In many ways, RoboCop is the quintessential science fiction masterpiece from director Paul Verhoeven. It took a simple science fiction movie and turned it into a smart, funny piece of filmmaking that mixed social satire with buckets of ultraviolence and comedic one-liners. It's these hilarious quotes that live on and preserve the film's satirical notoriety.
RoboCop is, by definition, silly and doesn't make much sense, but it's still fun to watch, if for no other reason than to laugh at a collection of hilarious quotes from its cast of characters. It helps to sell the idea that no one should take the movie too seriously and instead sit back and enjoy the laughter, blood and cultural references of the time.
Updated on 29. July 2021 by Derek Draven: RoboCop continues to provide plenty of laughs as well as plenty of violence and blood to this day. With such a clever and wicked script, there is no lack of hilarious quotes to highlight and emphasize. With news of RoboCop: Rogue City being announced as an FPS video game with an all-new story, the future looks bright for fans of the series. Until this game is released, there are plenty of reasons to return and enjoy the original films that inspired everything that followed, even the critically divisive 2014 remake.
fifteen "Someone wants to call a goddamn paramedic?"
The 1980s were a strange moment in American business. The pendulum had swung from producing first-rate American goods to cost-cutting measures that compromised their quality. After ED-209 beat an innocent CEO to death with powerful rounds, Dick Jones went to the Old Man and assured him it was "just a glitch".
Not surprisingly, the Old Man did not share the same feeling. It's a macabre and satirical way of criticizing the attitude of many business people who fall into the trap of corporatism, which has been a big problem in this decade.
13 "I would buy that for a dollar!"
No one really knows why this particular quote is so funny, but it still gets a lot of laughs, both from the characters and the audience. The characters seem to take it as a humorous joke, as if it were part of the popular culture of the world in which the film is set. The audience probably finds it absurd and corny and laughs along for another reason.
Whatever it is, the quote seems as deeply iconic as the RoboCop franchise. The fact that it is uttered several times during the film by the sleaziest guy imaginable only serves for added effect. This is another way Verhoeven pokes fun at the culture of the time.
12 [Lt. Hedgecock] "What kind of car do you want? [Miller] "Something with reclining leather seats that goes really fast and gets really damn good gas mileage!"
Nothing in RoboCop should be taken too seriously, including scenes depicting hostage situations. Verhoeven injects satire into every frame and backs it up with a witty, sarcastic script. This line occurs when an average guy named Miller blows his gasket and takes a bunch of hostages.
As police try to distract Miller while RoboCop infiltrates the building, he begins shouting demands. One of them is for the 6000 SUX, a fictional gas-guzzling muscle car from the movie that embodies all the gross excesses of the 1980s, right down to high-pollution vehicles.
11 "I am what you call a repeat offender! I repeat, I will insult again!"
Sometimes criminals take legal terms too literally, as this quote from the movie proves. It happens just before RoboCop's first big reveal at the police station, when Sergeant Reed is dealing with a man brought in for public intoxication. As the police go through his file, he gets belligerent in the funniest way possible.
Instead of cursing the sergeant and appearing violent, he blurs through this quote, which is a bizarre interpretation of the concept of a repeat offender. However, his honesty has a certain charm and is enough to make audiences laugh after Murphy's brutal murder.
10 "Tastes like baby food!"
RoboCop may be one of the best cyborgs in movie history, but he still relies on a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients to maintain his organic proportions, and this is where the whimsical "baby food" scene comes into play. After OCP sets up a station for RoboCop in the police department, they prepare him for his role as Detroit's new cleanup officer.
The scientists responsible for the project describe his digestive system and the paste used to supplement his needs. Johnson grabs a cup of the nasty-looking stuff and tries it, remarking to Bob Morton that it tastes like baby food. Repulsed Morton knocks him on the chest and replies "Knock yourself out!"
9 "You probably don't think I'm a very nice guy, do you?"
Clarence Boddicker remains one of the most vicious and unpleasant villains ever to appear on screen, thanks to an outstanding performance by Kurtwood Smith. The character is without merit or redemption, making him a terrifying nemesis not only for RoboCop, but also for the audience.
Boddicker was actually not a nice guy. On the contrary, there was no line he wouldn't cross; no crime too extreme enough to raise his heart rate even a single point. His cruelty is encapsulated in perfection thanks to this quote, uttered shortly before Alex Murphy's murder.
8 "That's it, Buster! No more military aid!"
Paul Verhoeven not only made fun of American corporatism in the 1980s, but also of the world's obsession with nuclear war at the time. As the 1980s drew to a close, the Cold War faded into irrelevance, but the threat of a nuclear exchange was deemed plausible. At the same time, an incredible sense of optimism and joy had infiltrated everything from music to Hollywood movies on the big screen, which turned out to be a confusing juxtaposition.
In the 1980s, board games were seen as a great way for families to come together and bond. Monopoly and Risk were still very popular, but Verhoeven added another fictional game with Nukem. This game encouraged players to "get them before they get you," which was a mentality circulating around the world at the time.
7 "I had a guaranteed military sale with ED-209! Renovation Program! Spare Parts for 25 years! Who cares if it works or not?"
Director Paul Verhoeven is a masterful filmmaker with a series of incredible moves, and he routinely uses satire as a substitute for political intimidation. This is demonstrated when Dick Jones attacks Bob Morton for capitalizing on his ED-209 failure. Really, it was Dick's own fault for pushing a corporate scam.
When Morton overtook Jones with the RoboCop initiative, it sent him into a fit of rage and jealousy. After all, Jones was number two at OCP, and he didn't take Morton's superiority well. This hilarious quote is an example of how smart and short-sighted Dick Jones really was.
6 "Excuse me, I have to go. Somewhere a crime happens."
This is one of the most sterile quotes in the entire film, and also one of the funniest. It could be a smart jab at the "work comes first" attitude of 1980s corporate America, or it could just be so dry and full of raw conviction that it comes across as unintentionally funny. Be that as it may, it works.
RoboCop is so involved in his work as a police officer that he doesn't know what to do with himself in his spare time. When he's not replenishing his energy out of sheer necessity, he's out on the streets airing bad guys as easily as a secretary fetches coffee.
5 "It's back. Big is back, because bigger is better! 6000 SUX – An American Tradition!"
Consumer societies have always been interested in great products. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, big cars were a sign of prestige and dominance on the road, and this was reflected in the film with a bevy of amazing cars that have gone down in cinematic history.
Verhoeven poked a bit of fun at this, contrasting the public's fondness for big V8 gasoline guzzlers with the declining quality of the American automobile. The 6000 SUX moniker isn't exactly subtle, but it's still worth a good knee-slapping.
4 "Come quietly, otherwise there will be… trouble!"
RoboCop fans love the film for the social satire and one-liners, and each actor brought something special to the table. Peter Weller knocked the role of RoboCop out of the park with a robotic yet human performance that felt completely natural given the circumstances of his death and rebirth.
This quote is one of the funniest and is most often mimicked by fans. It shows the pre-programmed mentality of RoboCop mixed with the humanity of Alex Murphy, making it a one liner that audiences can get excited about.
3 "They'll fix you. They fix everything."
As the film reaches the climax of its third act, the title character goes from human to cyborg and back to something closer to human. The final battle with Boddicker and his men in the abandoned industrial factory is a chance for RoboCop to take off his visor, show his face and become Alex Murphy again.
After stabbing Boddicker in the neck with his data spike, RoboCop and an injured Lewis call out in turn. The latter yells "Murphy, I'm a mess!" Murphy responds with this funny quote, which feels both ironic and sarcastic given OCP's immoral actions that came before it.
2 "You're illegally parked on private property! You have 20 seconds to move your vehicle!"
OCP took the concept of urban pacification a bit too far when it greenlit the production of ED-209. This lumbering beast had little foresight when it came to dishing out punishment for perceived crimes. It was essentially a giant instrument of oppression to scare the inhabitants into submission.
So it wasn't entirely surprising that it readied its weapons systems to fire when RoboCop rolled up to OCP's front door in his car. Threatening to open fire on someone for illegally parking a vehicle is so over-the-top hilarious that even Judge Dredd and Dirty Harry would have blinked.
1 "Dick, you're FUCKED!"
RoboCop's hidden fourth directive meant that he could not take action against any OCP member, even if it meant upholding the law. This was a failsafe developed by Dick Jones to prevent the cyborg from acting against the interests of the company. This was not surprising, since OCP's lucrative city contracts essentially meant that they owned the police force.
When RoboCop presented video evidence of Dick Jones' murder confession to the OCP board, he retaliated by taking the Old Man hostage. RoboCop revealed that instruction four prevented him from taking action against Jones, prompting the old man to yell this funny line, effectively ending Jones' employment … and his life.