Fails the Bechdel test

Cherry

Name: Cherry
Released: 2021

2021. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, written by Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg and Nico Walker.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
14 women characters. 9 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 0 out of 3.

The film

Cherry drifts from college dropout to army medic in Iraq - anchored only by his true love, Emily. But after returning from the war with PTSD, his life spirals into drugs and crime as he struggles to find his place in the world.

Released: 12 Mar 2021
Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.6 / 10
Metascore: 44 / 100
Awards: 3 wins & 5 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Cherry 625 lines, man
Emily 176 lines, woman
Pills And Coke 61 lines, man
James Lightfoot 37 lines, man
Sergeant North 18 lines, man
Tommy 15 lines, man
Cousin Joe 14 lines, man
Staff Sergeant Greene 13 lines, man
Drill Sergeant Cole 11 lines, man
Jiminez 11 lines, man

Full cast, 107 people

Tom Holland as Cherry
Ciara Bravo as Emily
Jack Reynor as Pills & Coke
Michael Rispoli as Tommy
Jeff Wahlberg as Jimenez
Forrest Goodluck as James Lightfoot
Michael Gandolfini as Cousin Joe
Suhail Dabbach as Old Man Fatook
Daniel R. Hill as Black
Fionn O'Shea as Arnold
Edward Kagutuzi as Cheetah
Ola Orebiyi as Lessing
Sam Clemmett as Yuri
Kaine Zajaz as Bautista
Kyle Harvey as Roy
Ann Russo as Cherry's Mom
Thomas Lennon as Cherry's Dad / Dr. Whomever
Theo Barklem-Biggs as Sgt. North
Pooch Hall as Sgt. Whomever
Leo Woodall as Rodgers
Nicholas Christopher McNeil as Drill Sgt. Cole
Jose Pablo Cantillo as Drill Sgt. Deco
Zac Zedalis as Drill Sgt. Murphy
Damon Wayans Jr. as Drill Sgt. Masters
Kristopher Wente as 1st Sgt. Hightower
Adam Long as Staff Sgt. Greene
Liam Garrigan as Captain
Frank Blake as Seasoned Medic
Nick Nespoli as Suicidal Recruit
Niko Bogucki as Choked Recruit
Patrick Elue as Soldier in Line
Jeffrey Grover as Asshole Man
Lisa Louise Langford as Nurse #1
Kellye Howard as Nurse #2
Kelli Berglund as Madison
Ryan Czerwonko as Fatooks Waiter
Joe Russo as Restaurant Owner
Tamara Austin as Vanessa
Joslyn Jones as Grey Teller
Leslie Stager as Teller Like Janet
Shawn Knox as Teller
Alison Lani as Sheina
Davis Aguila as Sh*tty Bank Manager
Ricky Wayne as Bank F*cks America Manager
Melissa DuPrey as Woman in Line
Craig Hurley as Cherry's Cellmate
John Newsom as Prison Guard #1
Marty Rudin as Prison Guard #2
Brian Wlodarczyk as Support Mtg. Counselor
Rawa Bousabir as Pebbles
Hatim Abdelghafour as Interpreter
Adbdessalam El Khaldi as Old Haji
Kianna Rose as Cousin Joe's Girlfriend
Jamie Brewer as Shelly
Toney Goins as Benji
Dante Rosalina as Kid at Homecoming
Vince Russo as Theater Man in Shorts
Rinska Carrasco as Jimenez's Girlfriend
Augie Rosalina as Kid in Bathroom (Theater)
Ron Haynes as Sleeping Husband
Jacinte Blankenship as Sleeping Wife
Bobby Schofield as Clover (1st Platoon)
Harry Holland as Shaker Kid #1
Jearell Williams as Shaker Kid #2
Drake Tobias as Shaker Kid #3
Chris Castaldi as Construction Worker
Paul Abell as Man Yelling at Cherry
Scott Nifong as Parole Board Member
Jim Wilkins as Cherry's Lawyer
Andrew Repp as Jail Inmate #1
John Ziska as Jail Inmate #2
Matthew King as Police Officer
Presciliana Esparolini as Emily's Mother
Nelson Bonilla as Emily's Step-Father
Robbie Cox as Paramedic #1
Aaron Lemieux as Paramedic #2
Yvonne Quiachon as Lia
Andrei Vintileanu as Badly Wounded Soldier
Will Edgerton as Screaming Soldier
Bernie Kosar as Major Kosar
Siena Bella as Siena
Maurice Boozer as Drill Sgt. Rivera
Krista Harmon as Military Nurse
Brian Andrus as Army Recruit #1
Chezaray Booker as Army Recruit #2
Ethan Deemer as Army Tailor
Stefan Johnson as Bus Station Patron
Lawrence Wilson as Security Guard
Nicole Forester as Doctor #1
Sean Patterson as Doctor #2
Ern Gerardo as Doctor #3
Brian McCue as Ambush Sgt.
Eanna O'Dowd as Wounded Soldier
Anna Colwell as Dog Park Wife (uncredited)
Chris Richards as Dog Park Husband (uncredited)
David Goebel as Pills & Coke's Father (uncredited)
Mark J Clifford as Prisoner (uncredited)
Michael Cipiti as Turkish Guy (uncredited)
Kara Kimmer as Angry Woman (uncredited)
Brett Justin Koppel as Staff Sgt Peterson (uncredited)
Sherry Hudak as Professor (uncredited)
Sofia Plass as Theatre Attendee (uncredited)
Brandon (B.Rice) Rice as Passerby (uncredited)
Keith Otto as Driver (uncredited)
Louie Kurtzman as Army Recruit (uncredited)
Luca De Massis as Prisoner (uncredited)
Billy Grimm as Private Marsh

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 120

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	2	29
4 to 6	4	19
7 to 9	19	42
10 to 12	0	17
13 to 15	27	29
16 to 18	0	36
19 to 21	3	16
22 to 24	7	21
25 to 27	4	24
28 to 30	23	79
31 to 33	0	8
34 to 36	0	6
37 to 39	1	26
40 to 42	0	8
43 to 45	0	14
46 to 48	2	17
49 to 51	0	29
52 to 54	0	29
55 to 57	0	8
58 to 60	5	43
61 to 63	0	24
64 to 66	0	53
67 to 69	9	11
70 to 72	0	14
73 to 75	10	23
76 to 78	0	9
79 to 81	1	10
82 to 84	13	26
85 to 87	2	4
88 to 90	0	4
91 to 93	10	37
94 to 96	13	33
97 to 99	4	21
100 to 102	15	24
103 to 105	10	32
106 to 108	0	18
109 to 111	0	38
112 to 114	0	34
115 to 117	20	16
118 to 120	8	19

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, 18 are women's.

212 lines from women, 950 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

14 women and 48 men in the cast. 9 women and 46 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 5 of 1,247. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 105 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 14% of the words (1,552), men 86% (9,482). Women have 18% 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

6 of the 20 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 23% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Joe Russo (man), Anthony Russo (man)
Written by: Jessica Goldberg (woman), Angela Russo-Otstot (woman)
From the novel by: Nico Walker (man)
Produced by: Anthony Russo (man), Joe Russo (man), Mike Larocca (man), Jonathan Gray (man), Chris Castaldi (man), Matthew Rhodes (man) and 1 more
Shot by: Newton Thomas Sigel (man)
Edited by: Jeff Groth (man)
Music by: Henry Jackman (man)
Production design by: Philip Ivey (man)
Costumes by: Sara Sensoy (woman)
Cast by: Deborah Aquila (woman), Sophie Holland (woman), Tricia Wood (woman)