A 1995 Sci-Fi Box Office Hit Featured An Unexpected Cameo From Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett was only ever about a good time. The singer-songwriter crooned about boozing and screwing with addled aplomb; he was also a marijuana advocate for most of his life (though he did stop toking in 2017). His devoted fanbase, known as Parrotheads, revered him as a champion of free, fun living. He was carefree and rarely one to judge. Get out, live your life, enjoy the ride, and when your journey gets a little rocky, it is always five o'clock somewhere.

I've always found Buffett's music to be lightweight and compositionally bland, but I understand the appeal of his ethos. I can't hate on anyone for digging on his vibe. Take Frank Marshall for instance. If you were a Twitter user back in the early 2010s, you might've noticed that the producer of "Paper Moon," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Poltergeist," and director of "Arachnophobia," "Alive," and "Eight Below," is a massive Parrothead. I found his devotion to the fun-loving Buffett incredibly endearing and was not surprised to learn that the two had struck up a friendship. This also explained why the "Margaritaville" singer turned up in a couple of Marshall's films in the 1990s. Was that really Jimmy Buffett as an airplane pilot in Marshall's unabashedly silly movie adaptation of Michael Crichton's unintentionally silly sci-fi novel "Congo?" Yes, it was, as you can see above.

Published in 1980, "Congo" was one of those potential projects you'd read about in Starlog or Variety from time to time. When Sean Connery was circling it, I decided to read the novel, figuring it must be some epic adventure. I did not expect a tale about an corporate-funded expedition venturing into an African jungle with a talking gorilla to find a diamond mine. This did not strike me as a summer blockbuster.

After some false starts, "Congo" finally got greenlit by Paramount with Marshall directing. The film is a hoot, thanks primarily to an in-on-the-joke screenplay from John Patrick Shanley ("Moonstruck," "Joe Versus the Volcano") and game performances from a killer cast that includes Laura Linney, Ernie Hudson, Tim Curry, Joe Don Baker, and an uncredited Delroy Lindo.

Of course, the only thing that matters to Parrotheads is Jimmy Buffett turning up in the cockpit of a 727. It's an incredibly brief appearance, but that's the man in all his hopefully sober glory (given that he's piloting a passenger plane). Despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, "Congo" wound up grossing $152 million at the global box office against a $50 million budget, which I think is the best possible outcome for a film with that loopy plot.

Interestingly, this wasn't the first time Marshall cast his pal in one of his movies. Buffett also played a shoe-stealing pirate in Steven Spielberg's "Hook" (which Marshall produced, and turned up in "Jurassic World" as well. The party came to an end for Buffett in 2023 when he succumbed to Merkel-cell carcinoma, but millions of Parrotheads toast him every day when happy hour rolls around.