Fails the Bechdel test

Sorry to Bother You

Name: Sorry to Bother You
Released: 2018

2018. Directed by Boots Riley, written by Boots Riley.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

1 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
13 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

In an alternate version of Oakland, Cassius Green gets a telemarketing job and finds the commission paid job a dispiriting struggle as a Black man selling to predominantly white people over the phone. This changes when a veteran advises him to use his "white voic2" and the attitude behind it to make himself more appealing to customers. With a bizarrely high-pitched accent, Cassius becomes a success even as his colleagues form a union to improve their miserable jobs. Cassius is promoted to being a "Power Caller" who sells the most morally-abhorrent but lucrative products and services--as his connection to his girlfriend and colleagues fades away. His conscience arises anew amid his boss' bizarre world of condescending, bigoted decadence and his sinister plans to create the perfect subservient workforce with Cassius' help.

Released: 13 Jul 2018
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.9 / 10
Metascore: 78 / 100
Awards: 20 wins & 56 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Cassius 235 lines, man
Detroit 93 lines, woman
Squeeze 54 lines, man
Steve Lift 51 lines, man
Salvador 38 lines, man
Anderson 18 lines, man
Johnny 15 lines, man
Langston 15 lines, man
Neanderthal Woman 13 lines, woman
Diana 11 lines, woman

Full cast, 93 people

LaKeith Stanfield as Cassius Green
Tessa Thompson as Detroit
Jermaine Fowler as Salvador
Omari Hardwick as Mr. _______
Terry Crews as Sergio
Kate Berlant as Diana DeBauchery
Michael X. Sommers as Johnny
Danny Glover as Langston
Steven Yeun as Squeeze
Armie Hammer as Steve Lift
Robert Longstreet as Anderson
David Cross as Cassius Green's White Voice (voice)
Patton Oswalt as Mr. _______'s White Voice (voice)
Lily James as Detroit's White British Voice (voice)
Forest Whitaker as First Equisapien / Demarius
Rosario Dawson as Voice in Elevator (voice)
Shelley Mitchell as Mrs. Costello
Jerry McDaniel as Man Eating Dinner
Indigo Jackson as Cynthia Rose / Neanderthal Woman
Eric Jacobus as Blackwater Commander
Elaine A. Clark as Game Show Host
Mistah F.A.B. as Car Passenger
Val Garrahan as Woman on Couch
Chad Briggs as Billboard Worker
Ken Baggott as TV News Reporter
David Fine as Street Preacher
Damion Gallegos as Jim Ellman
Michael Rhys Kan as Mr. Son
Molly Brady as Entertainment News Host
Nato Green as Man in Crowd
W. Kamau Bell as Other Man in Crowd
Safiya Fredericks as Colette
Sara Buskirk as WorryFree Commercial Voice (voice)
Terel Gibson as NTV Spots Announcer
Lyrics Born as Game Show Contestant
Gabby La La as Health Clinic Receptionist
Thessaly Lerner as DIY Wig-Making Host
Ken Gamble as Screaming Equisapien (voice)
Keniece Ford as Left Eye Street Artist
Gina Madrid as Left Eye Street Artist
Spy Emerson as Left Eye Street Artist
Silk E as Left Eye Street Artist
Jacinta Kaumbulu as Left Eye Street Artist
Sara Melekova as Left Eye Street Artist
Annie Chen as Left Eye Street Artist
Akilah A. Walker as Left Eye Street Artist
Akia Greybill as Left Eye Street Artist
Makiah Green as Left Eye Street Artist
Ryan Coursey as Langston's White Voice (voice) (uncredited)
Jonathan Duffy as Man Brushing Teeth in Car (uncredited)
Kelly Williams as Dave - Painter Chasing Detroit (uncredited)
Tom Woodruff Jr. as Equisapien (uncredited)
Dawayne Jordan as Football Player (uncredited)
James D. Weston II as Blackwater Agent (uncredited)
Teresa Navarro as Telemarketer (uncredited)
Tony Toste as Blackwater Agent (uncredited)
William W. Barbour as Soldier / Party Guest (uncredited)
Marcella Bragio as Power Caller / Lady in Red (uncredited)
Sara Anders as Patient in Waiting Room (uncredited)
Rayna Angélique as Striker / Protester (uncredited)
Eric Arnold as Eric Arnold (voice) (uncredited)
Anthony Cabello as Worry Free Gay Commercial Person (uncredited)
Cabran E. Chamberlain as Striker (uncredited)
Talon Crow as Telemarketer (uncredited)
Mahari Crown as Fake Cassius Green (uncredited)
M. Shawn Cunningham as The Bouncer (uncredited)
Cyl'Nita as Striker / Protester (uncredited)
Steve Dakota as Striker (uncredited)
John Demakas as Bloody Protester (uncredited)
Yin Dumela as Striker (uncredited)
Oumie Garba as Girl in VIP Room (uncredited)
Tina Gilton as Telemarketer (uncredited)
Tom Hart as Senator (uncredited)
Linda Joy Henry as Power Caller (uncredited)
Jayson Johnson as Guy on the Street (uncredited)
Kali Victor as Man Talking with Detroit at Gallery Opening (uncredited)
Brandon E. Lee as Injured Striker (uncredited)
John Lobato as House Party Guest (uncredited)
Beteal Mahari as Girl in VIP Room (uncredited)
Mary Lu Marr as Striker (uncredited)
Mahal Montoya as Telemarketer (uncredited)
Ed Moy as Telemarketer (uncredited)
Darlene Nesson as Wife (uncredited)
Ajani Perkins as Protester (uncredited)
Krystle Piamonte as Manicurist / Striker (uncredited)
Mel Powell as Power Caller (uncredited)
Brian Sampson as Protester (uncredited)
Yhana Sibelle as Party Guest (uncredited)
Patricia Simmons as Factory Worker (uncredited)
Victor M. Slone as Copy Technician (uncredited)
Steve Tanabe as Blackwater Agent (uncredited)
Stephanie Vandagriff as Secretary (uncredited)
Jimi Wheeler as Protester (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 123

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	10	34
4 to 6	0	11
7 to 9	0	7
10 to 12	0	2
13 to 15	3	2
16 to 18	1	1
19 to 21	0	12
22 to 24	0	15
25 to 27	12	37
28 to 30	4	33
31 to 33	0	0
34 to 36	1	18
37 to 39	3	16
40 to 42	1	17
43 to 45	7	5
46 to 48	11	13
49 to 51	0	0
52 to 54	16	29
55 to 57	0	7
58 to 60	2	2
61 to 63	0	0
64 to 66	0	0
67 to 69	12	24
70 to 72	0	0
73 to 75	8	17
76 to 78	2	9
79 to 81	0	15
82 to 84	0	25
85 to 87	13	46
88 to 90	0	9
91 to 93	4	11
94 to 96	13	13
97 to 99	1	3
100 to 102	1	7
103 to 105	0	2
106 to 108	0	0
109 to 111	0	8
112 to 114	0	14
115 to 117	0	0
118 to 120	1	12
121 to 123	2	13

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, 21 are women's.

128 lines from women, 489 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

13 women and 34 men in the cast. 4 women and 27 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 21 of 660. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 55 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 21% of the words (1,561), men 79% (6,009).

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

4 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 38% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Boots Riley (man)
Written by: Boots Riley (man)
Produced by: Kelly Williams (man), George Rush (man), Jonathan Duffy (man), Charles D. King (man), Nina Yang Bongiovi (woman), Forest Whitaker (man)
Shot by: Doug Emmett (man)
Edited by: Terel Gibson (man)
Music by: Boots Riley (man), Merrill Garbus (woman), Nate Brenner (man)
Production design by: Jason Kisvarday (man)
Costumes by: Deirdra E. Govan (woman)
Cast by: Eyde Belasco (woman)