Leslie Karst

The Bechdel Test

I was asked the other day what were my favorite movies that I’d seen in a theater this year. I had to think for a while, but came up with two: The Sheep Detectives and Project Hail Mary.

Which then got me thinking about movies in general, and in turn got me thinking about the Bechdel Test.

What’s the Bechdel Test? you may ask. Well, it’s a test invented by the graphic artist Alison Bechdel (whose book Fun Home was turned into a Broadway musical that won the Tony in 2015). (Here’s a fun short video on the subject.) The Bechdel Test asks three simple questions regarding movies:

1) Are there at least two (named) women in the film?

2) Do they talk to each other?

3) Do they talk about something other than men?

That’s it.

Pretty simple, right? Yet it’s astounding how few films satisfy this test.

It’s not a test about the quality of the film. Many of what I consider to be some of the best movies ever made don’t pass it. Think Casablanca, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars (the original trilogy), The Princess Bride, Ghostbusters, When Harry Met Sally—not to mention most of the action/superhero flicks that come out these days. And two of my very favorite movies, Ishtar and True Stories (don’t judge me) only barely pass the test.

What the test is about is the fact that the vast majority of films that have ever been released—and that continue to be released—are for and about men. Because I mean, think about it: How many movies would pass the test if it were asking those questions about men? Virtually every one, right?

Mind you, some terrific films have been released over the years that do pass the test: All About Eve, Barbie, The Wizard of Oz (and the Wicked prequels), Alien, Pulp Fiction, and The Silence of the Lambs, to name but a few.

But I do think its worthwhile considering how few do satisfy all three requirements, and what that means about movie culture in general.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, The Sheep Detectives does pass the test (if you count ewes as women). Not surprisingly, Project Hail Mary does not.

Readers: What do you think about the Bechdel Test? Do your favorite movies pass it?


Leslie Karst is the Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Award-nominated author of the Orchid Isle Mysteries, the Sally Solari mysteries, and the memoir, Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. When not writing, you’ll find her cooking, cycling, gardening, and observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock. Learn more and sign up for Leslie’s newsletter here.

28 thoughts on “The Bechdel Test”

  1. Hestia here.
    movie buff.

    this is a hard one. I can think of just a few this early in the AM.

    Miss Congeniality (action)

    The First Wives Club (comedy?)

    The Heat (action)

    27 Dresses (rom com)

    Knives out (mystery, not sure about the sequel)

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  2. Leslie, I love the Bechdel Test and will apply it to every movie I watch going forward. Brilliant! I love movies but don’t have the best memory so I’m not sure which of any of my favorite movies would pass the test. For example, in Marvel: The Avengers, did Natasha Romanoff ever speak with Pepper Pots or Agent Hill? I can’t remember, but I don’t think so.

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  3. That is super interesting! I will look for it going forward also. I haven’t been impressed at all by any movies I’ve seen this year, but I will at least look for this. I wish it were easier to spell.

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  4. Yup, the Bechdel Test. My Hollywood writer friends and I have talked about it a lot. While it’s still hard for movies to pass the test, TV has gotten much, much better about it, especially since female stars of a certain age are finding more work in film than TV.

    I’m happy to say two movies I’ve seen recently pass the test. The Sheep Detectives and The Devil Wears Prada 2 – of course!

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  7. Ah yes, the Bechdel Test. I like applying it just to reflect on what I’ve been consuming.

    I’m currently reading an Audrey Hepburn biography, so I watched Charade. Sadly, I don’t think it passes the test…

    P.S. The Sheep Detectives is on my to-watch list!

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  8. We must be on the same wavelength. I’ve only seen two movies in the theater so far this year – The Sheep Detectives and Project Hail Mary. Loved them both. I agree Project Hail Mary doesn’t pass the test, but it also pretty much only has two characters, and one of them is a rock. The third lead is a woman and she doesn’t talk to anyone about men.

    I also love Alison Bechdel, both her writings and her test.

    Next month, I’m going to see Six, the Musical Live! It definitely passes the test. There are only women in the cast. While they talk a lot about one man, they figure out that life is about more than who they marry.

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  9. It’s been almost a year since I saw a movie in the theater. It was a re-release of “This is Spinal Tap.” Definitely doesn’t pass the test! Not long ago, I watched “The Thursday Murder Club.” Between Celia Imrie and Helen Mirren, I think it passes the test.
    Nancy and I just started watching “Ride or Die” on Amazon Prime. Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, it definitely does pass the test, I think.

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  11. Sorry I’m late to the party, Leslie (was traveling yesterday), but what a fascinating post! I’d never heard of this “test,” but it’s a great one. The last 2 movies I saw, The Devil Wears Prada 2 (loved it!), and Remarkably Bright Creatures (with Sally Field–highly recommend; it’s on Netflix right now!) passed with flying colors!

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  12. Well, somehow I spaced on the day and clearly think that today is Monday, so I’m late to the party.

    Ishtar, eh? By the time I saw it, it was already so famous for being a flop that it was hard not to be influenced by that. But I almost feel like giving it a second chance!

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    1. Not that “ishtar” is my only takeaway from your fabulous post. The last movie I saw was “Stop! That! Train!” and it passed! It was also hilarious.

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    2. Ishtar actually got great notices at the beginning, but then when it came out how much money it had cost to make it, that’s when the bad reviews started coming it. As a former songwriter, I think it’s one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. And the purposely “bad” songs (written by the amazing Paul Williams, as well as by Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty) are absolutely hilarious

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  13. Back in the olden days I used to ask my high school students if they could ID movies that passed this test. After I heard of it, it always sits in the back of my mind as I watch movies. Some of my favorites DO pass the test, including Fried Green Tomatoes, most Jane Austen adaptations, Little Women, Spy, The Incredibles, and weirdly Zombieland.

    Representation definitely matters and I hope more modern films pass this test!

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  14. Have had some interesting discussions in class about this test!

    I think one of the reasons I loved Steel Magnolias so much when it first came out was because it passed with flying colors, though it was before the test was invented so I didn’t know why it seemed so different, just that the women were so funny and it gave me joy. (The author wrote Steel Magnolias for his sister; he also wrote The First Wives Club, which Hestia already mentioned.)

    Also: Mean Girls and Pitch Perfect and Legally Blonde pass too. I don’t know why those spring to mind at the moment, but they do.

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