Fails the Bechdel test
Ali
2001. Directed by Michael Mann, written by Gregory Allen Howard and Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
1 / 3
Fails
-
Yes
1. At least two women
15 women characters. 7 of them speak. -
No
2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other. -
No
3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.
Second opinion
Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.
The film
In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, Cassius Clay, explodes on to the scene. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sports with his proud, public self confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X, and his abandonment of his slave name in favor of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test when the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in a war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that cemented his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.
- Released
- 25 Dec 2001
- Genres
- Biography, Drama, Sport
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 6.7 / 10
- Metascore
- 65 / 100
- Awards
- Nominated for 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 27 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Ali 298 lines, man
- Bundini 44 lines, man
- Cassius 43 lines, man
- Belinda 42 lines, woman
- Howard Cosell 38 lines, man
- Angelo Dundee 34 lines, man
- Malcolm X 33 lines, man
- Sonji 30 lines, woman
- Bingham 22 lines, man
- Herbert 21 lines, man
Full cast, 121 people
- Will Smith as Muhammad Ali / Cassius Clay
- Jamie Foxx as Drew 'Bundini' Brown
- Jon Voight as Howard Cosell
- Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X
- Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee
- Jeffrey Wright as Howard Bingham
- Mykelti Williamson as Don King
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Sonji Roi
- Nona Gaye as Belinda Ali
- Michael Michele as Veronica Porche
- Joe Morton as Chauncey Eskridge
- Paul RodrÃguez as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
- Bruce McGill as Bradley
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad
- Giancarlo Esposito as Cassius Clay, Sr.
- Laurence Mason as Luis Sarria
- LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Albert Hall as Elijah Muhammad
- David Cubitt as Robert Lipsyte
- Ted Levine as Joe Smiley
- Candy Ann Brown as Odessa
- David Elliott as Sam Cooke
- Shari Watson as Woman Singer
- Malick Bowens as Joseph Mobutu
- Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston
- James Toney as 'Smokin' Joe Frazier
- Alfred Cole as Ernie Terrell
- Charles Shufford as George Foreman
- Rufus Dorsey as Floyd Paterson
- Robert Sale as Jerry Quarry
- Vince Cooke as Jimmy Ellis
- Damien 'Bolo' Wills as Ken Norton
- David Haines as Rudy Clay / Rahaman Ali
- Victoria Dillard as Betty Shabazz
- Brad Greenquist as Marlin Thomas
- Morgana Van Peebles as Malcolm X's Daughter
- Maya Van Peebles as Malcolm X's Daughter
- Maestro Harrell as Young Cassius Clay
- William Utay as The Doctor
- Kim Robillard as Jimmy Cannon
- David Purdham as Madison Square Garden Announcer
- Gailard Sartain as Gordon Davidson
- Wade Williams as Lieutenant Jerome Claridge
- Guy Van Swearingen as Induction FBI Man
- Doug Hale as Judge Ingraham
- LaDonna Tittle as Bundini's Landlady
- Marc Grapey as Bob Arum
- Herb Mitchell as Boxing Commissioner
- Eddie Bo Smith Jr. as Malcolm's Bodyguard
- Bobby Stuart as Thomas 15X Johnson
- Patrick New as Room Service Guy
- Ron O.J. Parson as Death Newsman
- Ellis Williams as Family Photo Man
- Alexandra Bokyun Chun as Asian Cosmetologist
- John Gleeson Connolly as Assistant Director
- Warner Saunders as Customer
- Jack Reiss as Referee Arthur Mercante
- Marty Denkin as Frazier Fight II Announcer
- Tamara Lynch as Flight Attendant
- Chico Benymon as Hampton House Announcer
- Bill Plaschke as Miami Weigh-In Reporter
- Steve Springer as Miami Weigh-In Reporter
- Patrick M. Connolly as Announcer
- Patrick C. Russell as Referee
- Robert Byrd as Willie Reddick
- Cedric Wills as Jersey Joe Walcott, Referee
- Ronald A. DiNicola as Prosecutor
- Moses Hollins as Man on Train
- Daniel E. Gurevitz as Boxing Commission Reporter
- Steven Randazzo as Reporter
- Ray Bokhour as Reporter
- Leonard Termo as Madison Square Garden Reporter
- Johnny Ortiz as Madison Square Garden Reporter
- Mark Salem as New York Reporter
- Sheldon Fogel as New York Reporter
- Jim Gray as New York Reporter
- Melvin Thomas as Harlem Neighbor
- Natalie Carter as Harlem Neighbor
- Reginald Footman as Harlem Neighbor
- Poe Poe as Harlem Reporter
- Mel Dick as Louisville Sponsoring Group
- Kim Taylor-Coleman as Lana Shabazz
- Christian Stolte as Miami Cop
- Vic Manni as Dressing Room Weigh-In Guy
- Will Gill Jr. as Dick Sadler
- Sylvaine Strike as ORTF Interviewer
- Denis Luposo as Kinshasa Reporter
- Sharon Wilkinson as Rose Jennings
- Carol Hatchett as Pointer Sister
- Judith Mwale as Pointer Sister
- Keabetswe Motsilanyane as Pointer Sister
- Richard Katanga as Mobutu Aide / Military Aide
- Thomas Kariuki Matheri as Lieutenant Nsakala
- Larry Hazzard Sr. as Zack Clayton
- Derrick Brown as Larry Holmes
- Rommel Hyacinth as The Pilot
- Graham Hopkins as London Banker
- Daniel Janks as CIA Man
- Bradford E. Lang as Black Pilot
- Michael Dorn as Black Pilot
- Dan Robbertse as Reporter in Zaire
- Graham Clarke as Reporter in Zaire
- Dimitri Cassar as Reporter in Zaire
- Frank Notaro as Reporter in Zaire
- Mark Mulder as Reporter in Zaire
- David W. Hess as Reporter in Zaire
- Henrikennyo Mukenyi as Bula
- Nathaniel Malekane as Archie Moore
- Millard Arnold as Doc Broadus
- Edda Collier as Blonde French Reporter
- Yi Lu Wei as Chinese Delegate
- Lee Cummings as Hunter Thompson
- Zaa Nkweta as Foreman Fight Announcer
- Themba Gasa as Idi Amin
- Andrew P. Jones as Don King's Aide
- Marc Kulazite Mboli as Additional Aide to Mobutu
- Cimanga Kalambay as Additional Aide to Mobutu
- Jean Bikoi as Additional Aide to Mobutu
- James Gilbert as Sparring Partner in Africa
- Carolina Lancaster as Dancer (uncredited)
- Ron Madoff as Cameraman
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 5 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 10% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 199
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 to 10 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 to 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 to 20 | 0 | 5 |
| 21 to 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 to 30 | 0 | 32 |
| 31 to 35 | 0 | 8 |
| 36 to 40 | 0 | 6 |
| 41 to 45 | 0 | 12 |
| 46 to 50 | 0 | 1 |
| 51 to 55 | 1 | 13 |
| 56 to 60 | 2 | 47 |
| 61 to 65 | 1 | 15 |
| 66 to 70 | 0 | 12 |
| 71 to 75 | 21 | 47 |
| 76 to 80 | 5 | 17 |
| 81 to 85 | 0 | 9 |
| 86 to 90 | 4 | 14 |
| 91 to 95 | 1 | 35 |
| 96 to 100 | 0 | 27 |
| 101 to 105 | 0 | 14 |
| 106 to 110 | 7 | 23 |
| 111 to 115 | 2 | 3 |
| 116 to 120 | 0 | 4 |
| 121 to 125 | 5 | 23 |
| 126 to 130 | 3 | 27 |
| 131 to 135 | 0 | 49 |
| 136 to 140 | 1 | 24 |
| 141 to 145 | 0 | 21 |
| 146 to 150 | 1 | 12 |
| 151 to 155 | 0 | 20 |
| 156 to 160 | 0 | 12 |
| 161 to 165 | 0 | 11 |
| 166 to 170 | 10 | 25 |
| 171 to 175 | 10 | 57 |
| 176 to 180 | 15 | 16 |
| 181 to 185 | 0 | 17 |
| 186 to 190 | 0 | 29 |
| 191 to 195 | 0 | 5 |
| 196 to 199 | 1 | 9 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 11 are women's.
90 lines from women, 705 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit B: who's in it
15 women and 66 men in the cast. 7 women and 48 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 81 of 882.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 85 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 10% of the words (969), men 90% (8,975). Women have 11% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.
Exhibit D: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
0
Two men
78
Exhibit E: behind the camera
4 of the 21 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 22% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Michael Mann (man)
- Written by
- Christopher Wilkinson (man), Michael Mann (man), Stephen J. Rivele (man), Eric Roth (man)
- Story by
- Gregory Allen Howard (man)
- Produced by
- Paul Ardaji (man), James Lassiter (man), Jon Peters (man), Michael Mann (man), A. Kitman Ho (man)
- Shot by
- Emmanuel Lubezki (man)
- Edited by
- Stuart Waks (gender not listed), Stephen E. Rivkin (man), Lynzee Klingman (woman), William Goldenberg (man)
- Music by
- Pieter Bourke (gender not listed), Lisa Gerrard (woman)
- Production design by
- John Myhre (man)
- Costumes by
- Marlene Stewart (woman)
- Cast by
- Victoria Thomas (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Art
1 women, 10 men, 13 not listed
-
Sound
3 women, 8 men, 5 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
5 women, 2 men, 5 not listed
-
Production
2 women, 8 men, 2 not listed
-
Writing
0 women, 5 men
-
Other crew
0 women, 2 men, 2 not listed
-
Editing
1 women, 2 men, 1 not listed
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 3 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit F: how old the stars were
Women: 31 on average. Men: 44 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Nona Gaye 27, Jada Pinkett Smith 30, Michael Michele 35
Men
Will Smith 33, Jamie Foxx 33, Jeffrey Wright 36, Mario Van Peebles 44, Mykelti Williamson 44, Ron Silver 55, Jon Voight 62
Exhibit G: the money
It made 82% of what it cost.
- Budget
- $107 million
- Box office
- $87.8 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 199 scenes and 882 lines of dialogue. How the test works
