20 Best “As Themselves” Movie Appearances Ever

14. Kareem Abdul Jabbar In Airplane! 1980's Airplane! is widely considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, and while one of the main criticism of today's spoof movies is that they rely too heavily on pop culture without intelligence, the classic was able to include a celebrity cameo and have it actually be funny. It helps that the film was still invested in traditional comic values and actually telling jokes, and then adding flourishes with the famous faces. Kareem plays himself pretending to be a pilot who goes by the name Roger Murdock, until his cover is blown by little Joey who is visiting the cockpit of a plane for the first time. KThe b-ball legend insists that he is not who Joey says he is but Joey starts listing every little criticism his dad has against him, and eventually, sick of being criticized, Kareem grabs Joey by the collar and sets him straight.

13. Eminem In Funny People

Proving that not everybody loves Raymond, Eminem steals this scene in 2009's Funny People. Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a comedian diagnosed with a severe form of Leukemia, who reconnects with his stand-up comedy background after making some terrible comedies (sounds familiar.) The film is littered with comedy gold cameos, with a diverse pool of comedians playing Simmons' "real-life" comedy buddies, who help him come to terms with his illness. We eventually see Eminem giving George advice in a crowded restaurant when he spots Ray Romano staring at him, kicking off royally and with spectacular vulgarity, while claiming not to recognise the comic and TV star. Ultimately it's a subtle performance by Mathers, despite the explosion, and the commitment to serious performance in a ridiculous situation sells it best.