Passes the Bechdel test

Made in Heaven

Name: Made in Heaven
Released: 1987

1987. Directed by Alan Rudolph, written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
18 women characters. 10 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 184.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.

The film

In 1952 while driving to California to start his life anew, twenty-something Mike Shea accidentally dies while doing a heroic act. Despite floundering in his life - he was having troubles holding a steady job and his supposed girlfriend was about to marry someone else - he was not ready to leave the living. In heaven, he learns that despite it being a fantastical other world existence, he still has human emotions, such as romantic love, which he feels for a "new" soul he meets named Annie Packert (i.e. she has never been among the living on Earth), who in turn loves him. He also learns that one's next life is somewhat predetermined by their stay in heaven. So when Annie is sent to Earth for her first go around as a human, Mike pleads with the man in charge at heaven, Emmett Humbird, to locate him in his next human life at least in the same country so that he can find Annie. Emmett reluctantly agrees, but only gives Mike thirty years in his next life to find her. Those next lives of Annie and Mike are as Allison Chandler and Elmo Barnett respectively. Each carries a bit of their experience with each other in heaven to their new subconscious human being, Ally's manifesting itself in an imaginary childhood friend named Mike, whereas Elmo grows up to be a drifter but one not sure for what he is looking. With Elmo receiving a little help from both Emmett and some people from his past life, will the match made in heaven find its way to Earth before the thirty year deadline?

Released: 06 Nov 1987
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Rated: PG
IMDb: 6.3 / 10
Awards: 1 win & 2 nominations
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Mike 314 lines, man
Annie 152 lines, woman
Ally 93 lines, woman
Elmo 91 lines, man
Aunt Lisa 61 lines, woman
Tom 38 lines, man
Emmett 37 lines, woman
Ben 33 lines, man
Man 22 lines, man
Mother 22 lines, woman

Full cast, 82 people

Timothy Hutton as Mike Shea / Elmo Barnett
Kelly McGillis as Annie Packert / Ally Chandler
Maureen Stapleton as Aunt Lisa
Ann Wedgeworth as Annette Shea
James Gammon as Steve Shea
Mare Winningham as Brenda Carlucci
Don Murray as Ben Chandler
Tim Daly as Tom Donnelly
David Rasche as Donald Summer
Amanda Plummer as Wiley Foxx
Willard E. Pugh as Guy Blanchard / Brian Dutton
Vyto Ruginis as Lyman McCray
Neil Young as Truck Driver
Tom Petty as Stanky
Ric Ocasek as Shark
Marj Dusay as Mrs. Packert
Raynold Gideon as Mr. Packert
Zack Finch as Billy Packert
Robert Knepper as Orrin
James Tolkan as Mr. Bjornstead
Gailard Sartain as Sam Morrell
John Considine as Angel
Elliot Rabinowitz as Woody - Talent Coordinator
Tom Robbins as Mario the Toymaker
Debra Dusay as Miss Barnett
Patricia J. Earnest as Mrs. Burwell
Leon Martell as Reginald - T.V. Interviewer
Dave Michaels as T.V. Interviewer
Billi Jo Rucker as T.V. Interviewer
Paul Sloan as Young Elmo
Larry Sloan as Uncle Gus
Lauren Hill as Young Ally
Ann Owens as Grandmother Chandler
Tom Walls as C.C. Stank
Mark Isham as Zeus - Keyboards
Matraca Berg as Matraca (Lead Studio Singer)
Michele Graybeal as Pe We - Drums
Patrick O'Hearn as Titus White - Bass Player
Colin Chin as Colin - Guitar
Carol Veto as Studio Singer
Iris Farmer as Studio Singer
Theresa Hightower as Studio Singer
Robert Gould as Chandler Toy Co. Executive
Chester Clark as Chandler Toy Co. Executive
Elliott Street as Andy
Michael Klastorin as Murray
Meegan Lee Ochs as Ally's Assistant
Henry G. Sanders as Henry
David Bethany as Best Man at Chandler Wedding
Pete Munro as Tailor at Wedding Rehearsal
Johnny Popwell as Mr. Wainfield
Alveda King as Matron
Stuart Manne as Det. Caeser
Randy Cash as Gas Station Attendant
Christen Childers as Pam
Jim L. Gassman as Jr. Explorer
Jack Hager as Gambler
Jennifer Deer Johnson as Lynn
Dirk Blocker as Shorty
Irv Gorman as Soldier Rock Radelli
Rick West as Soldier Pace
Jon Kohler as Clio Awards Presenter
Danielle Aubuchon as Girl at Clios
Amy Van Nostrand as Girl at Clios
Kelly Wellman as Girl at Clios
Ed Yousefian as Nort Thorton
Denise Stephens as Department Store Clerk
Douglas A. Degrazzio as Religious Fanatic
Gladys Lavitan as Nurse - 1952
Kerry Lyn McKissick as TV Programmer
Sonya Maddox as Pat
John Rosenberg as Campus Friend
David Paradis as Columbia Student
Paul A. Simmons Jr. as Man on Curb
Daniel J. Vaganek as Engineer at Recording Studio
George Pappas as Engineer at Recording Studio
Kerrie Cullen as Mother at River
Carrie Paddock as Kid at River
Matthew Paddock as Kid at River
Debra Winger as Emmett Humbird
Ellen Barkin as Lucille (uncredited)
Dean DuBois as Ad Agency Partner (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 5% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 184

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 4	0	8
5 to 8	3	17
9 to 12	16	35
13 to 16	17	18
17 to 20	27	27
21 to 24	37	119
25 to 28	44	37
29 to 32	2	13
33 to 36	5	15
37 to 40	21	20
41 to 44	21	18
45 to 48	14	25
49 to 52	3	4
53 to 56	13	11
57 to 60	12	3
61 to 64	13	12
65 to 68	23	20
69 to 72	8	3
73 to 76	0	21
77 to 80	7	31
81 to 84	2	27
85 to 88	11	22
89 to 92	2	8
93 to 96	6	4
97 to 100	1	1
101 to 104	0	0
105 to 108	1	3
109 to 112	13	10
113 to 116	24	24
117 to 120	12	10
121 to 124	7	9
125 to 128	7	15
129 to 132	11	18
133 to 136	0	1
137 to 140	0	0
141 to 144	2	13
145 to 148	5	9
149 to 152	4	6
153 to 156	0	0
157 to 160	0	0
161 to 164	0	3
165 to 168	6	10
169 to 172	5	7
173 to 176	6	13
177 to 180	3	6
181 to 184	3	2

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: the passing scene

The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.

AUNT LISA: You went through three paintings, Mikey. ANNIE: Hi, Earthie, I haven't seen you for a while. Where have you been?

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 38 are women's.

417 lines from women, 678 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

18 women and 33 men in the cast. 10 women and 16 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 24 of 1,153. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 47 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 40% of the words (4,157), men 60% (6,314). Women have 38% 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

1 of the 11 people in these jobs is a woman. Across the whole crew, 24% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Alan Rudolph (man)
Written by: Bruce A. Evans (man), Raynold Gideon (man)
Produced by: Raynold Gideon (man), Bruce A. Evans (man), David Blocker (man)
Shot by: Jan Kiesser (man)
Edited by: Tom Walls (man)
Music by: Mark Isham (man)
Production design by: Paul Peters (man)
Cast by: Pam Dixon (woman)