Passes the Bechdel test

Rent

Name: Rent
Released: 2005

2005. Directed by Chris Columbus, written by Jonathan Larson and Stephen Chbosky.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
21 women characters. 12 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 4 scenes out of 152.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

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

The film

This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village New York. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life in one truly powerful story.

Released: 23 Nov 2005
Genres: Drama, Musical, Romance
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 6.9 / 10
Metascore: 53 / 100
Awards: 1 win & 22 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Roger 150 lines, man
Mark 140 lines, man
Mimi 112 lines, woman
Benny 66 lines, man
Collins 63 lines, man
Joanne 57 lines, woman
Maureen 50 lines, woman
Angel 38 lines, man
Bohemians 24 lines
Both 12 lines

Full cast, 88 people

Anthony Rapp as Mark Cohen
Adam Pascal as Roger Davis
Rosario Dawson as Mimi Marquez
Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins
Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel Dumott Schunard
Idina Menzel as Maureen Johnson
Tracie Thoms as Joanne Jefferson
Taye Diggs as Benjamin Coffin III
Julia Roth as Rent Tenant
Porscha Radcliffe as Rent Tenant
Stephen Payne as Homeless Squeegee Man
Darryl Chan as Thug
Ken Clark as Thug
R.C. Ormond as Thug
David Fine as Homeless Man on Range Rover
Mackenzie Firgens as April
Eleanor Columbus as April's Friend
Matthew McCollum as Guy at Bar
Jason Foster as The Man
Brendan Columbus as Punk in Park
Austin Shea as Punk in Park
Daniel London as Paul
Aaron Lohr as Steve
Wayne Wilcox as Gordon
Bianca Sams as Ali
Heather Barberie as Pam
Liisa Cohen as Sue
Sharon Ferrol-Young as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Liz Ramos as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Kristin Medwick as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Katie Weber as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Angela McConnell as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Jamielyn Duggan as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Feleciana Stevenson as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Kim Williams as Cat Scratch Floor Dancer
Damia Foti as Cat Scratch Waitress
Laura Padierne as Cat Scratch Waitress
Kevin Hagan as Cop
Brian Delate as Cop
Aisha de Haas as Blanket Woman
Michael Rosales as Subway Punk
Niyuk Hairell as Subway Punk
Larissa Kiernan as Subway Punk
Marco De La Cruz as Subway Passenger
Ericka Harden as Subway Passenger
Truc Luong as Subway Passenger
Megan Biolchini as Subway Grad Student
Nick Scoggin as Subway Man
John Champion as Subway Stockbroker
Titus West as Subway Stockbroker
Renda Pettis as Slightly Older Subway Woman
Alison De Olivera as Subway Businesswoman
Debbie de Coudreaux as Subway Mom
Chris Chalk as Street Vendor Who Sells Coats
Cory DuVal as Riot Cop
Clarke Devereux as Riot Cop
Corey Rosen as Life Cafe Manager
Shaun Earl as Life Cafe Waiter
Matthew Dickens as Bohemian
Tara Nicole Hughes as Bohemian
Troy Christian as Bohemian
Gigi Hunter as Bohemian
Kevin Alexander Stea as Bohemian
Robert Prescott Lee as Bohemian
Sebastien Poffet as Bohemian
Linda Cevallos as Bohemian
Roosevelt Flenoury as Bohemian
Mike Garibaldi as Mr. Grey
Rod Arrants as Mr. Hansen
Jennifer Siebel Newsom as Receptionist
Sarah Silverman as Alexi Darling
Daryl Edwards as Mr. Jefferson
Anna Deavere Smith as Mrs. Jefferson
Kevin Blackton as Mr. Johnson
Bettina Devin as Mrs. Johnson
Corinne Blum as Female Bartender at Engagement Party
David Stewart as Mourner
Marcos Estebez as Mourner
Emily Rahe as Mourner
Vivis Colombetti as Angel's Grandmother
Nicole Cherie Flores as Angel's Sister
James Anthony Cotton as Used Car Salesman
Jim Cranna as Pawn Shop Dealer
Randy Graff as Mrs. Cohen
Joel Swetow as Mr. Cohen
AnnaCorey as Zoe Club Girl (uncredited)
Anthony Molinari as Tenant #22 (uncredited)
Jordi Caballero as Dancer (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 10% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 152

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	1	13
5 to 8	0	23
9 to 12	1	15
13 to 16	3	3
17 to 20	0	3
21 to 24	0	0
25 to 28	0	2
29 to 32	0	47
33 to 36	0	4
37 to 40	0	5
41 to 44	0	5
45 to 48	30	55
49 to 52	11	12
53 to 56	13	14
57 to 60	1	20
61 to 64	14	7
65 to 68	2	14
69 to 72	1	1
73 to 76	3	20
77 to 80	36	74
81 to 84	12	11
85 to 88	2	0
89 to 92	4	9
93 to 96	26	12
97 to 100	38	36
101 to 104	5	1
105 to 108	4	0
109 to 112	7	4
113 to 116	3	19
117 to 120	5	30
121 to 124	2	4
125 to 128	0	6
129 to 132	0	5
133 to 136	0	5
137 to 140	0	5
141 to 144	3	1
145 to 148	0	7
149 to 152	14	29

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.

RECEPTIONIST: Alexi will see you. MAUREEN: But--- JOANNE: We don't want to come on too strong.

JOANNE: For three grand a segment. MAUREEN: You would have got nothing without my protest. JOANNE: Does everything have to be about you?

JOANNE: Will you cOmmit to me? To be with only me? For the rest of our lives? MAUREEN: I do. I will.

MAUREEN: Does that mean we're like engaged or something? Can we do that? JOANNE: I don't know, MAUREEN: Let's go to Hawaii. Like Rock Hudson and Gomer Pyle. We' 11 get married on a volcano. JOANNE: Same sex marriage isn~t legal in this country. But it is .. , in Denmark.

MAUREEN: I can't get her up the stairs. JOANNE: She was huddled in the park. Freezing. Sh0 begged to come here.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 32 are women's.

241 lines from women, 521 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

21 women and 31 men in the cast. 12 women and 20 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

A woman speaks the first line. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 75 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 36% of the words (2,759), men 64% (4,965). Women have 32% 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

3 of the 15 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 34% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Chris Columbus (man)
Written by: Stephen Chbosky (man)
Produced by: Michael Barnathan (man), Chris Columbus (man), Robert De Niro (man), Mark Radcliffe (man), Jane Rosenthal (woman)
Shot by: Stephen Goldblatt (man)
Edited by: Richard Pearson (man)
Music by: Jonathan Larson (man)
Production design by: Howard Cummings (man)
Costumes by: Aggie Guerard Rodgers (woman)
Cast by: Tiffany Little Canfield (woman), Bernard Telsey (man), David Vaccari (gender not listed)