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Fails the Bechdel test

We're No Angels

1989. Directed by Neil Jordan, written by David Mamet and Ranald MacDougall and Albert Husson.

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

Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.

Poster for We're No Angels

The film

A couple of escaped convicts on the run find refuge with the Church when they are mistaken for two priests. The two are keen to flee but are unable to do so without the help of Molly.

Released
15 Dec 1989
Genres
Comedy, Crime
Rated
PG-13
IMDb
6.1 / 10
Metascore
48 / 100
Elsewhere
View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

  • Women
  • Men
  • Not in the cast list
  • Bigger name, more lines
  1. Ned 268 lines, man
  2. Jim 159 lines, man
  3. Father Levesque 70 lines, man
  4. Molly 59 lines, woman
  5. Old Woman 44 lines, woman
  6. Young Monk 44 lines, man
  7. Warden 40 lines, man
  8. Deputy 35 lines, man
  9. Translator 35 lines, man
  10. Sheriff 34 lines, man
Full cast, 31 people
  • Robert De Niro as Ned
  • Sean Penn as Jim
  • Demi Moore as Molly
  • Hoyt Axton as Father Levesque
  • Bruno Kirby as Deputy
  • Ray McAnally as Warden
  • James Russo as Bobby
  • Wallace Shawn as Translator
  • John C. Reilly as Young Monk
  • Jay Brazeau as Sheriff
  • Ken Buhay as Bishop Nogalich
  • Elizabeth Lawrence as Mrs. Blair
  • Bill Murdoch as Deputy
  • Jessica Jickels as Rosie
  • Frank C. Turner as Shopkeeper
  • Matthew Walker as Blacksmith
  • Sheelah Megill as Townswoman
  • Sean Hoy as Workman
  • Lloyd Berry as Passersby
  • David McLeod as Passersby
  • Richard Newman as Passersby
  • Frank Totino as Bystander
  • Karen Elizabeth Austin as Bystander
  • Antony Holland as Doctor
  • Sylvain Demers as Canadian Priest
  • Cory Dagg as Border Guard
  • Garwin Sanford as Prison Priest
  • Jack Ackroyd as Guard
  • James Kidnie as Guard
  • Gerry Bean as Guard
  • Rick Poltaruk as Fat Monk

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 124

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 3011
4 to 6031
7 to 9019
10 to 122022
13 to 15016
16 to 182155
19 to 21546
22 to 2406
25 to 27025
28 to 30027
31 to 33029
34 to 36018
37 to 391411
40 to 42016
43 to 4508
46 to 4808
49 to 51016
52 to 5404
55 to 57026
58 to 601011
61 to 6328
64 to 66013
67 to 6907
70 to 72013
73 to 7507
76 to 78018
79 to 811040
82 to 84036
85 to 8718
88 to 9057
91 to 93020
94 to 96028
97 to 99133
100 to 10208
103 to 10503
106 to 10826
109 to 111116
112 to 11402
115 to 117730
118 to 120027
121 to 1231439
124 to 12401

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, 13 are women's.

113 lines from women, 775 from men.

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

4 women and 23 men in the cast. 2 women and 19 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 69 of 907. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 126 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

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

Words spoken

Women speak 14% of the words (1,947), men 86% (12,106). Women have 13% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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

1 of the 10 people in these jobs is a woman. Across the whole crew, 19% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by
Neil Jordan (man)
Written by
David Mamet (man)
Produced by
Art Linson (man)
Shot by
Philippe Rousselot (man)
Edited by
Joke van Wijk (gender not listed), Mick Audsley (man)
Music by
George Fenton (man)
Production design by
Wolf Kroeger (man)
Costumes by
Theoni V. Aldredge (woman)
Cast by
Wallis Nicita (gender not listed)

The crew, department by department

  • Art

    0 women, 5 men, 4 not listed

  • Sound

    0 women, 8 men, 1 not listed

  • Camera

    0 women, 5 men, 3 not listed

  • Costume & Make-Up

    3 women, 2 men, 2 not listed

  • Production

    1 women, 4 men, 2 not listed

  • Directing

    2 women, 3 men

  • Writing

    1 women, 3 men, 1 not listed

  • Other crew

    1 women, 3 men

  • Women
  • Men
  • Gender not listed on TMDB

Exhibit F: how old the stars were

Women: 26 on average. Men: 41 on average. The top-billed cast, at the film's release.

Women

Demi Moore 26

Men

John C. Reilly 24, Sean Penn 28, Jay Brazeau 35, James Russo 36, Bruno Kirby 40, Robert De Niro 45, Wallace Shawn 45, Hoyt Axton 51, Ray McAnally 63

Exhibit G: the money

What it cost and made, where TMDB lists it.

Budget
$20 million
Box office
Not listed

From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.

About this analysis

Our parser read the script: 124 scenes and 907 lines of dialogue. How the test works

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