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Passes the Bechdel test

Smokin' Aces

2007. Directed by Joe Carnahan, written by Joe Carnahan.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

  1. Yes 1. At least two women
    9 women characters. 6 of them speak.
  2. Yes 2. Who talk to each other
    In 5 scenes out of 123.
  3. 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, though someone marked that rating as dubious.

Poster for Smokin' Aces

The film

Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy "Aces" Israel, a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state's evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody-under the supervision of two agents dispatched to Aces' Lake Tahoe hideout. When the word of the price on Aces' head spreads into the community of ex-cons and cons-to-be, it entices bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, deadly vixens and double-crossing mobsters to join in the hunt. With all eyes on Tahoe, this rogues' gallery collides in a comic race to hit the jackpot and rub out Aces.

Released
26 Jan 2007
Genres
Action, Comedy, Crime
Rated
R
IMDb
6.6 / 10
Metascore
45 / 100
Awards
4 wins total
Elsewhere
View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

  • Women
  • Men
  • Not in the cast list
  • Bigger name, more lines
  1. Messner 92 lines, man
  2. Israel 72 lines, man
  3. Sykes 67 lines, woman
  4. Locke 66 lines, man
  5. Watters 55 lines, woman
  6. Dupree 39 lines, man
  7. Carruthers 36 lines, man
  8. Padiche 36 lines, man
  9. Elmore 31 lines, man
  10. Serna 30 lines, man
Full cast, 43 people
  • Ryan Reynolds as Richard Messner
  • Andy Garcia as Stanley Locke
  • Martin Henderson as Hollis Elmore
  • Chris Pine as Darwin Tremor
  • Ray Liotta as Donald Carruthers
  • Alicia Keys as Georgia Sykes
  • Common as Sir Ivy
  • Taraji P. Henson as Sharice Watters
  • Davenia McFadden as Loretta Wyman
  • Jeremy Piven as Buddy Israel
  • Ben Affleck as Jack Dupree
  • Peter Berg as "Pistol" Pete Deeks
  • Matthew Fox as Bill
  • Jason Bateman as Rupert 'Rip' Reed
  • Nestor Carbonell as Pasquale Acosta "S.A. Gerald Diego"
  • Kevin Durand as Jeeves Tremor
  • Tommy Flanagan as Lazlo Soot
  • Joel Edgerton as Hugo Croop
  • Curtis Armstrong as Morris Mecklen
  • Joseph Ruskin as Primo Sparazza
  • Alex Rocco as Serna
  • Maury Sterling as Lester Tremor
  • Christopher Michael Holley as Beanie
  • Mike Falkow as Freeman Heller
  • Joe Drago as FBI Aid
  • Jeff Habberstad as Top Coated Gunman
  • Wayne Newton as Himself
  • George Fisher as McGarey
  • Vladimir Kulich as The Swede
  • David Proval as Victor Padiche
  • Lorna Scott as Hotel Receptionist
  • Brian Bloom as Agent Baker
  • Patrick St. Esprit as Moustache
  • R. Paul Wilson as Magician
  • Janet Edwards as Naked Prostitute
  • Suzanne Stover as Prostitute #1
  • Scott Halberstadt as Pimply Casino Employee
  • Matthew Fox as Bill Security Super
  • Zach Cumer as Warren
  • Max Murphy as Sheriff Badger
  • Marianne Muellerleile as Margie Turlock
  • Clare Carey as Laverne
  • Alice Dinnean as Bikini Woman Who Drinks Grape Juice (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

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

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 123

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers
ScenesWomen's linesMen's lines
1 to 3033
4 to 603
7 to 907
10 to 12018
13 to 151010
16 to 1806
19 to 2142
22 to 24715
25 to 27041
28 to 30838
31 to 33019
34 to 36014
37 to 39154
40 to 421016
43 to 45049
46 to 48112
49 to 513229
52 to 54014
55 to 57518
58 to 60014
61 to 63114
64 to 66145
67 to 6903
70 to 72013
73 to 75013
76 to 7863
79 to 811326
82 to 8436
85 to 8750
88 to 9038
91 to 9301
94 to 9622
97 to 9987
100 to 10201
103 to 10550
106 to 10801
109 to 11125
112 to 1141213
115 to 11708
118 to 120138
121 to 123052

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.
WATTERS: Three hours t'the east. S'day trip. Pretty this time a'year too... SYKES: We gotta lay something out, strategy- wise. Somethin' tight. Y'go in there ad-libbing, it's y'ass. WATTERS: What are we talkin' on the split...
SYKES: No, we're not together. WATTERS: C'mon baby, don't be shy. WATTERS: Just one bed please. Although if we sweat that one up, we goin' need some clean sheets. C'mon Girl, you know I'm playing! WATTERS: ..If ya'll let hoochie like that stay up in here, ya'll must be burning sheets by the ton.
SYKES: ...Faggot-ass redneck... WATTERS: What'd you say? SYKES: Not you. Some assholes on the elevator...are these bitches on a permanent smoke break or what? Why the fuck they call'm "working girls." WATTERS: Alright, the ho train is exiting the station. They're coming to you...
WATTERS: What is it...? SYKES: ...Shhhhhhit...girl, there's these two dudes, just sittin' here in this elevator, all shot up... WATTERS: What? SYKES: They musta been beefin' big time with one another, cuz this shit, got way past words, whatever it was.
SYKES: Are these feds fake or for real girl! WATTERS: I DON'T KNOW! SYKES: Jus' keep doin' y'damage girl, keep these mafuckas off my as-- SYKES: We're out girl! I'm shot! I'M SHOT!--

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 20 are women's.

153 lines from women, 631 from men.

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

9 women and 34 men in the cast. 6 women and 29 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 66 of 806. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 108 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

  • First line by a woman
  • Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 19% of the words (2,143), men 81% (9,066). Women have 20% 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

Exhibit F: behind the camera

3 of the 11 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 29% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by
Joe Carnahan (man)
Written by
Joe Carnahan (man)
Produced by
Tim Bevan (man), Eric Fellner (man)
Shot by
Mauro Fiore (man)
Edited by
Robert Frazen (man)
Music by
Clint Mansell (man)
Production design by
Martin Whist (man)
Costumes by
Mary Zophres (woman)
Cast by
Amanda Mackey (woman), Cathy Sandrich Gelfond (woman)

The crew, department by department

  • Other crew

    11 women, 36 men, 6 not listed

  • Lighting

    0 women, 10 men, 17 not listed

  • Art

    4 women, 11 men, 10 not listed

  • Sound

    2 women, 15 men, 7 not listed

  • Production

    9 women, 4 men, 5 not listed

  • Camera

    0 women, 6 men, 11 not listed

  • Costume & Make-Up

    8 women, 1 men, 8 not listed

  • Directing

    3 women, 4 men, 2 not listed

  • Women
  • Men
  • Gender not listed on TMDB

Exhibit G: how old the stars were

Women: 35 on average. Men: 38 on average. The top-billed cast, at the film's release.

Women

Alicia Keys 25, Taraji P. Henson 36, Davenia McFadden 45

Men

Chris Pine 26, Ryan Reynolds 30, Martin Henderson 32, Common 34, Jeremy Piven 41, Andy Garcia 50, Ray Liotta 51

Exhibit H: the money

It made 3.4 times what it cost.

Budget
$17 million
Box office
$57.1 million

From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.

About this analysis

Our parser read the script: 123 scenes and 806 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works

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