Fails the Bechdel test

K-PAX

Name: K-PAX
Released: 2001

2001. Directed by Iain Softley, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

2 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
19 women characters. 7 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
Women do talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Every conversation between women that our parser found mentions a man.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

The film

A psychiatrist begins to question everything he knows when he is put to the test by a patient who believes he is not of this planet. A panel of doctors brought in to study him is baffled by his knowledge of an extraterrestrial planetary system he claims to be from. Things speed up when he reveals he must return home at a specific date and may take one person with him when he returns. With time running out the doctor tries to seek as many answers as he can find only to be met with more questions than answers

Released: 26 Oct 2001
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.4 / 10
Metascore: 49 / 100
Awards: 3 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Powell 384 lines, man
Prot 253 lines, man
Rachel 63 lines, woman
Ernie 28 lines, man
Villers 27 lines
Howie 26 lines, man
Sal 26 lines, man
Steve 25 lines, man
Chakraborty 20 lines, man
Mcallister 17 lines

Full cast, 60 people

Jeff Bridges as Dr. Mark Powell
Kevin Spacey as Prot
Mary McCormack as Rachel Powell
Alfre Woodard as Claudia Villars
David Patrick Kelly as Howie
Saul Williams as Ernie
Peter Gerety as Sal
Celia Weston as Mrs. Archer
Ajay Naidu as Dr. Chakaraborty
Tracy Vilar as Maria
Melanee Murray as Bess
John Toles-Bey as Russell
Kimberly Scott as Joyce Trexler
Conchata Ferrell as Betty McAllister
Vincent Laresca as Navarro
Mark Christopher Lawrence as Simms
Brian Howe as Steve Becker
Mary Mara as Abby
Tess McCarthy as Natalie Powell - Age 6
Natasha Dorfhuber as Gabby Powell - Age 9
Brandon de Paul as Josh - Age 10
Aaron Paul as Michael Powell - Age 21
William Lucking as Sheriff
Kelly Connell as Walter Fleen
Peter Maloney as Duncan Flynn
Lance E. Nichols as David Patel
Paul Linke as Stuart Hessler
Christopher Jason Brown as Danny Trexler
Greg Lewis as Dominic McAllister
Clarke Peters as Homeless Veteran
Olga Merediz as Transit Officer
Joe Holt as Transit Officer
Lola Pashalinski as Russian Woman
Kateri Walker as Sara Porter
Katya Abelski as Rebecca Porter
Scott Lincoln as Walker
Clebert Ford as Homeless Man
Norman Alden as Babbling Man
Rawle D. Lewis as Security Guard
Erik LaRay Harvey as Security Guard
Zofia Borucka as Woman on Train
Tony Rhune as Thug
Vince Cupone as Thug
Anne Carroll as Ward Patient
Lisa Cohen as Ward Patient
Clete Francis as Ward Patient
Valerie Giocondo as Ward Patient
Pat Jankiewicz as Ward Patient
Joseph Steven as Ward Patient
Coco Leigh as Ward Patient
Rafael Real as Ward Patient
Julie Sands as Ward Patient
Gene Smith as Ward Patient
Curt Clendenin as Hospital Patient (uncredited)
Frank Collison as Screaming Man (uncredited)
Moet Meira as Jennifer (uncredited)
Paulo Pascoal as Thief (Uncredited)
Mark Alkofer as Subway Commuter (uncredited)
Ted Hollis as Ward Doctor (uncredited)
Randy Springer as Lab Tech (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 9% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 112

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	25
4 to 6	2	8
7 to 9	8	67
10 to 12	1	70
13 to 15	8	21
16 to 18	13	65
19 to 21	0	20
22 to 24	0	3
25 to 27	0	4
28 to 30	1	0
31 to 33	0	37
34 to 36	9	16
37 to 39	0	16
40 to 42	3	27
43 to 45	22	42
46 to 48	14	22
49 to 51	1	26
52 to 54	4	4
55 to 57	1	30
58 to 60	0	8
61 to 63	0	19
64 to 66	0	45
67 to 69	1	11
70 to 72	4	63
73 to 75	0	3
76 to 78	0	11
79 to 81	0	4
82 to 84	0	17
85 to 87	0	18
88 to 90	3	27
91 to 93	1	6
94 to 96	1	10
97 to 99	3	20
100 to 102	0	33
103 to 105	3	9
106 to 108	1	11
109 to 111	4	19
112 to 112	0	7

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, 12 are women's.

110 lines from women, 844 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

19 women and 32 men in the cast. 7 women and 15 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 9 of 1,044. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 138 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 11% of the words (1,447), men 89% (11,948). Women have 12% 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 12 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 20% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Iain Softley (man)
Written by: Charles Leavitt (man)
From the novel by: Gene Brewer (man)
Produced by: Lawrence Gordon (man), Robert F. Colesberry (man), Lloyd Levin (man)
Shot by: John Mathieson (man)
Edited by: Craig McKay (man)
Music by: Edward Shearmur (man)
Production design by: John Beard (man)
Costumes by: Louise Mingenbach (woman)
Cast by: Debra Zane (woman)