Passes the Bechdel test
Better Man
2025. Directed by Michael Gracey, written by Robbie Williams and Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
81 women characters. 11 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 131. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.
The film
This is an amazing story about one of the most famous pop artists of the nineties and 2000s. Robbie Williams is not just a talented singer, he is a charismatic and scandalous star who, in his youth, set himself the goal of breaking through and becoming famous throughout the world. The film tells how Robbie felt wild as a child, and to prove to everyone that he was capable of achieving a lot, he immersed himself in music.
- Released
- 10 Jan 2025
- Genres
- Biography, Fantasy, Music
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 7.5 / 10
- Metascore
- 77 / 100
- Awards
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. 14 wins & 47 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Robbie 378 lines, man
- Peter 80 lines, man
- Nigel 47 lines, man
- Nicole 38 lines, woman
- Young Robbie 30 lines, man
- Nate 29 lines, man
- Betty 27 lines, woman
- Janet 23 lines, woman
- Gary 22 lines, man
- Guy 22 lines, man
Full cast, 253 people
- Robbie Williams as Robbie Williams (voice)
- Jonno Davies as Robbie Williams
- Steve Pemberton as Peter
- Alison Steadman as Betty
- Kate Mulvany as Janet
- Frazer Hadfield as Nate
- Damon Herriman as Nigel Martin-Smith
- Raechelle Banno as Nicole Appleton
- Tom Budge as Guy Chambers
- Jake Simmance as Gary Barlow
- Liam Head as Howard Donald
- Chase Vollenweider as Jason Orange
- Jesse Hyde as Mark Owen
- Anthony Hayes as Chris Briggs
- John Waters as Michael Parkinson
- Leo Harvey-Elledge as Liam Gallagher
- Chris Gun as Noel Gallagher
- Carter J. Murphy as Young Robbie
- Asmara Feik as Young Robbie
- Rafferty Gleeson as Young Gary
- Leatham Blisand as Young Nate
- Jasper Hall as Young Nate
- Molly Gleeson as Candice
- Romley Gurr as Finley
- John Lloyd Fillingham as Guidance Counsellor
- Rose Flanagan as Melissa
- Jessica Lu as TV Host
- Patrick Harvey as Declan
- Dailin Gabrielle as Stacey
- Dalip Sondhi as Record Company Executive
- Brigid Zengeni as Rehab Patient
- Milijana Cancar as Rehab Therapist
- Karina Banno as Natalie Appleton
- Sandra Githinji as Shaznay Lewis
- Elyssia Koulouris as Melanie Blatt
- David Woods as All Saints Label Executive
- Nick Nicolas as Tom Jones
- Michelle Brasier as Viv Nicholson
- Jack McMinn as Manchester Young Boy
- Sophia Elliff as Crystal
- Campbell Maccorquodale as Salsa Boy
- John O'May as Terry Swinton
- Joe Ruberto as Terry Swinton Pianist
- Yvonne Fix as Elderly Woman with Rose
- Sharon Heywood as Golden Hills Publican
- Vicky Jacobs as Theatre Pianist
- Wil King as Model Agency Assistant
- Ned Zaina as Manchester Male Dancer / Robbie Dance Double / 'Rock DJ' Dancer
- David Wood as Dance Studio Choreographer
- Aaron Lynch as La Cage Young Man
- Jack Stratton-Smith as La Cage Clubber
- Teon Haywood as La Cage DJ
- Laurence Boxhall as DJ Sexton
- Clarisse Bonello as DJ Jen
- Paul Esmonde as Reporter
- Nadya Nepomnyashaya as Door Woman
- Tami Achebe as Schoolboy
- Jayden Ayodele as Schoolboy
- Lewis Duffield as Schoolboy
- Steven Elliot as Posh Man
- Adil Akram as Suit Shop Man
- Hannan Ahmed as Cement Worker
- Perry Warner as Cement Worker
- Sanjay Batra as Elderly Couple
- Ellie Dickens as Elderly Couple
- Oliver Wheeler as Yuppie Man / 'Rock DJ' Dancer
- Mark Lee as Customer
- Bella Merrington as Mother
- Ivy Tucker as Daughter
- Thalia Dudek as Manchester Complex Stagehand
- Clare Chihambakwe as Manchester Complex Nurse
- Paul Warwick as Butler
- Daisy Bishop as Fan - Flasher
- Emma Johnson as Fan - Flasher
- Jade Carr as Female Model
- Lizzie Kelly as Groucho Club Woman
- Jonty Reason as Holiday Punter
- Spencer Susser as Martin
- Kasia Grabowski as Robbie's Entourage
- Mia Harangozó as Robbie's Entourage
- Jordan Holtam as Robbie's Entourage
- Gaby Seow as Robbie's Entourage
- Annelise Buttress as Columbia Hotel Woman
- Jessica Duncan as Columbia Hotel Woman
- Madison Gaze as Columbia Hotel Woman
- Emma Monaco as Columbia Hotel Woman
- Ben Hall as Robbie Alternate
- Ross Sands as Robbie Dance Double
- Oliver Gebhardt as Young Robbie Dance Double
- Noam Phillips as Young Robbie Dance Double
- Tricia Hennessy as Betty Picture Double
- Luke Travers as Peter Picture Double
- Liam Baptista as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Cully Barnacle as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Emily Bedford as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Cassius Cole as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Yves Cole as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Olivia Gurr as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Goldie Harris-Currie as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Audrey Kambouris as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Namitha Nair as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Jasper McDonald Parsons as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Darcy Montana Sterling-Cox as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Sebastian Sero as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Liam Smith as Kids Theatre Ensemble
- Charlotte Anderson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Oliver Andrews as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Tyrone Anthony as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jorge Antonio Fujizaki as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Chris Arias as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Simon Ata as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Fatou Bah as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Chantal Bala as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Charlotte Bazeley as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Olivia Beckford as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jamie Bell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Darren Bennett as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Philip Birchall as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Courtenay Brady as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Amira Walters-Byrne as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Beth Cain as "Rock DJ" Dancer / "Land of 1000 Dances" Dancer
- Patrick Cain as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Samuel Baxter as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Dani Cash as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Cece as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Megan Charles as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Tendai Chitate as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Vicky Clarke as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Elise Clinton as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Brie Cohen as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Katie Collins as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Armando Cruz as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Yves Cueni as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Che Barrett-Davis as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Idney De'Almeida as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Robin Dobler as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kieran Donovan as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Harrison Dowzell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Lauren Drago as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Joy Duckrell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Erin Dusek as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jo Dyce as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Carly Mercedes Dyer as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- David Eap as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Austyn Farrell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Mike Fellows as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Majella Fitzgerald as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jakub Franasowicz as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Melissa Freire as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Tom Fryearson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Chanelle George as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Darron Gifty as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Martha Gimson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jo Goodwin as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jamie Graham as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jenny Griffin as "Rock DJ" Dancer / "Land of 1000 Dances" Dancer
- Lina Gurin as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jared Martyn-Hageman as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ian Harris as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Yasmin Harrison as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- LaShay Harvey as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ryan Hayes as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Emily Haygarth as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Lisa Herbert as "Rock DJ" Dancer / "Land of 1000 Dances" Dancer
- Lili Hodge as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- India Hope as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kane Horn as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Renae Hughes as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Samantha Inge as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Sammi Lee Jayne as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Mira Jebari as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Matt Jordan as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Konnie Karachaliou as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kate Kelly as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kane Klendjian as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Josh Lay as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Steph Lee as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jake Leigh as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Natalie Lennie as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Vicky Leung as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Hannah Levitt-Collins as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ashley Lloyd as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Lamaar Manning as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Christie Lee Manning as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Fiona McDonald as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Lianne Lee May as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Molly McGibbon as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Mari Macleod as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Hena Memishi as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Victoria Mudima as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- James Mulford as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Connor Murray as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Carella Mutagubya as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Mina Neighbour as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Anders Neilsen as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ken Nguyen as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Shaun Niles as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Josh Nkemdilim as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kelechi Nwanokwu as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Lucifer O'Shea as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Tom Partridge as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Steven Pascau as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Elise Pinel as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Neal Piron as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Josie Pocock as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kyah Purling as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Luca Rainbow as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Nimmz Riaz as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Elliot Richardson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kailum Richardson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ben Ritter as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Alana Rixon as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Harry Robinson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Shani Ross as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Carmelle Rudder as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Bradley Salter as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Hannah Sandilands as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Billy Sawyer as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Ben Scarmozzino as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Marty Sedgefield as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Brett Sewell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Aaliyah Sharnell as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kane Silver as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Fi Silverthorn as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Darcey Simmons as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Shaun Smith as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Oliver Smithson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Emma-Louise Stansall as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Erica Stubbs as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Charlie Tatman as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kim Taylor as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Thanh Jason Nguyen as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Nicky Treleaven as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Sophia Turner as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Summer Villiers as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kane Walcott as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Nakai Warikandwa as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Kieran Daley Ward as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Randall Watson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Megan Westpfel as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Angel Wharmby as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Josh Wharmby as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Johnny White as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Charlotte Wildrianne as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Beth Willetts as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Aleshia Willilams as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Maisie Wilson as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Becky Wong as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Devon Young as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Michele Zanette as "Rock DJ" Dancer
- Jordan Elise as "Land of 1000 Dances" Dancer
- Stevie McKeon as Groupie (uncredited)
- Ioannis Melekis as Dancer
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 7% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 131
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 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 4 to 6 | 14 | 27 |
| 7 to 9 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 to 12 | 0 | 8 |
| 13 to 15 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 to 18 | 0 | 5 |
| 19 to 21 | 4 | 42 |
| 22 to 24 | 3 | 37 |
| 25 to 27 | 5 | 26 |
| 28 to 30 | 0 | 31 |
| 31 to 33 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 to 36 | 0 | 9 |
| 37 to 39 | 4 | 24 |
| 40 to 42 | 0 | 15 |
| 43 to 45 | 0 | 5 |
| 46 to 48 | 8 | 50 |
| 49 to 51 | 0 | 5 |
| 52 to 54 | 7 | 36 |
| 55 to 57 | 0 | 15 |
| 58 to 60 | 1 | 20 |
| 61 to 63 | 18 | 25 |
| 64 to 66 | 0 | 0 |
| 67 to 69 | 0 | 0 |
| 70 to 72 | 0 | 0 |
| 73 to 75 | 0 | 0 |
| 76 to 78 | 6 | 24 |
| 79 to 81 | 12 | 21 |
| 82 to 84 | 13 | 12 |
| 85 to 87 | 0 | 50 |
| 88 to 90 | 0 | 6 |
| 91 to 93 | 0 | 4 |
| 94 to 96 | 0 | 17 |
| 97 to 99 | 0 | 22 |
| 100 to 102 | 1 | 4 |
| 103 to 105 | 1 | 5 |
| 106 to 108 | 2 | 8 |
| 109 to 111 | 10 | 5 |
| 112 to 114 | 5 | 20 |
| 115 to 117 | 0 | 21 |
| 118 to 120 | 0 | 36 |
| 121 to 123 | 3 | 5 |
| 124 to 126 | 0 | 2 |
| 127 to 129 | 0 | 3 |
| 130 to 131 | 0 | 25 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
JANET: I went down to the post office the other day and someone called me a posh slag. BETTY: Oh, love, you’re not posh. JANET: It’s not funny. I can’t make my deliveries anymore. I’m having to shut the business, Robert.
JANET: I’m going to bed. If they’ll let me. BETTY: Hey love, where’s my little Robert gone?
BETTY: I don’t want you wasting away on me. JANET: They don’t have washing machine’s in London?
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 15 are women's.
118 lines from women, 693 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
81 women and 93 men in the cast. 11 women and 19 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 23 of 868.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 113 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 13% of the words (1,080), men 87% (7,487). Women have 15% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.
Exhibit E: 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
5
Two men
47
Exhibit F: behind the camera
6 of the 21 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 24% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Michael Gracey (man)
- Written by
- Michael Gracey (man), Simon Gleeson (man), Oliver Cole (man)
- Produced by
- Coco Xiaolu Ma (woman), Michael Gracey (man), Paul Currie (man), Jules Daly (woman), Craig McMahon (man)
- Shot by
- Erik Wilson (man)
- Edited by
- Lee Smith (man), Jeff Groth (man), Spencer Susser (man), Martin Connor (man), Patrick Correll (man)
- Music by
- Batu Sener (man)
- Production design by
- Joel Chang (man)
- Costumes by
- Cappi Ireland (woman)
- Cast by
- Alison Telford (woman), Kate Leonard (woman), Kate Dowd (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Production
15 women, 32 men, 2 not listed
-
Art
8 women, 14 men, 22 not listed
-
Other crew
7 women, 22 men, 6 not listed
-
Sound
3 women, 25 men, 7 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 19 men
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 8 men, 2 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
4 women, 0 men, 5 not listed
-
Directing
3 women, 3 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 52 on average. Men: 47 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Raechelle Banno 31, Kate Mulvany 46, Alison Steadman 78
Men
Jonno Davies 32, Tom Budge 42, Robbie Williams 50, Damon Herriman 54, Steve Pemberton 57
Exhibit H: the money
It made 20% of what it cost.
- Budget
- $110 million
- Box office
- $22.5 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 131 scenes and 868 lines of dialogue. How the test works
