The most hilarious product placements in cinema

James Bond loves his Sony smartphones; Jurassic World is outfitted entirely with Mercedes vehicles. All facts we wish we didn't know about our favourite movies but which, unfortunately, have crept depressingly into our consciousness thanks to the thriving practice of product placement.

Though Hollywood's become increasingly plagued with the stuff, of unsubtle camera cuts and characters forever picking up objects with the labels facing outwards, every once in a while someone hits promotional gold. For example, consider the rather astounding fact that the world 'LEGO' is never uttered at any point during The LEGO Movie. That's just a little bit genius now, surely?

Inspired by this recent Reddit thread, we take a look at some of the most hilarious, unique, and inspiring takes on the old product placement trope.

Wayne's World (1992)

"Contract or no, I will not bow to any sponsor."

Forever, until the end of time, the best joke about product placement. Wayne's World knew the only way to really stick it Hollywood was to become Hollywood; ribbing on the unabashed creative sell-outs while the dollars rolled in courtesy of Mike Myer's beaming face holding up a slice of Pizza Hut.

Evolution (2001)

With David Duchovny and aliens once more becoming regular interlinking topics of conversation, is it time for 2001's timely comedy Evolution to make its comeback? Sure, it's no Galaxy Quest; but it did star Julianne Moore, and it did feature this rather excellent meta-ending.

Following the film's discovery that Head and Shoulders shampoo is the team's only weapon against a quickly mutating horde of extra-terrestrials, Ivan Reitman's movie simply ends on a darned commercial for the product. Nice one.

Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988)

As it turns out, a pre-fame George Clooney spent his time shilling products for horror-comedy Return of the Killer Tomatoes. The meta-moment see cameras cut as production finally runs out of budget, with Clooney suavely pushing the film to embrace the '80s and the world of product placement; and, boy, does he do it with verve. Good practice for a lifetime of coffee commercials, then?

Happy Gilmore (1996)

This may actually be Adam Sandler's greatest skill: the ability to wedge real, legitimate commercials for products into his movies. Most successful is the use of a Subway ad as Happy Gilmore's ticket out of his problems; less successful is the desperately cringeworthy Dunkin' Donuts ad from Jack and Jill. It's purposely meant to be awful, but somehow the absolute horror of forcing Al Pacino to dance and make puns about his own career surpasses the parody and renders the whole thing legitimately painful to watch.

Mac and Me (1988)

If your weird E.T. rip-off somehow wrangled the sponsorship of McDonalds, then you have every right to make a real song and dance about it. Literally. The suburban family harbouring a friendly alien urn up to their local Maccy D's; everyone's having so much fun, they've got to dance their feelings out! Even Ronald McDonald's getting in on the fun! This is totally normal and happens all the time at McDonalds!

For reference, Mac and Me is the film that Paul Rudd is forever trolling Conan O'Brien with.

The Wizard (1989)

Do you love the Powerglove? Because this kid loves the Powerglove. Just a shame no one's used Nintendo's bizarre alternative controller since the late 1980s.

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Josie and the Pussycats never really received its due praise. A commercial flop, only a now-burgeoning cult fanbase is starting to recognise the comic book adaptation's sharp, witty take on the corporate music industry.

An artistic arena no less guilty of the seductions of corporate sponsorship; which led filmmakers to spin its usage into one of the film's funniest running gags, clocking up 73 separate instances of product placement, all which went unpaid. Would Target really want their logo emblazoned all across the inside of a private jet, anyways?

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)

Taking the hysteria over corporate sponsorship to its inevitable conclusion, documentarian Morgan Spurlock attempted to make a film solely financed by its own product placement. He did indeed, inevitably, succeed; which is why the film's full title is, in fact, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.