Fails the Bechdel test
Chef
2014. Directed by Jon Favreau, written by Jon Favreau.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
1 / 3
Fails
-
Yes
1. At least two women
11 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
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.
The film
Carl Casper is an acclaimed chef with a family life that seems as decaying as his artistic freedom. Those frustrations boil over into a raucous viral-videoed public confrontation against a restaurant critic who panned his cooking of food that his boss ordered him to make against his instincts. Now with his career ruined, Carl's ex-wife offers an unorthodox solution in Miami: refit an old food truck to offer quality cooking on his own terms. Now with his young son, Percy, and old colleague, Martin, helping, Carl takes a working trip across America with that truck to rediscover his gastronomic passion. With Percy's tech savvy and Martin's enthusiasm, Carl finds that he is creating a traveling sensation on the way home. In doing so, Carl discovers he is serving up more than simply food, but also a deeper connection with his life and his family that is truly delicious in its own way.
- Released
- 30 May 2014
- Genres
- Adventure, Comedy, Drama
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 7.3 / 10
- Metascore
- 68 / 100
- Awards
- 2 wins & 4 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Carl 461 lines, man
- Percy 174 lines, man
- Inez 108 lines, woman
- Martin 65 lines, man
- Molly 49 lines, woman
- Jen 35 lines, woman
- Tony 35 lines, man
- Riva 27 lines, man
- Marvin 23 lines, man
- Ramsey Michel 20 lines, man
Full cast, 87 people
- Jon Favreau as Carl Casper
- John Leguizamo as Martin
- Bobby Cannavale as Tony
- Emjay Anthony as Percy
- Scarlett Johansson as Molly
- Dustin Hoffman as Riva
- Sofía Vergara as Inez
- Oliver Platt as Ramsey Michel
- Amy Sedaris as Jen
- Robert Downey Jr. as Marvin
- Russell Peters as Miami Cop
- Chase Grimm as Vendor
- Will Schutze as Mr. Bonetangles
- Gloria Sandoval as Flora
- Jose C. Hernandez as Abuelito
- Alberto Salas as Band Member
- Alfredo Ortiz as Band Member
- Daniel Palacio as Band Member
- Mauricio Del Monte as Band Member
- Leonardo Da Nilo as Versailles Host
- Nili Fuller as Marvin's Assistant
- Charles Lao as Kitchen Supply Clerk
- Benjamin Jacob as Benjamin Jacob
- Aaron Franklin as Aaron Franklin
- Gary Clark Jr. as Gary Clark, Jr.
- Roy Choi as Roy Choi
- Americus Abesamis as Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Paul Aldanée as Cafe Guy (uncredited)
- Andrew Anderson as Young Guy (uncredited)
- Maria F. Blanco as Salsa Dancer (uncredited)
- Santos Caraballo as Club Salsa Dancer (uncredited)
- Michael Patrick Carmody as Waiter (uncredited)
- Anthony Carretta as Cuban Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Joseph Randy Causin as Tourist (uncredited)
- Christina Cha as Shocked Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Marly Chaudry as Waitress (uncredited)
- Cody Daniel as Allen Chipworth (uncredited)
- Billy Driver as Beer Garden Patron (uncredited)
- Maria Engler as Partygoer (uncredited)
- Eduardo M. Freyre as Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Michael P. Gardner as Michael P. Gardner (uncredited)
- Julian Graham as Shocked Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Joshua Gutiérrez as El Cabbie (uncredited)
- Priyom Haider as Food Truck Patron #1 (uncredited)
- Leigh M. Harris as Rockabilly Girl (uncredited)
- Miguel Izaguirre as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine as Lisa (uncredited)
- Gayle Kate as Farmers Market Lady (uncredited)
- Paola Katsapas as Bikini Girl (uncredited)
- Caleb Kirkland as French Market Customer / Parade Goer (uncredited)
- David W. LeBlanc as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
- Noa Lindberg as Hungry Jogger (uncredited)
- Jacqueline Harris Matherne as French Market Customer (uncredited)
- Ryan McInerney as Miami Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Quintin McKemie II as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Kristin M. Miller as Rockabilly Chick (uncredited)
- Teebone Mitchell as Inez Chauffeur (uncredited)
- Leonardo Montelongo as Austin Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Scott Mulvania as South Beach Unicyclist (uncredited)
- Jody Nolan as Beer Garden Patron (uncredited)
- Chris Nuñez as Salsa Dancer (uncredited)
- Gustavo I. Ortiz as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Elbin Palencia as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Reed Penney as Austin Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Jay Pennington as Cowboy Patron (uncredited)
- Tanner Priest as Foodie (uncredited)
- Johnny Radelat as Musician (uncredited)
- Xavier Ramirez as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Radcliff Redding as Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Sandy Romero as Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Katherine Jeanie Russell as Tourist (uncredited)
- Arley Ryder as Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Mike Rylander as Farmers Market Shopper (uncredited)
- Jenna Saab as Concert Patron (uncredited)
- Selena Silvas as Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Joshua Soares as The Chef (uncredited)
- Jimmy Star as Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Sam Stinson as Customer (uncredited)
- Ty Suite as Austin Food Truck Patron (uncredited)
- Gary Teague as Franklin Barbecue Patron (uncredited)
- William Throckmorton as Foodie (uncredited)
- Carlos Valenzuela-Durr as Motorcycle Rider (uncredited)
- Minn Vo as Salsa Dancer (uncredited)
- William Shannon Williams as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Rachel Faulkner as Food Truck Customer (uncredited)
- Rigo Obezo as Construction Worker (uncredited)
- Noa Lindberg as Hungry Customer
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 2 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 1% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 77
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 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 to 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 to 6 | 0 | 35 |
| 7 to 8 | 0 | 30 |
| 9 to 10 | 0 | 11 |
| 11 to 12 | 5 | 33 |
| 13 to 14 | 4 | 20 |
| 15 to 16 | 8 | 6 |
| 17 to 18 | 4 | 6 |
| 19 to 20 | 9 | 9 |
| 21 to 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 to 24 | 0 | 41 |
| 25 to 26 | 0 | 56 |
| 27 to 28 | 0 | 20 |
| 29 to 30 | 2 | 60 |
| 31 to 32 | 15 | 15 |
| 33 to 34 | 3 | 30 |
| 35 to 36 | 4 | 10 |
| 37 to 38 | 3 | 13 |
| 39 to 40 | 31 | 34 |
| 41 to 42 | 16 | 37 |
| 43 to 44 | 26 | 27 |
| 45 to 46 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 to 48 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 to 50 | 11 | 12 |
| 51 to 52 | 0 | 5 |
| 53 to 54 | 8 | 11 |
| 55 to 56 | 0 | 46 |
| 57 to 58 | 12 | 15 |
| 59 to 60 | 0 | 10 |
| 61 to 62 | 0 | 21 |
| 63 to 64 | 0 | 40 |
| 65 to 66 | 4 | 31 |
| 67 to 68 | 0 | 24 |
| 69 to 70 | 0 | 30 |
| 71 to 72 | 2 | 1 |
| 73 to 74 | 12 | 16 |
| 75 to 76 | 15 | 37 |
| 77 to 77 | 0 | 1 |
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, 19 are women's.
194 lines from women, 815 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit B: who's in it
11 women and 31 men in the cast. 4 women and 8 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 106 of 1,019.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 129 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 20% of the words (1,822), men 80% (7,238). Women have 19% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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
43
Exhibit E: behind the camera
3 of the 10 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 35% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Jon Favreau (man)
- Written by
- Jon Favreau (man)
- Produced by
- Sergey Bespalov (gender not listed), Jon Favreau (man)
- Shot by
- Kramer Morgenthau (man)
- Edited by
- Robert Leighton (man)
- Music by
- Lyle Workman (man)
- Production design by
- Denise Pizzini (woman)
- Costumes by
- Laura Jean Shannon (woman)
- Cast by
- Sarah Halley Finn (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Production
11 women, 16 men, 12 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
9 women, 0 men, 9 not listed
-
Sound
1 women, 14 men, 2 not listed
-
Art
3 women, 4 men, 8 not listed
-
Other crew
2 women, 4 men, 3 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 5 men, 1 not listed
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 2 men, 4 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 2 men, 1 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit F: how old the stars were
Women: 41 on average. Men: 48 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Scarlett Johansson 29, Sofía Vergara 41, Amy Sedaris 53
Men
Emjay Anthony 10, Bobby Cannavale 44, Jon Favreau 47, Robert Downey Jr. 49, John Leguizamo 53, Oliver Platt 54, Dustin Hoffman 76
Exhibit G: the money
It made 4.6 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $11 million
- Box office
- $50.4 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 77 scenes and 1,019 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
