Fails the Bechdel test

Sherlock Holmes

Name: Sherlock Holmes
Released: 2009

2009. Directed by Guy Ritchie, written by Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
6 women characters. 4 of them speak.
No 2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

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

The film

After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.

Released: 25 Dec 2009
Genres: Action, Adventure, Mystery
Rated: PG-13
IMDb: 7.5 / 10
Metascore: 57 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 31 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Holmes 311 lines, man
Watson 194 lines, man
Irene 77 lines, woman
Blackwood 49 lines, man
Mary 24 lines, woman
Lestrade 20 lines, man
Constable Clark 17 lines, man
Sir Thomas 13 lines, man
Lord Coward 12 lines, man
Doctor 8 lines

Full cast, 42 people

Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law as Dr. John Watson
Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler
Mark Strong as Lord Henry Blackwood
Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade
Robert Maillet as Dredger
Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson
Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan
William Houston as Constable Clark
Hans Matheson as Lord Coward
James Fox as Sir Thomas Rotheram
William Hope as Ambassador Standish
Clive Russell as Captain Tanner
Oran Gurel as Reordan
David Garrick as McMurdo
Ky Discala as Maid
Andrew Brooke as Guard Captain
Tom Watt as Carriage Driver
John Kearney as Carriage Driver
Sebastian Abineri as Coach Driver
Jonathan Gabriel Robbins as Guard
James A. Stephens as Captain Philips
Terence Taplin as Groundskeeper
Bronagh Gallagher as Palm Reader
Ed Tolputt as Anonymous Man
Joe Egan as Big Man
Jefferson Hall as Young Guard
Miles Jupp as Waiter
Marn Davies as Police Officer
Andrew Greenough as Prison Guard
Ned Dennehy as Man with Roses
Martin Ewens as Removable Man
Amanda Grace Johnson as Young Woman Sacrifice
James Greene as Governor
David Emmings as Grave Policeman
Ben Cartwright as Grave Policeman
Chris Sunley as Grave Policeman
Michael Jenn as Preacher
Timothy O'Hara as Porter / Smith
Guy Williams as Golden Dawn Envoy
Peter Miles as Thug
Rocco Ritchie as Boy in the Street (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 2% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 143

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	0	6
4 to 6	0	16
7 to 9	0	20
10 to 12	0	0
13 to 15	0	0
16 to 18	0	0
19 to 21	6	51
22 to 24	10	38
25 to 27	0	18
28 to 30	0	25
31 to 33	14	11
34 to 36	4	3
37 to 39	1	30
40 to 42	1	1
43 to 45	2	1
46 to 48	0	40
49 to 51	7	30
52 to 54	0	20
55 to 57	0	0
58 to 60	0	0
61 to 63	0	1
64 to 66	0	0
67 to 69	0	31
70 to 72	0	31
73 to 75	21	18
76 to 78	0	5
79 to 81	0	11
82 to 84	0	28
85 to 87	0	14
88 to 90	0	14
91 to 93	9	13
94 to 96	6	13
97 to 99	0	5
100 to 102	6	15
103 to 105	3	20
106 to 108	0	0
109 to 111	2	28
112 to 114	1	9
115 to 117	2	10
118 to 120	3	6
121 to 123	0	0
124 to 126	2	8
127 to 129	0	0
130 to 132	0	0
133 to 135	0	0
136 to 138	6	25
139 to 141	7	40
142 to 143	1	15

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, 15 are women's.

114 lines from women, 670 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

6 women and 33 men in the cast. 4 women and 24 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 51 of 798. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 89 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 12% of the words (1,088), men 88% (8,160). Women have 15% 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

3 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 28% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Guy Ritchie (man)
Written by: Anthony Peckham (man), Simon Kinberg (man), Michael Robert Johnson (man)
Produced by: Susan Downey (woman), Dan Lin (man), Joel Silver (man), Lionel Wigram (man), Peter Eskelsen (gender not listed), Steve Clark-Hall (man)
Shot by: Philippe Rousselot (man)
Edited by: James Herbert (man)
Music by: Hans Zimmer (man)
Production design by: Sarah Greenwood (woman)
Costumes by: Jenny Beavan (woman)
Cast by: Reg Poerscout-Edgerton (man)