How it passes: The Hunger Games (opens in new tab) actually passes the Bechdel Test in the very first scene. Pixar's record in general is pretty poor. It could have been so easy to write just ONE more female into the story. Rachel Weber is the US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. InsecureThe real love between Issa and Molly gives us all the feels like all of them. This test, put forth by cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic strip from 1985, posits . It has to have at least two [named] women in it 2. Who talk to each other 3. This test is passed much more frequently: almost every episode of each show passes (blue plus purple, below): However, Friends, Will and Grace, and Married With Children do show some episodes that pass the BT but not the male version (orange). Employment is overrated. The series based on Robert Jordans epic series begins with the premise of a world ruled by women who have to deal with a lot of very bad men. Of course, people watch movies for the simple pleasure that the story brings. The movie: Following the careers of the human computers Katherine Goble, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn, Hidden Figures explores the rampant racism (and sexism) the three figureheads endured during their time working at NASA during the space race. The best movies that pass the Bechdel Test are female-positive and great watches in their own right. RELATED: 10 Best 2019 Movies That Passed The Bechdel Test, Ranked After witnessing a series of inappropriate events at school - none of which are taken seriously by the staff - Vivian . Lauren OCallaghan. How to use Bechdel Test in a sentence. GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. They discuss many different topics through the film, including the trajectory of their lives after graduating high school, but rarely men. I remember Skyler and Marie in early seasons arguing about Maries shop lifting. Your home for data science. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini form an unlikely friendship over, well, the death of Applegates late husband. All the Charlize Theron. Often, the two women must be named, prominent characters to meet the criteria. In a film about violence and mafiosos, Karen ( Lorraine Bracco) and Rosie ( Illeana Douglas) manage to squeeze in a Bechdel Test pass with a conversation about Florida. If youre behind on this one, too, then Im honestly kinda surprised you even know what movies are. although I'm pretty sure Megillat Esther does not pass the Bechdel Test), the . Avatar (2009) James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster movie does have strong feminist themes but fails the Test in one key aspect: its strong female leads Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Dr. Grace Augustine . To pass, a movie must have two named women converse about something other than a man. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. Yes, Good Girls is about three women who find themselves caught in an organized crime ringyet its not that dark (except for a few scenes). Note: Your privacy is important to us, so please know that your information will always remain confidential! The show is set in the world of 80s womens wrestling and follows an out-of-work actress who decides to achieve fame by wrestling. While Im pretty sure their husbands/boyfriends back home, and the 4077s doctors did come up, it was mostly about Margaret. Doesn't Lara need any friends? Registered office: 3rd floor, Latin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. It made history, being the first all-Black starring cast to cross the $100 million threshold at the box office. This is a function of the number of main characters of each gender available to take part in storylines: in the extreme case of Will and Grace, if the characters were split into two pairs, the only combination that allows same-gender conversations is Will-Jack and Grace-Karen, whereas as the other two possible pairings involve different-gender conversations. Theres maybe 3.5 major female characters (Skyler, Marie, Lydia who came in late, arguably Andrea) and they rarely talk to each other. Rise Together is key to creating greater opportunity by providing you with the support, knowledge, and community to break through barriers. Law & Order in the early seasons wouldnt have, with no starring female cast members. American supervillain. Easily passing the Bechdel test, Dead to Me brings together two women with completely different ways of being in the world together to deal with some wild bananas weird stuff. The Duchess of York casts "no judgment" toward her nephew. It's commonly used as a commentary about the lack of female representation in Hollywood. Padme speaks to Shmi Skywalker in Episode I and to her handmaidens at various points in Episode II, and in both cases, they discuss things other than men. Its authentic to life, and theyre all trying to make their way in New York. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. The movies follow The Bride as she kills her way through the list of assassins who targeted her, working her way up to Bill - their boss and her former lover. Ghostbusters (The one with all the women)We loved the 2016 Ghostbusters. YAS! How it passes: Its easy to see how Bridesmaids (opens in new tab) passes the Bechdel Test - all the main characters are women and they talk about almost everything but men - but on the surface, it doesnt seem that female positive. Then again, its possible that the nurses exchanged at least a few lines complaining about their living conditions, talking about the war, etc., and a conversation about treating a patient who happens to be a man is arguably not really a conversation about a man. del test/n. Thats what makes it unique. It shows what women can do when theyre on the same side with the same goal. Star Wars: The Last JediWhile Carrie Fisher has always been a strong female presence in the Star Wars series, The Last Jedi takes female interaction to a whole new level. In order to pass the test, a film must feature at least two women who speak to each other on a subject that does not revolve around men. advertising. Bath Needless to say, a lot of superhero movies fail the test. How it passes: This ones obvious. Basically, theres a lot to talk about other than men. A paraplegic dude gets his brothers hand-me-down remote control alien, falls in love with another alien, fights off a bunch of humans, and decides he likes being an alien more, because apparently he thinks living on a planet full of terrifying animals and waiting for the humans to come back sounds like a goodtime. There were a few named female characters, but they were all minor enough that its plausible that they never talked to each other. We love this list and think many of them go farther than just passing the Bechdel test. The label of his particular examination is taken after a caricature artist, Alison Bechdel. Toy Story is such a beloved film to so many, but it unfortunately doesn't pass the test. Don't get too bogged down in the requirements of the Bechdel Test test though because even if you're not sure what it means, every film on this list is a great movie in its own right, so you won't be disappointed. If you were ever looking for a film that could pass the Bechdel Test, this would be it. The movie's total kill count of . Directed by Amy Poehler, Moxie is an overt rebellion against the toxic patriarchal systems that are rife in youth culture. In three films, none of them says a word to each other. Mary Berry Cooks / Headline Publishing Group Dobby and Sophie have several conversations with each other for example and theres multiple other examples. Probably because, well, just have a look at this article to see who sits behind the camera. Seriously? This may feel a bit more like a soap opera than a drama, but it absolutely passes the test! The test and its rules were first mentioned in Bechdel's 1985 comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and has three (and later added four) simple rules: You can obtain a copy of the Im not completely certain, but possibly the original Star Trek? Second, the women must talk to each other. The Bechdel test is too incomplete to be effective. Failing the test doesnt mean the movies evil or anti-woman, or that passing makes it some sort of strongly feminist movie. Yes, but her relationship with French agent Lasalle is significantly more interesting. In 10 hours, not one interaction? On the list of TV shows I regularly watch, the only one I can point to that definitively fails is HBOs Looking. So viewers would expect it to pass the Bechdel test with flying colors - and it does. Its a good thing that she has good friends to help her do it. The Bechdel (pronounced beck-dell) Test was first created in 1985 by cartoonist Allison Bechdel. Im trying to remember any women on McHales Navy. Creators, writers, and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle portray versions of themselves in the year 2000. The Bechdel Test is a test for whether a movie contains: Two named female characters, who talk to each other, about something besides a man. Take Game of Thrones for example. Yes, please. Sam Loveridge. 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The Bechdel Test, also known as Mo Movie Measure and The Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a method used in media criticism to gauge the degree of representation and development of female characters within a work of fiction, and therefore, any gender bias against women that may be present in it. As with previous Ghostbusters movies, the busters are tracking down some ghosts who are wreaking havoc in New York. Seriously, George, why is the whole galaxy a sausage fest? The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselYou must have been living under a rock if you havent heard of this one. The only problem is that the conversation is about Jake, who, you probably noticed, is a man. The actor describes Harry Styles as "a very kind guy.". Sex and drugs are a large part of the show, but so are friendships, as Rue, Jules, Lexi, Kat, Cassie, and Maddy dominate the series. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible for user created content, posts, comments, Since an episode passing the test is usually achieved by one pair of speakers only, the results are sensitive to plot arcs in each season that affect who is present in the scenes and who the female regulars spend more time with, as indicated in the figure for the more recognisable cases. Disney Movies That Don't Pass the Bechdel Test Pinnochio Dumbo Bambi Lady and the Tramp The Sword in the Stone The Jungle Book The Fox and the Hound The Great Mouse Detective Oliver & Company Aladdin The Lion King A Goofy Movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame She later also attributed the idea to her friend Liz Wallace and to Virginia Woolfs writings. Her best friend and coworkers are there for her, even at her lowest. Heres how the test works a piece of fiction has to satisfy three requirements: Thats it. How it passes: Brilliantly, theres not a romantic relationship in sight in Ghostbusters. SuperJail, unless JailBot is female. You were so very close, JamesCameron. The world has changed since the Bechdel-Wallace Test was created Hulu When The Bechdel-Wallace Test first appeared in 1985, the world was an entirely different place. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: PartII. Wire service provided by AFP and Press Association. Have we missed anything? 20th Century Fox. There are braces, acne, and lots of humiliating moments. It also crushed the Golden Globes in 2017. Growing up, TV was mostly used as a way to entertain oneself. To pass, the work simply has . Pen15 might give you flashbacks to being a preteen. Are there any TV shows you can think of though that fail the Bechdel Test? CONTACT. When you finish the breakdown, you will have a full measure of the quality of the female presence. And its been surprisingly challenging for movies and TV shows to pass this basic test. Because representation matters, and many of the people writing, directing, and producing are still majority men. Mrs. Maisel is about a woman who is getting a divorce from her husband who cheated on her and finds her voice as a comic in the 1950s/60s and to be clear, she is definitely seen as a female comic. In order to pass, a film must feature at least two women on screen talking to each other about. Get the best gaming deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable gaming news and more! Youll fall in love with these badass Black women who justget it. I cant remember a landing party with more than one female. 6. Big Little Lies was produced by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, two women who were sick of seeing women portrayed in a one-dimensional way. Happily there have been some absolutely stellar standouts as of late which not only pass the Bechdel test, but also move beyond this low bar into portraying powerful and moving performances with real substance and impactful storytelling. There's only two named female characters in the whole of the 2008 Oscar winner of Best Picture: Jamal's mother (who dies early on), and Jamal's love interest. At this point in time, the SGO team is fully remote, and we are located across the United States. Having acquired hundreds of sitcom episode transcripts, I can apply the test programmatically to each episode of these sitcoms, to compare the shows and track changes over the course of their runs. The Bechdel test was designed to point out how infrequently women in Hollywood movies are presented as characters in their own right, as opposed to adjuncts or even accessories to the male characters. Rate. Especially the last season, with its female villain. For a movie or TV show to pass the test, it has to feature at least two women talking to each other about a topic other than a man. It gets uncomfortable at times, but their stellar performances keep us glued. Next up, consideration of film beyond this basic test. #ForeverAlone. TV shows tend to run far longer than movies and thus, most of them end up passing the Bechdel Test. We've managed to find 25 of the best movies that pass the Bechdel Test. Alison Bechdel Has Amended the Bechdel Test Just for Fire Island The cartoonist chimed in on the fiery Twitter debate spurred by one user's claim that the gay rom-com Fire Island did not. The series begins with the three of them working at Scarlett magazine (inspired by Cosmopolitan), and four seasons later, theyre still best friends and bonafide badasses. But the shows that dont pass the test are about men who already have established careers, and so the relationships between women fall to the wayside. Its pass rate drops dramatically at steps 2 and 3. Gomer Pyle, Sgt. Kristine Kochanski was a major character in seasons 7 and 8, but Holly had changed back to a male appearance by that point so I dont think Kochanski ever spoke to the female-looking version of Holly. The Bechdel Test is a simple test to see if a work of fiction passes the feminist [] Paramount Pictures. 2.3 OTHER DIVERSITY TESTS (Episode III does still fail, though. And, sure, maybe its not realistic to have female characters in historically accurate movies set on ships in the 18th century, such as 2003sMaster and Commander with Russell Crowe, which features zero females. Aaron Sorkin, the films writer, actually commented on the lack of three-dimensional female characters in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying that the women are prizes. They each have their own baggage which we learn about over time (and theres definitely more to unpack). The Bechdel Test, Bechdel-Wallace Test, or the Mo Movie Measure [1], is a sort of litmus test for female presence in movies and TV. In 2020, the archive shows that 78 films passed the Bechdel Test out of 329 films released in the U.S. and Canada. Lauren OCallaghan. In a world where superhero movies reign supreme, it's hard to imagine any of them not passing the Bechdel Test. Well, surprisingly hard to manage it seems, with up to 50% of films failing the test. The test is named after and . And you know when else Insecure passes the Bechdel test? As well as showing that they kicked ass at the lab at the same time. The singer reveals how grueling life was on the road. How it passes: Although we dont hear The Brides real name until about halfway through the second movie, her codename is enough to set her apart as a named character. I assume Yeoman Rand and Sulu dont count. Swedish cinemas take aim at gender bias with Bechdel test rating Movies need to pass test that gauges the active presence of women on screen in bid to promote gender equality Jennifer. But what makes this show pass the Bechdel test so handily is her relationship with her manager played by the brilliant Alex Borstein (she is everything). If you need a reminder of how strong women are, then turn on Glow. Despite Lola being considered one of the most well-rounded female characters ever put to film, Run Lola Run still fails The Bechdel Test for one simple reason Lola never has a conversation with another female at any point in the movie.