This paper argues that whilst research on the linguistic aspects of dubbing has mainly focused on aspects such as lip synchronisation and the translation of social and geographic variation as well as transfer errors, systematic quantitative analyses of spoken language are rarely available. As a result, little is known about the degree to which spoken language filters into translated film scripts. Investigations so far do in fact suggest that dubbed language varieties are likely to be placed closer to a ‘neutral’, uniform written standard, thus failing to portray sociolinguistic variation. The author then presents a quantitative account of selected syntactic and lexico-syntactic features of spoken Italian, typically associated with the constraints and situational factors of face-to-face communication, as reflected in five Italian translations of British and American films: Secrets and Lies, Sliding Doors, Notting Hill, Dead Man Walking and Finding Forrester. The results are then compared and contrasted with the data from corpora of spoken Italian and a corpus of Italian films.