Passes the Bechdel test

Love & Other Drugs

Name: Love & Other Drugs
Released: 2010

2010. Directed by Edward Zwick, written by Charles Randolph and Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
43 women characters. 12 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 28.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Disagree bechdeltest.com readers give it 2 out of 3.

The film

Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Released: 24 Nov 2010
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.7 / 10
Metascore: 55 / 100
Awards: 1 win & 5 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Jamie 479 lines, man
Maggie 265 lines, woman
Josh 68 lines, man
Bruce 46 lines, man
Dr. Knight 46 lines, man
Trey 41 lines, man
Receptionist 19 lines, woman
Doctor 15 lines
Helen 15 lines, woman
Gina 12 lines, woman

Full cast, 84 people

Jake Gyllenhaal as Jamie Randall
Anne Hathaway as Maggie Murdock
Oliver Platt as Bruce Winston
Hank Azaria as Dr. Stan Knight
Josh Gad as Josh Randall
Gabriel Macht as Trey Hannigan
Judy Greer as Cindy
Jill Clayburgh as Nancy Randall
George Segal as Dr. James Randall
Kate Jennings Grant as Gina
Katheryn Winnick as "Lisa"
Kimberly Scott as Gail
Peter Friedman as California Man
Nikki DeLoach as Christy
Natalie Gold as Dr. Helen Randall
Megan Ferguson as Farrah
Michael Benjamin Washington as Richard
Bingo O'Malley as Sam
Dorothy Silver as Sophie
Lucy Roucis as UN Convention Parkinson's Speaker
Joan Augustin as Joan
Michael Chernus as Jerry
Kate Easton as Amber
Michael Buffer as Pfizer Convention MC
Maïté Schwartz as Texas
Maximilian Osinski as Ned
Ian Harding as Pfizer Trainee #1
Josh Breslow as Pfizer Trainee #2
Ian Novick as Pfizer Trainee #3
Tess Soltau as Pfizer Trainee #4
Constance Brenneman as Pfizer Trainee #5
Nicole Thomas as Pfizer Trainee #6
Jasper Soffer as Pfizer Trainee #7
Kwame Rakes as Doctor in Parking Lot
Scott Cohen as Ted Goldstein
Sharon Wilkins as La Boheme Receptionist
Brian Hutchison as Homeless Man
Dana Dancho as Smiling Receptionist
Lisa Ann Goldsmith as Nurse Janice
Rick Applegate as Viagra Doctor
Ray Godshall Sr. as Friendly Senior
Jean Zarzour as Viagra Sample Nurse
Harry O'Toole as Man with Walker
Jennifer Delaeo as Viagra Receptionist
Deidre Goodwin as Viagra Nurse #1
Geneva Carr as Viagra Nurse #2
Vanessa Aspillaga as Viagra Nurse #3
Patricia Cray as Kindly-looking Woman
Kristin Spatafore as Convention Girl #1
Larissa Emanuele as Convention Girl #2
Loretta Higgins as PET Scan Doctor
Kimberly M. Rizzo as Front Desk Receptionist
Jason Bernard as Quack Doctor
Nicole Perrone as Determined Receptionist
Jo Newman as Bree
Christina Fandino as Khae
Teri Clark as ER Receptionist
Kevin McClatchy as Justin
Jaimie Alexander as Carol (uncredited)
Diedra Arthur-O'Ree as Medical Convention Attendee (uncredited)
Stephanie Bankosh as Pharmaceutical Rep (uncredited)
David Barckhoff as Medical Convention Vendor (uncredited)
Robert R. Bell as Doctor (uncredited)
Aaron Bernard as Bartender (uncredited)
Ralph Browning as Medical Convention Attendee (uncredited)
Alissa Collins as Tea Woman (uncredited)
Kyle Fields as Party Rep (uncredited)
Joe Forgione as Pfizer Trainee #8 (uncredited)
Nicole George as Viagra Receptionist (uncredited)
Ryan Goimarac as Pfizer Drug Rep. Graduate (uncredited)
John W. Iwanonkiw as Viagra Guy (uncredited)
Sharyn Kmieciak as UN Convention Attendee (uncredited)
Wayne Leya as UN Convention Attendee (uncredited)
David Dale McCue as Pfizer Rep. (uncredited)
David Morse as Tony Lerma, Lilly Sales Rep. (uncredited)
Christian Pearson as Physician (uncredited)
Chris A. Riskus as Trade Show Patron (uncredited)
Nayli Russo as PJ Party Girl (uncredited)
Michael K. Sieg as Pfizer Rep. (uncredited)
Morgan Wolk as Lilly Spokesmodel (uncredited)
Conan O'Brien as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gwyneth E. Larsen as Dancer (as Gwyneth Larsen)
Brooke Miyasaki as Dancer
Jackson Nunn as Viagra Guy #2 (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 1 scene, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 6% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 28

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	39	60
2 to 2	16	77
3 to 3	0	2
4 to 4	0	3
5 to 5	10	23
6 to 6	59	99
7 to 7	74	134
8 to 8	0	0
9 to 9	17	11
10 to 10	0	0
11 to 11	67	120
12 to 12	9	11
13 to 13	2	2
14 to 14	0	0
15 to 15	7	8
16 to 16	1	1
17 to 17	19	32
18 to 18	1	4
19 to 19	10	42
20 to 20	0	21
21 to 21	9	17
22 to 22	0	16
23 to 23	15	17
24 to 24	0	2
25 to 25	0	1
26 to 26	0	1
27 to 27	0	3
28 to 28	0	3

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.

HELEN: I'm killing both of you. NANCY: We're killing all of you if you don't get in here and sit down. FARRAH: And we get to keep all the shares. NANCY: --and trade on the New York Stock Exchange--

HELEN: No, the patients just see the commercials on TV and demand their name-brand drugs from the doctors, and there you are to supply them. NANCY: All right you barbarians, if you won't be still and finish this lamb none of you will get the chocolate cake.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 33 are women's.

355 lines from women, 710 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

43 women and 33 men in the cast. 12 women and 10 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 11 of 1,138. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 60 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 37% of the words (3,687), men 63% (6,340). Women have 33% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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

Two men

Exhibit F: behind the camera

5 of the 18 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 30% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Edward Zwick (man)
Written by: Charles Randolph (man), Edward Zwick (man), Marshall Herskovitz (man)
Produced by: Edward Zwick (man), Pieter Jan Brugge (man), Noam Dromi (man), Marshall Herskovitz (man), Scott Stuber (man), Charles Randolph (man)
Shot by: Steven Fierberg (man)
Edited by: Steven Rosenblum (man)
Music by: James Newton Howard (man)
Production design by: Patti Podesta (woman)
Costumes by: Deborah L. Scott (woman)
Cast by: Mele Nagler (woman), Donna Belajac (woman), Victoria Thomas (woman)