Fails the Bechdel test

Born on the Fourth of July

Name: Born on the Fourth of July
Released: 1990

1990. Directed by Oliver Stone, written by Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
27 women characters. 4 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

Disagree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.

The film

Based on the true story of Ron Kovic (Cruise, in an Oscar-nominated performance), an idealistic young American proudly enlists during the Vietnam War and returns home a paraplegic. Struggling to overcome drug-addiction and depression, he turns his life around and becomes an outspoken critic of the war.

Released: 05 Jan 1990
Genres: Biography, Drama, War
Rated: R
IMDb: 7.2 / 10
Metascore: 75 / 100
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. 15 wins & 26 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Ron 57 lines, man
Ronnie 39 lines, man
Donna 22 lines, woman
Mom 19 lines, woman
Lieutenant 11 lines
Dad 9 lines, man
Coach 8 lines
Stevie 7 lines, man
Tommy 7 lines, man
Jimmy 6 lines, man

Full cast, 103 people

Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic
Raymond J. Barry as Mr. Kovic
Caroline Kava as Mrs. Kovic
Kyra Sedgwick as Donna
Willem Dafoe as Charlie
Jerry Levine as Steve Boyer
Stephen Baldwin as Billy Vorsovich
Josh Evans as Tommy Kovic
Rob Camilletti as Tommy Finnelli
Vivica A. Fox as Hooker
Lili Taylor as Jamie Wilson
Tony Frank as Mr. Wilson
Holly Marie Combs as Jenny
Tom Berenger as Sergeant Hayes
Frank Whaley as Timmy
Mark Moses as Optimistic Doctor
Bob Gunton as Doctor #1
Cordelia González as Maria Elena
Jayne Haynes as Mrs. Wilson
Anne Bobby as Suzanne Kovic
Richard Panebianco as Joey Walsh
Tom Sizemore as Vet - Villa Dulce
Michael Wincott as Vet - Villa Dulce
Mike Starr as Man #1 - Arthur's Bar
Ed Lauter as Legion Commander
Daniel Baldwin as Vet #1 - Democratic Convention
Brian Tarantina as Vet #2 - Miami Convention
Dale Dye as Infantry Colonel
Norma Moore as Massapequa Mom
Stacey Moseley as Young Donna's Friend
Oliver Stone as News Reporter
Sean Stone as Young Jimmy Kovic
Jenna Von Oÿ as Young Suzanne Kovic
Ellen Pasternack as Neighbor
Joy Zapata as Neighbor
John Getz as Marine Major - Vietnam
David Warshofsky as Lieutenant - Vietnam
Jason Gedrick as Martinez - Vietnam
Bill Allen as Platoon - Vietnam
William Baldwin as Platoon - Vietnam
Claude Brooks as Platoon - Vietnam
James Le Gros as Platoon - Vietnam
William Mapother as Platoon - Vietnam
Byron Minns as Platoon - Vietnam
Markus Flanagan as Doctor - Vietnam
R. D. Call as Chaplain - Vietnam
Corkey Ford as Marvin - VA Hospital
Rocky Carroll as Willie - VA Hospital
Chris Pedersen as Aide #3 - VA Hospital
David Herman as Patient - VA Hospital
Bruce MacVittie as Patient - VA Hospital
Damien Leake as Patient - VA Hospital
David Neidorf as Patient - VA Hospital
Paul Sanchez as Patient - VA Hospital
Billie Neal as Nurse Washington - VA Hospital
Richard Poe as Frankie - VA Hospital
Jake Weber as Donna's Boyfriend - Syracuse, NY
Reg E. Cathey as Speaker - Syracuse, NY
Edie Brickell as Folk Singer - Syracuse, NY
Joseph P. Reidy as Student Organizer - Syracuse, NY
Beau Starr as Man #2 - Arthur's Bar
Rick Masters as Man #3 - Arthur's Bar
John Del Regno as Friend #1 - Arthur's Bar
Melinda Renna as Barmaid - Arthur's Bar
Andrew Lauer as Vet - Villa Dulce
Ivan Kane as Vet - Villa Dulce
J.R. Nutt as Young Tommy
Begonya Plaza as Charlie's Hooker - Villa Dulce
Edith Diaz as Madame - Villa Dulce
Anthony Pena as Bartender - Villa Dulce
Peter Crombie as Undercover Vet - Miami Convention
Ken Osborne as Paraplegic #2 - Miami Convention
Alan Toy as Paraplegic #3 - Miami Convention
Chuck Pfeiffer as Secret Service Agent - Miami Convention
William Wallace as Agent #2 - Miami Convention
Eagle-Eye Cherry as Vet #1 - Miami Convention
Frank Cavestani as Vet #3 - Miami Convention
John William Galt as Fat Republican - Miami Convention
Jack McGee as Democratic Delegate - Democratic Convention
Jodi Long as Reporter #1 - Democratic Conventon
Michelle Hurst as Reporter #2 - Democratic Conventon
John C. McGinley as Official #1 - Democratic Convention, Pushing Wheelchair
Wayne Knight as Official #2 - Democratic Convention
Elizabeth Hoffman as Passerby #1 - Democratic Convention
Lucinda Jenney as Passerby #2 - Democratic Convention
Annie McEnroe as Passerby #4 - Democratic Convention
Réal Andrews as Vet #2 - Democratic Convention
Theresa Bell as Democratic Conventioner (uncredited)
Dean Denton as Marine Recruiter (uncredited)
Ron Kovic as Parade Veteran (uncredited)
Delia Sheppard as Protesting War Widow (uncredited)
Nick Nicholson as Soldier (uncredited)
Norman D. Wilson as Veteran (uncredited)
Frank Girardeau as Agent #1 - Miami Convention
Donald Wilson as Corpsman - Vietnam
Jessica Prunell as Young Donna
Michael Guess as Platoon
Gale Mayron as Friend #2
Bryan Larkin as young Ron
Seth Allen as Young Tommy
Erika Geminder as Young Patty
Samantha Larkin as Patty Kovic
Ben Wright as Platoon

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 1 scene, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 25% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 45

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 1	0	0
2 to 2	0	4
3 to 3	10	7
4 to 4	6	7
5 to 5	5	10
6 to 6	0	1
7 to 7	0	0
8 to 8	0	1
9 to 9	0	0
10 to 10	2	0
11 to 11	2	1
12 to 12	1	2
13 to 13	0	2
14 to 14	1	0
15 to 15	0	1
16 to 16	0	1
17 to 17	0	6
18 to 18	0	23
19 to 19	8	8
20 to 20	0	0
21 to 21	1	4
22 to 22	0	1
23 to 23	0	0
24 to 24	1	1
25 to 25	0	2
26 to 26	0	4
27 to 27	0	3
28 to 28	0	5
29 to 29	0	0
30 to 30	0	0
31 to 31	0	0
32 to 32	0	0
33 to 33	0	11
34 to 34	0	5
35 to 35	2	4
36 to 36	0	6
37 to 37	0	0
38 to 38	0	3
39 to 39	2	0
40 to 40	0	4
41 to 41	3	14
42 to 42	3	18
43 to 43	0	0
44 to 44	3	13
45 to 45	0	6

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, 22 are women's.

50 lines from women, 178 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

27 women and 74 men in the cast. 4 women and 26 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 8 of 302. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 69 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 15% of the words (458), men 85% (2,541). Women have 22% 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

Two men

Exhibit E: behind the camera

2 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 14% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Oliver Stone (man)
Written by: Oliver Stone (man), Ron Kovic (man)
Produced by: Joseph P. Reidy (man), Clayton Townsend (man), A. Kitman Ho (man), Oliver Stone (man), Lope V. Juban Jr. (gender not listed)
Shot by: Robert Richardson (man)
Edited by: David Brenner (man), Joe Hutshing (man)
Music by: John Williams (man)
Production design by: Bruno Rubeo (man)
Costumes by: Judy L. Ruskin (woman)
Cast by: Billy Hopkins (man), Risa Bramon Garcia (woman)