Passes the Bechdel test

Million Dollar Baby

Name: Million Dollar Baby
Released: 2005

2005. Directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis and F.X. Toole.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
15 women characters. 4 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 4 scenes out of 136.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

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

The film

Wanting to learn from the best, aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) wants Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to train her. At the outset, he flatly refuses saying he has no interest in training a girl. Frankie leads a lonely existence, alienated from his only daughter and having few friends. Maggie's rough around the edges, but shows a lot of grit in the ring and he eventually relents. Maggie not only proves to be the boxer he always dreamed of having under his wing, but a friend who fills the great void he's had in his life. Maggie's career skyrockets, but an accident in the ring leads her to ask Frankie for one last favor.

Released: 28 Jan 2005
Genres: Drama, Sport
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 8.1 / 10
Metascore: 86 / 100
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. 68 wins & 86 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Frankie 306 lines, man
Maggie 201 lines, woman
Scrap 128 lines, man
Scrap V.O 82 lines, man
Danger 24 lines, man
Scrap V.0 23 lines, man
Big Willie 20 lines, man
Earline 18 lines, woman
Father Horvath 13 lines, man
Prankie 12 lines

Full cast, 61 people

Clint Eastwood as Frankie Dunn
Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald
Morgan Freeman as Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris
Jay Baruchel as Danger Barch
Mike Colter as Big Willie Little
Lucia Rijker as Billie 'The Blue Bear'
Brían F. O'Byrne as Father Horvak
Anthony Mackie as Shawrelle Berry
Margo Martindale as Earline Fitzgerald
Riki Lindhome as Mardell Fitzgerald
Michael Peña as Omar
Benito Martinez as Billie's Manager
Bruce MacVittie as Mickey Mack
David Powledge as Counterman at Diner
Joe D'Angerio as Cut Man
Marcus Chait as J.D. Fitzgerald
Tom McCleister as Lawyer
Erica Grant as Nurse
Naveen as Pakistani
Morgan Eastwood as Little Girl in Truck
Jamison Yang as Paramedic
Dean Familton as Ref #1
Louis Moret as Ref #2
Vincent Foster as Ref #3
Jon D. Schorle II as Ref #4
Marty Sammon as Ref #5
Steven M. Porter as Ref #6
Ray Corona as Ref #7
Ming Lo as Rehab Doctor
Miguel Pérez as Restaurant Owner
Jim Cantafio as Ring Doctor #1
Ted Grossman as Ring Doctor #2
Ned Eisenberg as Sally Mendoza
Marco Rodríguez as Second (at Vegas Fight)
Roy Nugent as Fan in Vegas
Don Familton as Ring Announcer
Mark Thomason as Radio Commentator
Brian T. Finney as Irish Fan #1
Spice Williams-Crosby as Irish Fan #2
Kim Strauss as Irish Fan #3
Rob Maron as Irish Fan #4
Kirsten Berman as Irish Fan #5
Susan Krebs as Rehab Nurse
Sunshine Chantal Parkman as Rehab Nurse #2
Kim Dannenberg as Rehab Nurse #3
Eddie Bates as Rehab Resident
Jimmy Alioto as Las Vegas Fight Fan (uncredited)
Jason Williams as Las Vegas Fight Fan (uncredited)
Nina Avetisova as VIP Girl (uncredited)
Michael Bentt as Boxer (uncredited)
Bruce Gerard Brown Jr. as Boxer (uncredited)
McKay Stewart as Sparring Boxer (uncredited)
Jude Ciccolella as Hogan (uncredited)
Kimberly Estrada as Perez (uncredited)
Sean LoGrasso as Fight Fan (uncredited)
Sean O'Kane as Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Rosine 'Ace' Hatem as Maggie's First Opponent (uncredited)
Bridgett Riley as Maggie's Second Opponent (uncredited)
Boni Yanagisawa as Maggie's Third Opponent (uncredited)
Christina Cox as Maggie's Fourth Opponent (uncredited)
Mimi Lesseos as Billie's Opponent (uncredited)

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 136

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	6	22
4 to 6	0	14
7 to 9	0	21
10 to 12	0	27
13 to 15	7	26
16 to 18	1	11
19 to 21	5	11
22 to 24	14	40
25 to 27	0	25
28 to 30	1	17
31 to 33	0	0
34 to 36	0	0
37 to 39	0	0
40 to 42	0	15
43 to 45	16	38
46 to 48	11	31
49 to 51	15	51
52 to 54	2	15
55 to 57	0	1
58 to 60	5	7
61 to 63	7	14
64 to 66	4	17
67 to 69	0	7
70 to 72	4	8
73 to 75	4	15
76 to 78	6	9
79 to 81	9	13
82 to 84	5	10
85 to 87	7	11
88 to 90	24	0
91 to 93	6	31
94 to 96	6	32
97 to 99	13	26
100 to 102	0	4
103 to 105	1	6
106 to 108	6	6
109 to 111	0	3
112 to 114	7	9
115 to 117	7	13
118 to 120	17	8
121 to 123	7	10
124 to 126	0	5
127 to 129	0	11
130 to 132	0	13
133 to 135	0	7
136 to 136	0	2

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.

EARLINE: This is the Johnson's old house. MAGGIE: Not anymore.

MAGGIE: It's yours Mamma. For you and Mardell and the kids. EARLINE: ...Oh, Mary M., you bought this for me? MAGGIE: All yours, free and clear. EARLINE: Oh, darlin...

EARLINE: I know you didn't mean nothin’! hurtful by this. Sometimes you just don't think things through. MAGGIE: That's true, Mamma. EARLINE: I'il try to keep the house, I just worry about all those expenses.

EARLINE: You been a good daughter, Mary M. You sign that paper, it'll take care MARDELL: She gotta do it with ner teeth, mamma. You gotta put it in her mouth. EARLINE: Here you go, darlin’. MAGGIE: You see the fight, momma?

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 25 are women's.

223 lines from women, 662 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

15 women and 31 men in the cast. 4 women and 25 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 20 of 950. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 80 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 22% of the words (2,029), men 78% (7,129). Women have 25% of the lines, so their lines run shorter 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

2 of the 12 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 24% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood (man)
Written by: Paul Haggis (man)
Produced by: Clint Eastwood (man), Paul Haggis (man), Tom Rosenberg (man), Albert S. Ruddy (man)
Shot by: Tom Stern (man)
Edited by: Joel Cox (man)
Music by: Clint Eastwood (man)
Production design by: Henry Bumstead (man)
Costumes by: Deborah Hopper (woman)
Cast by: Phyllis Huffman (woman)