Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test
Before we share movies that pass the Bechdel Test, you may be asking: what is the Bechdel Test? Based on a comic by Alison Bechdel, it has three rules that can be applied to a movie (or TV show):
- Has to have at least two named women in it
- Who have a conversation with each other
- About something other than a man
Seems easy, right? Nope. More than 40% of films don’t pass. The test isn’t a pure judge of good female representation on screen or of quality: Gravity fails, despite Sandra Bullock’s admirable, developed character, while Scary Movie passes. But what the test does help illuminate is the gender imbalance on screen with male characters doing most of the talking, while women are often relegated to playing roles that only matter due to their relationship to the man at the center of the film.
We’ve created a playlist with some of the films that pass the Bechdel Test on Tubi, but this isn’t an exhaustive list. It also doesn’t comment on how the movie passes or how it treats its women characters in general. You can find how more movies performed here, which we used as a cheat sheet for some of these films.
Want more ways to analyze a movie based on its diversity and characters? See also: the DuVernay Test and the Mako Mori Test.
Movies That Pass the Bechdel Test on Tubi TV
Actually, all but the most recent film in the franchise (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones) pass, but this entry is largely conversations between the two young sisters Katie (Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (Jessica Brown).
In this comedy from Jill Soloway (Transparent), Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) has conversations with McKenna (Juno Temple) and other women about pleeeeeeenty of topics.
Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) are just your average teenage contract killers, and they’ve got so much more on their minds than boys in this action-driven black comedy.
Not all romantic comedies pass, but this one co-written and directed by actress Bonnie Hunt does. Grace (Minnie Driver) and Megan (Hunt) discuss Grace’s health.
Want more movies that pass the Bechdel Test? Check out our playlist of overachievers on Tubi. Which films have you seen that pass – or fail?
Originally published at tubitv.wpengine.com on June 29, 2017.
