A Thorough Investigation Into Fast and Furious' Weirdest Joke

The Fast and the Furious movies have a lot of jokes. Many of these jokes come from Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson). Some of Roman’s jokes are good, most are bad, but all of them basically make sense. All but one.

In Fast X, the franchise’s tenth installment, Roman and his perennial frenemy Tej (Ludacris), get in a scuffle. This is pretty standard stuff for the duo, and it goes basically how you’d expect. Things only get confusing as the scene wraps up.

When the scuffle reaches it's natural conclusion, Tej is pulled off of Roman. Then, Roman stands and throws a cloud of sand (or maybe dust?) into the air. This particular moment is given a lot of emphasis. The music stops and everything.

Then, this exchange happens:

Tej: “What the hell was that, man?”

Pete Davidson for some reason: “He’s like a ghetto magician!”

Roman: “You know what it is, bruh. Beat your ass.”

The film quickly moves on. I was lightly puzzled, but I moved on too.

What brought this moment back to my attention was Demi Adejuyigbe's Letterboxd review

I saw dozens of comments on the review, so I assumed I’d find answers. I did! Too many! It seemed that every commenter had a different interpretation of what this moment meant, and no clear consensus emerged.

This makes the joke unique in the current Hollywood landscape. Blockbusters are meant to be palatable to the largest possible audience, and confusing jokes are generally removed. How did a major release end up with a moment that not even the franchises’ biggest fans can decode?

In the ensuing years, I’ve thought about this joke from time to time. Now, for no reason, I've decided that enough is enough. I will be combing through the comments of Demi’s review, and rating the theories brought up by the different commenters. From least to most plausible, here are some possible interpretations:

5. It’s a reference to “Pocket Sand”

A few commenters suggested that this moment is in reference to the “Pocket Sand” meme.

For the uninitiated, “Pocket Sand” refers to a scene from the animated sitcom King of the Hill, in which a character throws sand at a man in self-defense. He rips it from his pocket and yells “POCKET SAND” before blinding the man and running away.

The theory goes that Roman, who indeed pulls sand from his pocket, was doing so in tribute to KOTH’s Dale Gribble. I find this unlikely for a few reasons.

For one, this is a pretty damn obscure reference. As I said, these movies are pitched at the widest possible audience, and the jokes tend to reflect that. As a point of comparison, one of the running jokes in Fast X is that a character has joined Tinder. That’s the kind of broad stuff we’re working with here. Referencing a niche meme from a twenty-year-old cartoon is far outside the franchise’s comfort zone. Especially because (and this may be the main point here): Roman does not yell “Pocket Sand.” He doesn’t even throw the sand at Tej!

This one doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

4. It’s “Rome-Man” Noodle Seasoning

Bear with me here. I warned you that the jokes are bad.

Early on in Fast X, Tej makes a crack about Roman only eating “Rome-Man” noodles. This joke may be labored, but the meaning is clear. It’s a pun on Roman’s name, and Ramen noodles, the Japanese noodle dish.

While there are high-end Ramen noodle places allover the globe, that is not their main association in the west. In North America, they are known as a cheap food for students or those living in poverty. Tej is saying Roman is broke via awful pun.

Because of this, a few commenters theorized that Roman was throwing “Rome-Man noodle seasoning,” in the air.

This is bizarre. I mean, I understand what they’re saying: Ramen noodle seasoning comes in packages that, if thrown, would probably look a lot like sand. But like…what? Why would anyone make this connection? Why would Roman make a reference to an insulting pun that was directed at him? And if he did, wouldn’t he say something like: “How’s that for Rome-Man noodle seasoning, bitch?”

Sorry, that’s how he talks.

I originally had this higher on the list but I’m bumping it down. Honestly it makes less sense than pocket sand but I had to ease you in.

3. It’s a Reference to 2 Fast 2 Furious

A few commenters suggested that this moment harkens back to Roman’s very first appearance.

In 2 Fast 2 Furious, we meet Roman at a demolition derby. Protagonist Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), looks to recruit his old friend for an undercover operation. Tensions arise when Roman accuses Brian of letting him take the fall for a failed heist years earlier. The two engage in a scuffle, where they roll across the desert ground, and Roman throws sand in Brian’s face.

Could Fast X’s Roman be celebrating with a reference to his own introduction?

I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, this fight is a memorable moment, and I can see the series referencing it. Many of the Youtube comments on the scene praise its realism, and I remember an old Cracked article saying the same thing. Roman and Brian don’t fight like action heroes, they fight like two losers outside a club somewhere. They ineffectually grapple with each other, and take feeble cheap shots at every opportunity.

Like for example, when Roman throws sand in Brian’s face. There’s only one problem: Roman does not throw sand in Brian’s face. I was lying when I said that. Commenter’s memories of this moment appear to be some sort of Mandela effect.

Yes, full disclosure, there is a small moment where Brian meekly throws sand at Roman. But it’s in a wide shot and barely emphasized. Expecting the audience to remember this twenty years later is a lot to ask.

2. It’s a reference to LeBron throwing Chalk

A few commenters suggested that Roman could be paying tribute to LeBron James. Specifically, his pregame ritual of throwing powdered chalk in the air.

This may shock you, but I’m not a huge sports guy. I had to look this up. Apparently, this chalk thing is something LeBron is well known for doing. LeBron is one of about four current basketball players that I could name - so even though I didn’t know about the chalk ritual - I can see the filmmakers making reference to it. Honestly, when I see clips of LeBron doing this, it does slightly resemble Roman's big moment.

My main issue is this: LeBron’s chalk throwing is a pre-game ritual, not a celebration. If Roman had thrown the sand before he fought Tej, I’d give more weight to this theory. But he throws it after the fight, as a taunt, followed by “I beat your ass”. This is not the spirit LeBron’s gesture invokes at all!

Plus, if we’re going to get technical, Roman’s toss is decidedly one handed, while Lebron’s is a double-fisted affair.

Plus, most people interpreted the substance Roman throws as chalk, not sand.

All that being said, this could easily be our answer. There's some evidence there. But if this was the movie’s intended reference, they did a very bad job of executing it.

1. Roman is saying “Beach Yo Ass”

Aaaaand here we are.

When Roman delivers the scene’s “punchline,” a few commenters say they heard “beach” instead of a slurred “beat.”

Could Roman be making an awful pun out of the fact that there is sand on the beach?

Yes, yes he could.

I take no pleasure in reporting this, but sadly, I can hear “beach” too. And as “rome-man noodles” has established, this is exactly the level of joke that F&F is known to make.

Still, questions abound. Most pressingly: why is there sand in Roman’s pocket? If the filmmakers were married to this joke, could they have saved it for a scene where the characters are at the beach? And if you think that’s a lot to ask, you clearly haven’t seen the films. These motherfuckers are at the beach all the time.

Plus, Tej immediately repeats the line back to Roman, and he definitely says “beat.”

Roman: “You know what it is bruh. "Beat [or beach] yo ass.”

Tej: “You beat my ass”?

So really, who knows. I still have no idea if this is right or not. I find it the most likely of the above theories, but the moment itself is so bafflingly executed that I truly have no idea. From what I can tell, none of the cast or crew have commented on this, and if I ever encounter Tyrese or Ludacris, I will have to ask them.

If anyone has theories, please leave them in the comments. This has been bothering me for two years now. It’s like sand in my pocket that I can never quite throw away.