I thought the "bulldyke" stuff was funny because he obviously didn't believe it, and I even saw it as him trying to discourage Ned from pursuing her. If he was a truly meanspirited person he would have gone the slut/whore route, but the ridiculousness of it took away its bite. Plus, he was right about Ali Hennessey! Meanwhile Max's assholishness involved several attempts at murder or at least bodily harm. (The cutting of Herman's breaks(!), the tree whose comic timing softened the seriousness of the act, and the bees.) Also, he harrassed Rosemary to the point where she resigned from her job.

The love triangles of Ned/Jane/Steve and Herman/Rosemary/Max bear similarities as well. Jane: "You're too old for me, Steve." Rosemary: "Max, you're fifteen years old." (And of course there's the accented babe-ish-ness of the ladies in question. )

I forgot to mention it before, but I love every single moment of Buckaroo Bonzai and couldn't begin to pick a favorite line.