The best movie cameos can thrill audiences with a surprise appearance from a familiar face, and a great cameo can even distract from an otherwise mediocre movie. Throwing in a celebrity for a wink at the audience moment can be a jolt of excitement that certain movies desperately need and these less-than-stellar movies showcased just how effective some of the best movie cameos can be in saving a movie, at least for a little while.

While these appearances are brief, they are certainly the most memorable parts of the movies they are featured in. In some cases, the biggest stars and Oscar winners show up to have a little bit of fun before disappearing from the movie. Other special cameos even have the stars poking fun at themselves in their short screen time. Though these sequels and comedies may have been largely disappointing, they are at least ed for some of the best movie cameos.

10 Carrie Fisher - Scream 3 (2000)

The Scream franchise is a solid horror series with mostly bright spots but Scream 3 is largely seen as the worst entry. Part of it is due to the movie stepping too far away from horror satire elements and becoming more of a parody. This can be seen with a delicate tightrope walk the movie makes with some cameos. While the appearance of Jay and Silent Bob is silly and distracting, Scream 3 is undeniably fun. She plays an archivist for a Hollywood studio who people remark looks exactly like Carrie Fisher. She even jokes that she would have been Princess Leia, but the real Fisher was willing to sleep with George Lucas for the part. It is a reminder of Fisher's endless charm at not taking herself too seriously.

9 Bill Murray - Dumb And Dumber To (2014)

Dumb and Dumber could have been an embarrassing and unfunny mess but turned out to be one of the best comedies of the 1990s. It holds up incredibly well which is good because most critics and audiences found that its sequel aged poorly almost immediately. While the magic failed to get recaptured, the appearance of Bill Murray is at least a positive. When Harry introduces Lloyd to his new roommate Icepick, it is revealed to be Murray, totally unrecognizable in a full Breaking Bad-style hazmat suit. While it doesn't hold a candle to Murray's Zombieland cameo, seeing him in this costume giving a surprisingly upbeat greeting is a much-needed laugh in the sequel.

8 Dan Aykroyd - Casper (1995)

Casper is the live-action adventure about the titular friendly ghost that holds a nostalgic charm for some people but is largely forgettable and far from a critical favorite. However, fans might be surprised to see how many random cameos find their way into this adaptation of the comic strip character. While Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson's appearances are surprising, the real thrill is seeing Dan Aykroyd running out of Casper's haunted mansion in full Ghostbusters uniform. His one line completes the perfect fan-service cameo as he says "Who you gonna call? Someone else."

7 Gwenyth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Steven Spielberg, & Tom Cruise - Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)

The third installment of the Austin Powers series followed the same formula of raunchy humor, absurd characters, and celebrity casting. Unfortunately, it is still considered by many to be the worst of the films, especially given the big shoes it had to fill since the first in the series is one of the funniest movies of the '90s. Yet the film's opening scene is undeniably genius, as it offers many brief cameos in a self-parodying intro. Featuring Gwenyth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise, the beginning of the film offers grand moments of surprise, confusion, and hilarity at the eventual realization of what was happening.

6 Al Pacino - Jack And Jill (2011)

Jack and Jill ranks as one of Adam Sandler's worst movies in which he plays dual characters as male and female adult twins. Given the premise, the last person fans might expect to see in this movie is Oscar-winning acting legend, Al Pacino. Even more interesting, Pacino plays himself as he falls deeply in love with Sandler's female character. While there is little that critics have praised about the movie, Pacino saves many scenes with his energetic and funny performance. The cheesy rap he does as part of a sell-out commercial for Dunkin' Donuts has become legendary online and shows the actor's incredible versatility.

5 Keith Richards - Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie is still seen as a brilliant summer blockbuster, but there are also plenty of fans who insist Gore Verbinski's entire trilogy is worthwhile in the adventure movie genre. However, the first movie without Verbinski, On Stranger Tides, is often regarded as the worst of the franchise. Even the performance from Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow started to feel a little worn out by this point. One performance that did add some spark was Keith Richards as Captain Teague, Jack's dad. Given that Depp modeled his Jack Sparrow after the Rolling Stones' rockstar, the extended cameo was a treat and a great incentive for viewers to power through.

4 Ben Affleck & Matt Damon - Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is not a common household film name, primarily due to the film's particular sense of humor and now outdated views on important topics. Although the film is one of many satirical Clerks spin-offs created by Kevin Smith, it certainly is not the most beloved. But one great moment in this not-so-great film is the scene where Ben Affleck and Matt Damon self-parody themselves and their widely acclaimed film, Good Will Hunting. The scene also features some other notable names linked to the great film, making the cameos a brief point of redemption for the film they're actually in.

3 Matt Damon - Eurotrip (2004)

Though he is certainly an Oscar-nominated A-lister, Matt Damon appears in a lot of cameos, from Thor: Ragnarok to Chasing Amy to Deadpool 2. But his Eurotrip role is the scene-stealing part of the whole movie and is likely the only reason the movie has any lasting legacy. The sex comedy follows Scotty and his friends who go on a wild European trip after his girlfriend dumps him. The way he is dumped is especially funny as Damon plays the lead singer of a rock band who performs their legitimately catchy tune, "Scotty Doesn't Know" about his girlfriend cheating on him. Seeing how much Damon commits to the role is great fun.

2 Charlton Heston - Planet Of The Apes (2001)

The Planet of the Apes franchise has gone through numerous installments and reboots now, among which is the 2001 version directed by Tim Burton. While it shares many similarities with its predecessors and successors, there's one thing that makes this adaptation stand out from the others: the Charlton Heston cameo. Heston played the role of George Taylor in the 1968 Planet of the Apes - the first film in the franchise and one of few sci-fi films that nailed their final scene - making his appearance in the remake a welcome addition for fans. In the 2001 film, he dons the role of a dying ape leader, with his dialogue being minimal but still serving as a subtle callback to his original role.

1 Christopher Lloyd - A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014)

Despite its ensemble cast and promising premise of a modernized Western comedy, A Million Ways to Die in the West did not perform as well as it was hoped to. While criticism went largely towards its plot and poorly executed mixing of genres, praise was given to its plethora of guest stars that kept audiences entertained enough. Among these is Christopher Lloyd who reprises his role as Doc Brown from the Back to the Future series. Caught working on the DeLorean, he shrugs off one of the most recognizable movie cars of all time as a "weather experiment." He even delivers his iconic exclamation of "Great Scott!" at the end of his brief but nonetheless memorable cameo.