This is not entirely a comedy film, but has it's moments.
- One of the opening scenes introduces up to protagonist Mookie and Jade, bickering as only siblings can:Jade: Yeah, brush your teeth.Mookie: I brushed my teeth.Jade: Your breath stinks.Mookie: It's your upper lip.
- Radio Raheem gets into an argument with Sonny, the Korean owner of the local grocery store, over the latter's lack of English skills.Sonny: Motherfuck you!Raheem: Motherfuck me? (beat) You're all right, man.
- Buggin' Out is telling the three guys sitting at the corner they should boycott Sal's. This is done in his POV—when he faces Coconut Sid, he goes "No, man. No." He turns to ML: "No." He turns to Sweet Dick Willie: "Hell no, goddamn it! Sal ain't never done nothing to you, man, and me neither. Hear me, what you oughta do is boycott the barber that fucked up your head [referring to Buggin' Out's ridiculous hair]!"
- When Smiley arrives at the window of Sal's to sell his pictures, Pino aggressively steps outside and angrily confronts him, while also arguing with an off-screen resident about harassing Smiley. While that's going on, Smiley attempts to say "Fuck you!" to Pino, but his stuttering cripples it.
- At the beginning, when Sal asks Pino to sweep the front of the pizzeria and instead orders Vito, whom is blasting his Walkman:Pino: Vito. Get a broom and sweep out front.Vito: Huh?Pino: Get a broom and sweep out front.Vito: What?!Pino: (his voice is now bellowing throughout the neighborhood) GET A BROOM AND SWEEP OUT FRONT!
- As "Sweet Dick" Willie is portrayed by stand up comedian Robin Harris, it follows that most of his lines (most, if not all ad-libbed) are some of the funniest in the film. Here, Willie rebukes his friend Coconut Sal for his racist tirade against the Korean grocer:"And Coconut, you got a lot of damn nerve! You got off the boat, too!"
- Then he turns right around and calls that same grocer "Kung Fu".
- "If Mike Tyson dream about whupping my ass, he better wake up and apologize!"
