9. Dick Van Dyke — Mary Poppins Returns
Dick Van Dyke starred in the original Mary Poppins in 1964. Fans of the movie who may have taken their children (or even grandchildren) to the sequel last year were most likely thrilled and surprised to find the now 93- year-old showing up at the end of the film. But Van Dyke doesn’t just appear in a scene and call it a day. The nonagenarian has a full song and dance routine and expertly pulls it off. It’s arguably the best moment in the movie.
8. Chuck Norris — Dodgeball
The martial artist and actor had quite a career in the 80s. We don’t see him much anymore, with the exception of some infomercials for exercise equipment. But he appeared in this film for mere seconds, giving his approving thumbs up to the Average Joes as a judge in the dodgeball tournament.
7. Johnny Depp — 21 Jump Street
We were all glued to our screens in the late ’80s, watching Johnny Depp fight crime as a police officer. It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise (but it was a welcomed moment) when the superstar showed up in the 2012 film reboot.
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Airplane!
Of course Airplane! is chock-full of quotable, laugh-out-loud moments, but Abdul-Jabbar’s appearance as pilot Roger Murdock on the fateful flight is certainly one of the more entertaining performances of the movie. When little Joey, who is visiting the cockpit, insists over and over again that Murdock is in fact Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball player can’t hold it in anymore and defends his hard work on the court.
5. Christopher Walken — Pulp Fiction
Known as the “gold watch monologue,” Walken turns what could be a sad, grave scene into a moment of comedic genius. In a way that only he could pull off, Walken explains to the young Butch Coolidge (the young version of Bruce Willis’s character) how he saved the watch of the boy’s dead father in a POW camp, and stored it where the sun don’t shine so that he could one day give it to him.
4. Leonard Nimoy — Star Trek
Die-hard fans of the original Star Trek series and movies were probably up in arms when J.J. Abrams announced that he was doing his own version of the sci-fi classic in 2009, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. But those very fans got a little gift in the form of the Leonard Nemo cameo: the moment that Spock meets Spock. For some, it was worth the price of admission.
3. Will Ferrell — Wedding Crashers
Will Ferrell appears at the end of the film, playing Chaz Reinhold, the wedding crasher who never really grew up and still lives with his mother. He shows Owen Wilson’s character what his future could hold if he doesn’t shape up. It’s unclear how much of Ferrell’s scene is improv, but his moments of screaming for meatloaf from his mother are pretty hilarious.
2. Mike Tyson — The Hangover
At first, we think that Mike Tyson owning a tiger, and loving the Phil Collins song “In the Air Tonight” is funny enough. But when he puts his full heavyweight champion force behind a punch right to Zach Galifianakis, it’s impossible not to burst into laughter. He also shows a sensitive side in the scene, and it absolutely makes the movie.
1. Alice Cooper — Wayne’s World
In a movie that is essentially about rock and roll, it’s only fitting that Alice Cooper makes an appearance, much to the excitement of Wayne and Garth. But his eloquent explanation of the history of Milwaukee (“pronounced ‘mill-e-wah-que’ which is Algonquin for ‘the good land,'”) is not only surprising but an absolutely perfect cinematic moment.
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