, we even get cameos from superheroes that failed to get their films off the ground.
00:48Looking at you, Gambit.
00:49Look, I was a fan of Gambit since, like, I was a kid,
00:51so there's a lot of things that I've been looking forward to getting to do.
00:54One might argue that there were too many,
00:56but when it comes to Deadpool,
00:57excess is kind of the name of the game.
00:59Number 19. Paul Reubens.
01:01Batman Returns.
01:02Fans of Batman Returns may be surprised to learn
01:05that another Tim Burton collaborator had a brief cameo in the film.
01:08Paul Reubens, of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure fame,
01:10plays the Penguin's father opposite fellow Pee-Wee star Diane Salinger.
01:14Reubens' character, Tucker Cobblepot,
01:16heartlessly dumps his malformed newborn son in the sewer,
01:19who is then adopted by a family of penguins.
01:27Reubens' brief cameo is not just a meta reference.
01:30It is chillingly effective in setting up the penguins' dark and tragic backstory.
01:34And that's not the end of Cobblepot.
01:36Reubens would go on to reprise the role in the crime drama series Gotham,
01:39albeit for a much more tragic end.
01:41She never told me.
01:43Told you what?
01:46That I had a son.
01:48Number 18. Huey Lewis.
01:50Back to the Future.
01:52On a much lighter note,
01:53Huey Lewis' cameo in Back to the Future is a tuneful one.
01:56Director Robert Zemeckis asked singer Lewis to contribute two songs to the movie.
02:00One of them, The Power of Love,
02:02even hit number one on Billboard's Hot 100.
02:12But Lewis' involvement went beyond songwriting.
02:14He also appears in the movie as a judge in the Battle of the Bands scene,
02:17panning Marty McFly's playing of his own song as
02:21Fun and funny, but it also forces Marty to reflect on his rejection
02:25and makes him worry about ending up like his parents.
02:27He then meets up with Doc Brown, and the rest is cinema history,
02:30so thanks, Huey Lewis.
02:32Are you telling me that you built a time machine
02:36out of a DeLorean?
02:37Number 17. Bruce Springsteen.
02:39High Fidelity.
02:40It was inevitable that a movie all about music would feature at least one musical artist.
02:452000's High Fidelity rolled out the big guns, however,
02:48by having Bruce Springsteen himself make an appearance as himself.
02:52Record store employee Rob Gordon is unlucky with women,
02:55so he reaches out to his old partners to find out why his current relationship failed.
02:59Fortunately, Bruce Springsteen appears in his dreams to deliver some tuneful wisdom.
03:07Springsteen even references his own song, Bobby Jean,
03:10in encouraging Rob to seek closure and move on from his past lovers.
03:13This sets Rob on an emotional journey to reconcile with Laura
03:16and commit to her fully.
03:17Is there anything Bruce Springsteen can't do?
03:19Thanks, boss.
03:20Number 16. Kurt Vonnegut.
03:22Back to School.
03:23Hi, I'm Kurt Vonnegut. I'm looking for Thornton Mellon.
03:26Literature lovers were thrilled to encounter a cameo
03:29from this famous author in the 80s comedy Back to School.
03:31Wealthy but largely uneducated businessman, Thornton Mellon,
03:35decides to return to school and encourage his own unmotivated son, Jason,
03:38to continue in his studies.
03:40It isn't long before Thornton falls for English literature professor Dr. Diane Turner
03:44and decides to impress her with a paper on Kurt Vonnegut.
03:47And who better to write it than Vonnegut himself?
03:49Hilariously enough, this backfires as Diane sees through the deception.
03:53What's more, she believes the one who really wrote the paper
03:56doesn't know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut.
03:59Lesson learned. Do not rely on authors to understand their own works.
04:02Next time, I'll call Robert Ludlum.
04:04Number 15. David Hasselhoff.
04:06The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
04:08How will we ever get back to Bikini Bottom now?
04:11I can take you there.
04:13Admittedly, this cameo is one of the most random ones you'll ever see.
04:16Parents watching this with their kids might have been tempted to ask,
04:19what do David Hasselhoff and SpongeBob SquarePants have to do with each other?
04:22In the movie's climax, SpongeBob and Patrick are stranded at the beach
04:26when David Hasselhoff appears and offers to give them a ride.
04:29They literally ride on his back while Hasselhoff glides across the water like a speedboat.
04:33Hitman Dennis tries to knock them off,
04:35but gets knocked down himself when Hasselhoff passes underneath another boat.
04:39All in all, it's a fun-if-random cameo turned into a chase scene.
04:42David Hasselhoff, everybody!
04:44You done good, Hasselhoff.
04:46Number 14. Orson Welles.
04:48The Muppet Movie.
04:49Please, sir, my name is Kermit the Frog,
04:51and we read your ad, and, well, we've come to be rich and famous.
04:55Now, this cameo was nothing less than an honor.
04:58For Orson Welles, of course.
04:59Meshing together two legends is always a treat.
05:02Encouraged by a talent scout, Kermit the Frog embarks on a journey to L.A.,
05:06meeting all the other Muppets,
05:07as well as a slew of humans and guest stars along the way.
05:10Among the heavyweights is Orson Welles of Citizen Kane fame,
05:13a big fan of the Muppets.
05:15He plays Lou Lord,
05:17the cigar-chewing head of Worldwide Studios who meets with Kermit et al.
05:20A few words from Kermit, however, is all that Lord needs to make his decision.
05:24Welles' facial expressions and screen presence
05:26help elevate this brief cameo into an iconic one.
05:30Tracy, prepare the standard rich and famous contract
05:35for Kermit the Frog and company.
05:38Number 13, Sigourney Weaver, The Cabin in the Woods.
05:41As long as they accept our sacrifice, they remain below.
05:45But the other rituals have all failed.
05:47This meta sci-fi satire wouldn't be complete without cameos.
05:51In this film, American college students stay in a cabin in the woods,
05:54unaware that a group of lab scientists control the building remotely,
05:57releasing mind-altering drugs
05:59and manipulating events to decimate the group.
06:01The last survivors, Dana and Marty,
06:03soon discover the truth behind these grisly occurrences.
06:06Played by Sigourney Weaver, the director explains
06:08the deaths have all been part of an arcane ritual
06:10demanding the sacrifice of typical horror movie archetypes.
06:13But even Weaver's sci-fi gravitas can't prevent Dana and Marty
06:16from electing not to kill each other arbitrarily and instead kill her.
06:20Gosh, they're both so enticing.
06:22Number 12, Gene Hackman, Young Frankenstein.
06:25A visitor is all I ask.
06:28A temporary companion to help me
06:30pass a few short hours in my lonely life.
06:35Speaking of horror film satire,
06:37this classic parody has its own very effective cameo.
06:40In the movie, Gene Wilder plays Frederick Frankenstein,
06:43sorry, Frankenstein,
06:45who travels to his family's estate in Transylvania.
06:48While there, he ends up creating the monster,
06:50who later escapes and crosses paths with a priest.
06:53Played by Gene Hackman in a rare comic role,
06:55all the lonely priest wants is a companion,
06:57and he immediately bonds with the monster.
06:59As the priest is blind, he hilariously pours soup down the monster's lap
07:02and lights his thumb on fire.
07:04Unfortunately, the monster storms out after this,
07:06missing out on the chance to have espresso.
07:08Hackman's foray into comedy is definitely a scene-stealer.
07:11Where are you going?
07:13I was gonna make espresso.
07:15Number 11, David Bowie, Zoolander.
07:18If nobody has any objections,
07:21I believe I might be of service.
07:23Of course the fabulous David Bowie would be in this movie.
07:26The plot follows male model Derek Zoolander,
07:28who is brainwashed into assassinating the prime minister
07:31by evil fashion mogul Mogatu.
07:33As Derek hits the runway in the walk-off
07:35against a preening Hansel,
07:37David Bowie himself volunteers to be the judge
07:39and lays out the rules. Makes sense to us.
07:41But walk-offs are very serious business,
07:43and Derek cannot keep up with a dexterous Hansel.
07:46Bowie immediately gives his harsh verdict, disqualified.
07:49Bowie's somber, straight-faced attitude
07:51towards the walk-off shenanigans
07:53makes this already funny scene comedy gold.
07:55Disqualified.
07:57Number 10, Billy Idol, The Wedding Singer.
07:59Who better to make an appearance in a musical rom-com
08:01than Billy Idol?
08:03The Wedding Singer follows Robbie Hart,
08:05the titular character who falls in love with a waitress named Julia.
08:07Unfortunately, Julia is set to marry her long-time fiancé,
08:10the boorish Glenn Guglia.
08:12After breaking up with his own fiancé,
08:14Robbie catches a plane to stop Julia's wedding to Glenn,
08:17regaling his tale of woe to Billy Idol and the other passengers.
08:20Glenn doesn't deserve her.
08:22All he cares about are possessions.
08:24Fancy cars,
08:26CD players.
08:28Even women are possessions to him.
08:30Idol is totally on team Robbie and Julia
08:32and gets in on a plan to help and woo Julia back
08:34by announcing Robbie's song on the speaker.
08:36He and the other passengers then give Glenn his comeuppance.
08:39Idol's obvious enthusiasm for the role
08:41elevates the already heartwarming climax.
08:43Mind if I give her a kiss first?
08:45Oh, yeah. Do it. You gotta do it.
08:47Number 9, Neil Patrick Harris.
08:49Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
08:51Excuse me, are you Neil Patrick Harris?
08:53Yep.
08:54In this stoner comedy,
08:55friends Harold and Kumar embark on an odyssey
08:57to fast-food restaurant White Castle,
08:59but not before they pick up a most unexpected hitchhiker,
09:02Neil Patrick Harris.
09:03Shocked but pleased,
09:04Harold and Kumar soon discover that Harris is intoxicated
09:07and keen to derail their plans even more.
09:09Things then take a wild turn with a hilarious sequence
09:12where Harris steals the friends' car,
09:14leaving them stranded at a convenience store.
09:16Harold and Kumar finally arrive at White Castle,
09:18only to discover their money is gone.
09:20Harris appears once again like a mischievous trickster
09:23to apologize and compensate them for their trouble.
09:25It's a pitch-perfect cameo that fits seamlessly into the movie.
09:28What happened to my car?
09:29I made some love stains in the back seat.
09:32You'll see.
09:33Number 8, Bruce Willis, Split.
09:35This psychological thriller would not be the same
09:38without this Bruce Willis tie-in.
09:40Split follows Dennis,
09:41a man living with dissociative identity disorder,
09:43who kidnaps three girls and imprisons them beneath a zoo.
09:46He manages to kill two of the girls, but one escapes.
09:48However, there is more to this tale of split personalities
09:51than meets the eye.
09:52Rejoice!
10:00The broken are the more evolved.
10:10Rejoice.
10:12In the ending cameo, Bruce Willis appears as David Dunn,
10:15confirming that Split is set in the same universe
10:17as 2000's Unbreakable.
10:19M. Night Shyamalan had conceived of the Dennis character
10:21during Unbreakable,
10:22but had to cut him due to length constraints.
10:24Willis' crucial cameo makes Split a rare example
10:27of a standalone sequel that ties into another universe.
10:30They gave him a funny name, too.
10:33What was it?
10:35Mr. Glass.
10:37Number 7, Mike Tyson, The Hangover.
10:40This hit comedy about a bachelor party turned epic journey
10:43undoubtedly delivers an excellent cameo.
10:45Facing memory loss from their drunken debauchery
10:47the previous night,
10:48friends Phil, Stu, and Alan
10:50must find Doug and get him to his wedding.
10:52After getting arrested for stealing a police cruiser,
10:54the trio find themselves face-to-face
10:56with none other than Mike Tyson,
10:58rocking out to In the Air Tonight.
11:00This is my favorite part coming up right now.
11:07He then punches Alan and demands that they return his Bengal tiger.
11:10What follows is a hilarious sequence
11:12of them sedating the tiger
11:14and taking it back to Tyson's mansion,
11:16where they discover that Doug had been with them
11:18during their initial visit.
11:19Tyson's performance turns what would have been
11:21a forgettable cameo into great comedy.
11:23Nice!
11:24Nice, guys!
11:26Number 6, Will Ferrell, Wedding Crashers.
11:29This popular rom-com features divorce mediators
11:32John and Jeremy,
11:33who crash weddings in the hopes of meeting women.
11:35John falls for Claire, the maid of honor,
11:37while Jeremy gets entangled with an overly clingy Gloria.
11:40When their real identities are revealed,
11:42Claire rejects John, causing him to spiral into depression.
11:45Fortunately, Will Ferrell comes to the rescue.
11:47Ferrell's Chez Reinhold, a former wedding crasher,
11:50invites John to crash a funeral with him.
11:52A funeral?
11:53Grief is nature's most powerful aphrodisiac.
11:57Here, John has an epiphany about the nature of love.
12:00He rushes to Jeremy's and Gloria's wedding,
12:02reunites with Claire,
12:03and the two couples live happily ever after,
12:05all thanks to Will Ferrell and the meatloaf.
12:07Hey, Mom!
12:09The meatloaf!
12:10Number 5, Bob Barker, Happy Gilmore.
12:13Beloved game show host Bob Barker
12:15makes a smashing impression
12:16in this hockey-turned-golf pro sports comedy.
12:19Adam Sandler plays the titular character,
12:21and in this scene, he's paired with THE Bob Barker
12:24in a celebrity golf tournament.
12:25When a heckling spectator causes Happy to mess up his swing,
12:28it sparks an argument with Barker.
12:30Frustrated, Happy punches Barker,
12:32setting off a nasty brawl between the two
12:34that sends them careening down the course.
12:36All right, let's go.
12:38This fight leads Commissioner Doug Thompson
12:41to suspend Happy for a whole month
12:43and slap him with a $25,000 fine.
12:45Fighting with Bob Barker has serious consequences,
12:48but the most important lesson here?
12:49You don't mess with the prices right.
12:51I think you've had enough.
12:54No?
12:58Now you've had enough.
12:59Number 4, Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder.
13:02Who here is a key grip?
13:04You.
13:05You.
13:06You.
13:08Hit that director in the face.
13:10What would this movie even be
13:12without Tom Cruise's excellently outrageous Les Grossman?
13:15In the satirical action flick,
13:17a group of actors and their hapless director
13:19shoot a movie in the middle of a jungle,
13:21only to be met with a fierce gang that causes them trouble.
13:23What makes them take this disastrous decision?
13:25An ultimatum by studio executive Les Grossman,
13:28played by none other than Tom Cruise,
13:30to shape up or get out.
13:32A radical departure from his usual action hero roles,
13:35Cruise plays Grossman with no-nonsense,
13:37obscenities-filled panache.
13:39Even the Flaming Dragon Gang cannot hold their own
13:41against this high-powered executive with a filthy mouth.
13:43Oh, and he dances, too.
13:45Because why not?
13:48Heads up!
13:51Number 3, Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise, 21 Jump Street.
13:55You know what's better than two undercover agents?
13:57Four undercover agents.
13:59In this seminal buddy-cop comedy,
14:01agents Schmidt and Jenko become high school students
14:03to find and arrest a drug supplier.
14:05When they finally meet the motorcycle gang,
14:07it looks to be the end of them.
14:09Fortunately, two former 21 Jump Street members,
14:11played by Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise,
14:13reveal themselves and turn the guns on the gang.
14:15Little dweebs just ran a five-year investigation.
14:17We had no idea, and you're like an amazing actor, man.
14:20This portrayal doesn't end well for the two, however,
14:22and they are unceremoniously killed.
14:24The best part of it all is that Depp and DeLuise
14:26were the former stars of the original TV series
14:28of the same name, making this cameo a fantastic send-off.
14:31The only approval...
14:33that I ever needed...
14:37was my best friend.
14:39Thanks, man.
14:40Number 2.
14:41Patrick Stewart, John Krasinski,
14:43Hayley Atwell, Lashana Lynch,
14:45and Anson Mount.
14:46Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness.
14:48We were at war.
14:50While the rest of us banded together
14:52to try to stop Thanos,
14:54Stephen, as always,
14:56chose to go it alone.
14:58The Marvel Cinematic Universe never wears us out
15:00with its significant cameos.
15:02In this film, Doctor Strange must protect
15:04teen America Chavez,
15:06who has the power to travel between universes
15:08from the Scarlet Witch.
15:09Amid all the universe-jumping,
15:11Strange and Chavez find themselves in Earth-838,
15:14where they are taken and brought before the Illuminati.
15:16The Illuminati comprises Charles Xavier,
15:18Reed Richards, Peggy Carter,
15:20Captain Marvel, and Blackagar Boldagon,
15:23played by Stewart, Krasinski, Atwell, Lynch,
15:26and Mount, respectively.
15:27They explain that the Doctor Strange
15:29nearly destroyed their world
15:30while trying to defeat Thanos.
15:32Thanks to their appearance,
15:33Strange manages to confront his counterpart
15:35and destroy him.
15:36Talk about a universe-saving cameo.
15:38You ever had that dream where you're falling
15:40as if you've been pushed off a tall building?
15:47That was probably me.
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16:11Who would have thought
16:12that the best Bill Murray tribute
16:13would be in a zombie film?
16:15After a zombie pandemic,
16:16Columbus and fellow survivors
16:18end up at Bill Murray's mansion.
16:19As Columbus educates Little Rock on Ghostbusters,
16:22the man himself shows up to Tallahassee
16:24and Wichita as a zombie.
16:25Well, disguised as one.
16:26It turns out zombies don't mess with other zombies,
16:29so Murray came up with this clever disguise
16:31as a survival tactic.
16:32A buddy of mine, makeup guy,
16:33showed me how to do this.
16:34Cornstarch.
16:35You know, some berries,
16:36a little licorice for the ladies.
16:38It suits my lifestyle.
16:39You know, I like to get out and do stuff.
16:41Unfortunately, it backfires on him
16:43when, in an attempt at a practical joke,
16:45Columbus shoots him instead.
16:46At least Murray only had Garfield
16:48as his last regret.
16:49RIP, King.
16:50So do you have any regrets?
16:53Garfield, maybe.
16:56Which other celebrity cameos
16:57do you feel really took it to the next level
16:59and made a great film even better?
17:01Let us know in the comments down below.
17:03Where are you going?
17:05Wherever God takes me.
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17:23Bye!