After everyone on the subway laughs at the name of the desperate woman's boyfriend, Shelton, the old man suggests that she get someone with a better name, such as O.J. This is a reference to O.J. Simpson, who, in the following decade, would be embroiled in a famous scandal for allegedly killing his wife.
In one of the subway scenes, the desperate woman tells that her boyfriend, Shelton, wants to be a movie director and that he used her credit cards to make a movie. Also, he is called Spike by his friends. This is a reference to famous director Spike Lee, whose real name is Shelton Jackson Lee and who used credit cards to make his first film.