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The Bechdel Test

Posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 by Peter Sciretta

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Have you ever heard of The Bechdel Test? The term/concept comes from a 1985 edition of Alison Bechdel’s comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For entitled “The Rule.” The test points out the systemic problem with a lack of female presence in Hollywood films, and you might be shocked to learn how many popular films don’t “pass” three simple rules.

Here is a quick video that has recently gone viral and explains everything:

In the in 1985 Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip entitled “The Rule”, one of the characters claims that she only watches a movie if it satisfies the following requirements:

1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.

Here is the original comic strip:

You might be shocked to learn just how many movies don’t pass this simple test. Someone even started website BechdelTest.com to chronicle the films which do and don’t pass the test. Here are some recent films that do not pass the test:

Green Zone, Hot Tub Time Machine, Iron Man 2, How To Train Your Dragon, Kick-Ass, MacGruber, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Shutter Island, The Wolfman, (500) Days of Summer, Angels & Demond, Antichrist, Avatar, Bruno, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Funny People, The Hangover, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Knowing, Moon, Ninja Assassin, Sherlock Holmes, The Taking of Pelham 123, Up in the Air, Watchmen and Up.

Here are some of the recent films which do pass the test:

Alice in Wonderland, The Back-up Plan, The Crazies, Date Night, Letters to Juliet, Robin Hood, Away We Go, Coraline, Drag Me To Hell, Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The House of the Devil, In The Loop, Inglourious Basterds, Jennifer’s Body, Julia & Julia, New Moon, Precious, The Princess and the Frog, Push, Star Trek, The Lovely Bones, Transformers 2, Whip It, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Zombieland.

Again, this test does not say anything about the quality of a film or its box office appeal. It only demonstrates how Hollywood rarely includes complex women characters in movies (especially true if the main character is not a woman).

Comments

Guest

"Alien" is the last movie she could see? Did Newt get a sex change, or did I hallucinate all of those scenes where Ripley talks to her? Not to mention Vasquez.

Rickshaw1

Look, going to the movies or watching one is an act of voyuerism. And thats basically a fetish. Now, watching a standard movie is the mildest form of entertainment fetishism. Most people want their movie fantasy to be a little more interesting that watching their mom at work talking to another woman about who's turn it was to wash out the coffee cups. They also want a little more out of it than watching dad and some other guy talk about whose turn it was to wash out the coffee cups.

You can have the greatest actress in the world turn in the most realized, honest performance ever, and the average movie watcher that is not involved in movie making, hasn't taken college credit courses, and doesn't earn a living by being connected to the movie industry is gonna go "ho hum...whats the current skank reality star doing?" If we want realistic life...we don't want to watch movies, we can see that at home when mom and dad fight, or mom and mom fight, or dad and dad fight.

Most people go to the movies for an escape, a little bit of fun, and a chance to leave the cares of the world behind for a couple of hours.

Matt W

Here's why males dominate the movies.

Actors that are currently marketable as a lead and can consistently carry a movie: Russel Crowe, Leo, Damon, Pitt, Hanks, Will Smith, RDJ, Ferrell, Carell, Denzel, Statham, Christian Bale. Then we can even get into the Whalberg, Chris Pine, Gordon-Levitt, Labeauf crew.

Actresses that can do the same: Angie Jolie, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock (Julia Roberts was in this category 7-8 years ago).

The rest of the great actresses are complimentary: Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Anette Benning, Rachel McAdams. Hilary Swank has the potential to do it, but hasn't since Million Dollar Baby.

Matt W

Look how lesbian the chicks in the comic are. funny when you consider the content.

Rickshaw1

The only "test" for a movie I have is if I think I will enjoy it. I don't enjoy chick flicks as a rule, though I watch them with my wife because it makes her happy. I also don't enjoy movies about a predominately male oriented item (ex: soldiers in WWII in the field) where the female presence is tacked on just to have one.

Sorry, but the test sounds a bit pretentious and agenda oriented. Quite a few great movies don't pass my test of having enough of a story outside of women gabbing. I cannot watch the view because it holds zero interest for me. Yet I have no problem watching Cougartown because its funny and has more energy than just women having a chatfest. The only rule that should matter is "Does this movie/story/show/program grab my interest and hold it in a way that is satisfactory to me.". Its completely selfish, and completely honest.

I'd rather take a bullet to the head than watch Titanic, and I feel the same about slumdog millionaire. They simply do not interest me. As for this rule, yes, you can get hollywood to make these kinds of movies where women with names stand around and discuss climate change whilst solving the deficit...and I'll be at T-ball with my wife watching our son play and have a good time.

Sani

This Bechdel Test is AWESOME. If you want a middling, box office flop of a movie interesting only to eleven lesbians, that is. "Whip It," for instance. And "Ginger Snaps."

Jo

Probably most Lifetime channel movies would pass the test, no?

Heather

Star Trek only BARELY passes the test. Uhura says two lines to Gaila that furthers the plot before they start talking about the guy under the bed.

danielheard

By the way. I love the dialogue that's been opened by this post. It's fresh and interesting. Kudos to those a Becdeltest and peter for posting it and opening up a new debate.

Keith B.

Yeah, its sad, and it's because most movies are told from a male perspective. The only thing that would fix this would be more female writers and directors in Hollywood.

Poland626

People expected MOON to follow this rule?! HAHAHAHA

sad

for further clarification, the three criteria do not prove how good or bad a movie is. it is simply a litmus test that measures the quality of female presence in a film. the point is that a majority of films have no more than 1 female character among hoards of male characters, or that often when women are portrayed in groups, their conversation only revolves around men.

Rockie

Amazing article. A real eye opener.

Veronika

I wish I could fucking use the "reply" button.

Anyway. Thank you Peter for posting this, as a female reader I really appreciate it and I'm pleasantly surprised by the mostly intelligent discussion going on here.

The Bechdel test doesn't determine quality, but it does have a point, and that point is to illuminate a problem in the film industry with the treatment of women. Many of my favorite movies don't pass the test. I agree with Peter that some movies don't NEED to pass, since they are simply about other things, but the staggering numbers that don't pass do indicate a larger problem.

Having a "strong woman" in a mainstream movie (Like Avatar, Iron Man 2) generally just means "Fabricated Male Fantasy". These women's lives all revolve around the man in the story and the badass stuff they do seems to be more for titillation of the male audience than anything else. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy both of those movies but they both had sexist elements.

PS I take issue with whoever said girls wouldn't see district 9. Plenty of girls I know LOVE sci-fi/paranormal shit and we'd probably turn out in even greater numbers if our demographic weren't completely ignored in those genres of film!

TAB

So if a movie passes the Bechdel test, its good for me since every movie in that category are awesome!

jthusky23

So The Back-up Plan, Jennifer’s Body, New Moon, Push, The Lovely Bones, Transformers 2, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were good? I've seen all of them. You might be overstating things a little.

Stefan D. Byerley

See, that's the danger in saying the a movie MUST accomplish "X" many things for it to accomplish "X" result. Transformers 2 passed the test, and yet I still thought the movie treated women unfairly.

I can write a scene that has two women in it, make the out to be somewhat important characters, have them talk about things other than men, and STILL write it as a scene that treats women unfairly and can infuriate feminists.

The trick is not to make sure that those 3 things are in your movies. It's treating women fairly in the script. Which you can do even WITHOUT thos "requirements".

Mark Davidson

I'd be interested to see an equivalent test for men's presence in movies. My guess is it'd be difficult to name many movies, even those aimed squarely at women, that don't have two male characters with names that speak to each other about something other than women.

I don't necessarily have a problem with any of the movie's that fail the test, just because they fail the test. However, the fact so many don't pass, is incredibly saddening and something we should all be concerned about. A lack of female presence in movies not only limits the breadth of stories that can be told, but also limits our own perspectives on the role of women in society.

sad again

again, disqus is sucking. anyway, this is in response to one of peter's comments. i also have to say that i am happy to see this issue being brought to attention on this site and that most people have been treating it with the weight it deserves.

the rub is that garbage like "the back-up plan" and "the ugly truth" seem to be the ONLY films that women are being handed by hollywood. sure, women like films with male protagonists, which are hard to avoid anyway because they are the majority of hollywood releases. it's just endlessly frustrating that there aren't films with female protagonists that represent women as interesting, complex, original people the way many male protagonists are treated. i would like to know that if there were more films with 3 dimensional female protagonists that male audiences could appreciate them as accurate and intriguing portrayals and not just dismiss them as chick flicks.

sad

i wanted to reply to icarus arts but stupid disqus won't let me so this seems off topic. but:

i don't think it's a matter of "getting female filmmakers to tell their own stories," i think it's allowing them to tell their own stories. there is a common misconception that there just aren't many women who want to direct but the truth is there aren't many women who are given the chance to direct.

shanek85, i think you're right, that's all i can remember too.

PizpotGargravarr

This is somewhat OT but won't it be ironic if the Twilight series helps the studios to realise that films aimed solely at women can make serious money and thus inadvertently is the cause of more strong female characters/perspectives being portrayed on screen.

JackSlater4

The lesbians were all over Rambo when I saw that in the theater, and it does not follow these rules.

Shanek85

How does Robin Hood pass this, as far as I can remember the only conversation between 2 women in that is Eleanor of Aquitane & Queen Frenchie de Ginge & that was about King John i.e a man.

CnlForbin

I think most people are missing the point of this test. Yes, Lawerence of Arabia, Dark Knight, Godfather, etc... these are all good movies, will always be good movies. And yes, they're dominated by men. Good movies will continue to be made in the male-dominated industry.

The point to this video is that a)women aren't thought to be a serious demographic b)women are viewed as less than men and therefore unable to be taken seriously in a serious-minded movie (picture Jamie Lee Curtis taking Arnie's role in "True Lies") and c)women doing "men-things" are OK, men doing "women-things" are not.

PizpotGargravarr

True Lies is a serious minded movie? In any case, I'm not sure why you you would use that movie to justify your point. What specifically about that role would preclude a similar role being played by a woman? Arnie was a hard-ass in it but there have been a number of significant hard-ass female characters in film- Sarah Connor in T2 for example, which was a far more "serious-minded" movie than True Lies.
You're quite probably right about a), but I don't think the strip or the video conveys either b) or c). They may be true but such statements require more justification than that provided.

PizpotGargravarr

Actually, I'm kind of confused as to how point c) relates to this video at all, and what specifically you were referring to when you wrote it.

PizpotGargravarr

Shouldn't it fall mainly to writers and producers/financiers rather than directors to be creating films that fulfill these requirements? After all, the lack of female interaction in films is usually a problem that originates at the inception of the project.
Directors shouldn't feel the need to shoehorn in scenes to fulfill certain requirements, when the screenplay has been written to be male centric. What should be happening is more projects should be being written/produced where these interactions occur naturally.
I don't know what the specific cause of this issue is (are there a lack of writers providing a female perspective? Do their projects have trouble getting funding?) but the directors shouldn't be expected to remedy it.

Guest

I am a woman and I write scripts.
My two biggest projects I'm working on right now only have one woman as a prominent character. There are not two women in it because the story I want to tell doesn't have two women in it. After reading this it does make me think but it would never make me change any of my stories, I don't think people (for the most part) leave women out on purpose but more because it just might not fit in the story. And as stated before just because there are not two women doesn't mean that the movie isn't representing 'strong' women.

I do agree that I can't really think of any movie that has a group of women in it that aren't talking about men for most of it. Which I suppose is sad but at my age (21) it's hard for me to find women to hang out (in actual life!!) with who aren't talking men.

AngryBroomstick

there are plenty of women you can hang out with, that aren't obsessed with talking about men. I'm tired of women complaining they can't find female friends. oh please.

resonance462

It's an interesting topic, but since the fact that passing or failing this test has no bearing on how good or bad a movie is, the point of it is sort of pointless.

I also don't agree that just because there aren't two women talking together in a movie that it makes them any less complex, since most protagonists in films are men, and many of the ones who aren't are written by men, oddly enough.

Clay_animator

Lawrence of Arabia is arguably the greatest movie ever made and breaks all 3 of the rules.

Matt W

overstatement alert

Test-fail

It lists the new "Alice in Wonderland" but I swear Anne Hathaway's "white queen" and Mia Wasikowska's "Alice" talk to each other about plot (or at least how to take back the kingdom from the red queen, who's also a female), thus fullfilling the rule, so I don't think that counts. This then makes me question if there are movies they list that actually do pass the test.

Peter Sciretta

You're wrong... Alice in Wonderland is listed in the recent films which DO pass the test.

chaparralian

Nice post. Thank You.

Listening to everyone squirm is great!

FreakyFilmFan4ever

Interesting, but at the same time I wouldn't want to watch a movie where there's a pointless scene in it simply to satisfy thin one "requirement". If you can fulfill this "requirement", and still remain plot/story oriented about it, then fine. But I'm not gonna want to sit through a scene that does this simply for the sake of doing this. It needs to be plot oriented.

Also, I don't know of too many women who would want to go see "District 9", or LOTR, even if it did fulfill this "requirement". And since doing so anyway would derail the plot and pacing of a movie, then what's the point?

If you and I were talking about a bear, then everything we would say would be about or lead up to the bear. It probably wouldn't lead to coconuts (Unless the bear lives in a place with coconuts. But, that's part of the story about the BEAR, so it's good.)

Likewise, if it's a movie about robots, then most scenes needs to be about or leading up to robots. That's the case even when showing character development within a film. The film probably shouldn't go into something about two women unrelated to the plot simply to be up to someone's "par". (Unless these two women operate the robots. But again, that would be a part of the STORY, so it's good.)

So, if you can do that and stay on point with the movie's plot or story, then good. If not, then don't even try it. It might even make the two female characters look useless and silly in a movie if their not needed in the movie's plot. And God knows feminists hate it when women are being shown in THAT way.

Piia R

Good job on misunderstanding the whole point. No one is after meaningless scenes just to pass the test, but better female characters that are more than just the hero's pretty love interest.

Also, if you don't know women who would want to see District 9 or LOTR, you're hanging with the wrong kind. I think I've met like one or two who had no interest in LOTR.

cpt_illman

I would like to see stronger female characters in movies, but at the same time a movie that doesn't feature women cannot always be seen as bad. For me it comes down to the story. There are worse things for a movie to do...like a movie that blatantly objectifies women just to get a certain demographic.

Mayngler

Yeah somebody should tell Kathryn Bigelow to give back all of those oscars, for being such a stupid dumbass. She could have easily forced the writer to weave in multiple prominent female characters who could have had intelligent conversations about, like, why male filmmakers refuse to ruin their stories by putting all the interesting events on hold while the lead female characters discuss topics completely unrelated to the film.

Matt W

Bigelow has 1 oscar.

darusame

This is revelatory in the sense that it shows the wide spectrum of film topics and perspectives that aren't touched upon in movie culture. Sure, there are a lot of great movies that pass the test, but how about the great movies that could have been made?

PizpotGargravarr

I have a serious issue with that comic strip. Who has ever uttered the phrase "Wanna see a movie and get popcorn?"
Do people really include popcorn in a proposition to see a movie? Aren't snack purchases usually considered after a decision has been made with regards to the film? That sentence just seems to be a blatant setup for the gag in the final panel and it bothers me.
Anyway...

CnlForbin

It's these 'just kiddings' that make it seem like a) we've somehow progressed as a society to where we think we've made progress and really haven't. Your joke doesn't hold any irony because we're still living in a system of female oppression and b) making these types of jokes is akin to telling a racist joke but then saying "I'm just joking, I'm not racist". Then why is the joke funny to you?

danielheard

or because it is funny to say something that is inappropriate. It is cathartic for an audience to hear something that they themselves wouldn't say, or also surprised to hear something they wouldn't normally hear in public. That's the definition of a "punchline".

danielheard

double post

resonance462

Because everyone's a little bit racist.

LOL

I bet it was a MAN inside the Alien costume.

resonance462

A winner is you.

Nick

people that go to see Transformers, Kick-Ass, MacGruber, Watchmen, and The Hangover aren't usually the huge feminist crowd anyway. i don't mean that to be offensive, it's just that those movies have specific audiences that fall outside of the realm of feminism.

also, including flicks like 500 Days of Summer, Up, Wall-E, and Reservoir Dogs isn't really fair. with 500 Days, the whole story basically revolves around Tom's infatuation with Summer. it would seem superfluous to have discussion on something other than Summer, given Tom's obsession. with the 2 Pixar films, well, those are male driven casts. with Up you've got this unlikely "father and son" duo on a tale of discovery. with Wall-E, it's more of a love story, but when both main characters don't really talk, how can you blame it for not conforming to these rules? finally, with Reservoir Dogs, how can you blame that flick for breaking these rules. Tarantino wanted to make a heist film without showing the heist. you'll notice that none of his other movies are on the list. to nitpick about his first flick seems a little out of touch.

yes, this can be interesting to point out this omission in movies such as Avatar, Angels and Demons, Fantastic Mr Fox, Funny People, and Up in the Air. but to make a sweeping generalization about the film industry as a whole doesn't really make sense.

Peter Sciretta

I will agree with you that some films don't need to pass this test. 500 Days of Summer is a good example as it is so much the perspective of Tom, and we're clearly seeing Summer through his eyes (which is why she isn't as multidimensional). And other films are clearly filled with mostly male characters are clearly telling that type of story.

But why is it that Women need to go to romantic comedies or films that have a female lead in order to satisfy these three simple rules? Thats the question. While these concept is being championed by feminists, this is not a question purely for feminists. If I were a Woman, I would probably not be a feminist --- but I would want to see more films (and yes, big Hollywood films) that represent my life with my friends.

And yes, as someone above mentioned, Up in the Air probably does pass on a technicality, due to a scene where Kendrick's character fires a woman.

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