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Fails the Bechdel test

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018. Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen and Jack London.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

0 / 3

Fails

  1. No 1. At least two women
    Fewer than two women characters.
  2. No 2. Who talk to each other
    Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
  3. 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.

Poster for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The film

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century post-Civil War America, where life was cruel and cheap, the stories of six different people, united by death, unfold. Starting with "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", cheerful Buster Scruggs, the deadly gunslinger with a lighting-fast right hand and a lovely singing voice, is about to discover that talent alone is not enough. Next up in "Near Algodones", an ambitious bank robber has a rendezvous with the gallows, and in "Meal Ticket", an aging traveling impresario goes the extra mile to grab the audience's attention. Following, in "All Gold Canyon", an unsuccessful, silver-haired prospector is convinced that his luck is going to change in the middle of nowhere. Then, in "The Gal Who Got Rattled", beautiful Alice finds out that romance and stray bullets don't mix. Finally, in "The Mortal Remains", five passengers crammed in a stagecoach share life philosophies, only to realize that looks can be deceiving.

Released
09 Nov 2018
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Musical
Rated
R
IMDb
7.2 / 10
Metascore
79 / 100
Awards
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 7 wins & 44 nominations total
Elsewhere
View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

  • Women
  • Men
  • Not in the cast list
  • Bigger name, more lines
  1. Billy Knapp 98 lines, man
  2. Alice 96 lines, woman
  3. Mr. Arthur 55 lines, man
  4. Buster 53 lines, man
  5. Thigpen 46 lines, man
  6. Trapper 31 lines, man
  7. Frenchman 28 lines, man
  8. Lady 26 lines, woman
  9. Cowboy 25 lines, man
  10. Prospector 21 lines, man
Full cast, 55 people
  • Tim Blake Nelson as Buster Scruggs (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Willie Watson as The Kid (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Clancy Brown as Curly Joe (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Danny McCarthy as Curly Joe's Brother (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • David Krumholtz as Frenchman (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Thomas Wingate as Gun Check Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Tim DeZarn as Mean-Eyed Card Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • E.E. Bell as Piano Player (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Alejandro Patiño as Cantina Bartender (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Tom Proctor as Cantina Bad Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Clinton Roberts as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Matthew Willig as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • Jesse Youngblood as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • J.J. Dashnaw as Cantina Scum (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs")
  • James Franco as Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Stephen Root as Teller (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Ralph Ineson as Posse Leader (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Mike Watson as Posse (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Brian Brown as Posse (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Ryan Brown as Posse (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Richard Bucher as Posse (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Jesse Luken as Drover (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Michael Cullen as Judge (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Austin Rising as Bailiff (segment "Near Algodones")
  • James 'Scotty' Augare as Comanche Chief (segment "Near Algodones")
  • Liam Neeson as Impresario (segment "Meal Ticket")
  • Harry Melling as Artist (segment "Meal Ticket")
  • Jiji Hise as The Bawd (segment "Meal Ticket")
  • Paul Rae as Chicken Impresario (segment "Meal Ticket")
  • Tom Waits as Prospector (segment "All Gold Canyon")
  • Sam Dillon as Young Man (segment "All Gold Canyon")
  • Bill Heck as Billy Knapp (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Zoe Kazan as Alice Longabaugh (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Grainger Hines as Mr. Arthur (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Jefferson Mays as Gilbert Longabaugh (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Prudence Wright Holmes as Boarding House Landlady (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Eric Petersen as Boarder (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Doris Hargrave as Boarder (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Jackamoe Buzzell as Boarder (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Ethan Dubin as Matt (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Jordy Laucomer as Whipped Boy (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Thea Lux as His Mother (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Bret Hughson as His Father (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Rod Rondeaux as Sioux Chief (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Raymond Kurshals as Puppet Dancer (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled")
  • Jonjo O'Neill as Englishman (segment "The Mortal Remains")
  • Brendan Gleeson as Irishman (segment "The Mortal Remains")
  • Saul Rubinek as Frenchman (segment "The Mortal Remains")
  • Tyne Daly as Lady (segment "The Mortal Remains")
  • Chelcie Ross as Trapper (segment "The Mortal Remains")
  • Martin Palmer as Blubberer (segment "Near Algodones") (uncredited)
  • Billy Lockwood as Father (segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled") (uncredited)
  • Stephen R. Estler as Gambler (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs") (uncredited)
  • Grace LeSueur as Pretty Girl at Gallows (segment "Near Algodones") (uncredited)
  • Bill Foster as Saloon Man (segment "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs") (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 2 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 5% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 76

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 205
3 to 4013
5 to 6031
7 to 8033
9 to 10010
11 to 12019
13 to 1407
15 to 16014
17 to 1802
19 to 2000
21 to 2201
23 to 2403
25 to 2600
27 to 2800
29 to 3001
31 to 3222
33 to 3414
35 to 3601
37 to 3800
39 to 40012
41 to 4202
43 to 44010
45 to 4607
47 to 4804
49 to 502119
51 to 52413
53 to 541422
55 to 56912
57 to 581113
59 to 602033
61 to 6235
63 to 6479
65 to 66814
67 to 6808
69 to 701131
71 to 722159
73 to 74343
75 to 76218

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, 22 are women's.

137 lines from women, 480 from men.

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

6 women and 44 men in the cast. 4 women and 16 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 158 of 652. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 157 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

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

Words spoken

Women speak 20% of the words (1,482), men 80% (5,833). Women have 22% 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

Exhibit E: behind the camera

4 of the 15 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 25% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by
Joel Coen (man), Ethan Coen (man)
Written by
Ethan Coen (man), Joel Coen (man)
Produced by
Joel Coen (man), Ethan Coen (man), Megan Ellison (woman), Sue Naegle (woman)
Shot by
Bruno Delbonnel (man)
Edited by
Joel Coen (man), Ethan Coen (man)
Music by
Carter Burwell (man)
Production design by
Jess Gonchor (man)
Costumes by
Mary Zophres (woman)
Cast by
Ellen Chenoweth (woman)

The crew, department by department

  • Sound

    3 women, 20 men, 1 not listed

  • Art

    1 women, 6 men, 10 not listed

  • Costume & Make-Up

    5 women, 2 men, 8 not listed

  • Camera

    2 women, 5 men, 3 not listed

  • Visual Effects

    0 women, 4 men, 6 not listed

  • Directing

    1 women, 5 men, 3 not listed

  • Production

    5 women, 2 men

  • Writing

    0 women, 4 men

  • Women
  • Men
  • Gender not listed on TMDB

Exhibit F: how old the stars were

Men: 54 on average. The top-billed cast, at the film's release.

Men

Willie Watson 39, David Krumholtz 40, Danny McCarthy 49, Tim Blake Nelson 54, Clancy Brown 59, E.E. Bell 62, Tom Proctor 62, Tim DeZarn 66

About this analysis

Our parser read the script: 76 scenes and 652 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works

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