First appearing in 1985, cartoonist and writerAlison Bechdeland her friendLiz Wallacedevised the Bechdel Test as a straightforward evaluation method used to explore the representation of gender in entertainment. Three rules must be satisfied for a work to pass the test.(1) at least two women are named and featured, (2) these women talk to each other, and (3) they discuss something other than a man.
The Bechdel Test is not a measure of the quality of work but rather a way to raise awareness about the prevalence of male-centric stories and encourage the inclusion of more complex and diverse female characters. Even with how far the film industry has come, there are still many great movies that fail the Bechdel Test.When a modern movie fails what seems to be an incredibly simple and easy-to-pass test in the modern era, it manages to be incredibly surprising and unexpected, with these films being the most egregious and surprising examples in recent memory.
30’Megalopolis' (2024)
Tests Passed: 2 of 3
One of the strangest and most chaotic high-budget passion projects of recent memory,Megalopolisattempted to be the rousing return of legendary filmmakerFrancis Ford Coppola, with a gargantuan cast filled with A-list talent. However, similarly to the director’s other highly acclaimed films like the first twoGodfatherfilms andApocalypse Now, thefilm manages to miss out when it comes to the Bechdel Test, focusing more on the relations and dynamics of its male cast.
This isn’t to say that the film doesn’t have exceptional female talent, as the likes ofNathalie EmmanuelandAubrey Plazaprovide exceptional standout performances; it’s just that these characters rarely connect on-screen. With so much focus being placed upon the character dynamics of key players likeAdam Driver’s Cesar Catalina andGiancarlo Esposito’s Franklyn Cicero, there just isn’t enough time in the already gargantuan runtime to support the Bechdel test. Some audiences will be quick to tout this as yet another reason why the film fails on a fundamental level while others may be quick to point to Coppola’s other exceptional work not needing to pass the test to find strengths.
29’Downsizing' (2017)
Tests Passed: 1 of 3
The movieDownsizingfeatures therapist Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig), after they partake in a procedure in which scientists shrink people down to live in miniature communities. As Paul gets to know his new neighbors, he soon discovers that living in a tiny suburb has its own set of massive problems.
Even though none of the women in this dystopian dramedy speak to each other,Downsizingdoes offer some tremendous female characters.Hong Chauwas particularly memorable as the nonconformist political activist from Vietnam who was shrunk to be silenced, with her character driving much of the film’s plot. However, since none of the women speak to each other,Downsizingstill fails the test.
28’Mickey 17' (2025)
The latest sci-fi blockbuster examination of class can capitalism from Bong Joon-ho,Mickey 17features a wide array of characters with its creative storytelling and worldbuilding, yet the film surprisingly comes just short of passing the Bechdel test. The main cause stems from the fact that the majority of the film is told from the perspective of Mickey (Robert Pattinson) and his gruesome life, which involves frequently dying and being reborn at the whim of the company he sold his life to.
The film does, in fact, have female characters, most notably with Mickey’s girlfriend, Nasha (Naomi Ackie), fellow workmate Kal Katz (Anamaria Vartolomei), and one of the leaders of the company, Yifa (Toni Collette). However, these characters rarely interact with one another and mostly interact with Mickey or other male characters, with the few times that the female characters talk to each other in a scene being about Mickey. There certainly could have been a moment where these female characters reflect on the sci-fi world, yetthe final product decides to be more squarely focused on Mickey’s story.
27’Edge of Tomorrow' (2014)
Edge of Tomorrowis undoubtedly one ofTom Cruise’s greatest and most engaging films. A huge reason for that is the sci-fi action movie sees Cruise play the part of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Cage, a slippery and initially quite cowardly public affairs officer whileEmily Blunt’s Sergeant Rita Vrataski resembles the more traditional notion of an action hero.
As the time-loop narrative unfolds, Vrataski becomes an increasingly important figure in the film, not only serving as Cage’s mentor but an invaluable warrior as well. It makesEdge of Tomorrowone of the more surprising movies that don’t pass the Bechdel Test, asVrataski is genuinely one of cinema’s great action heroineswhileCharlotte Rileyappears in a supporting role as well.
26’The Bikeriders' (2024)
An in-depth portrait look into the vast and chaotic work of Midwestern biker gangs during the 60s and 70s,The Bikeridersfollows the rise in popularity and abundance of the region’s premiere motorcycle club, the Vandals. As the club grows larger and larger, it begins to demand more of its members, creating a notable divide between young member Benny (Austin Butler) and his wife, Kathy, forcing Benny to choose between his identity with the club and his life of love.
The Bikeridersisn’t necessarily devoid of female characters, asJodie Comer’s Kathy plays one of the primary roles as one of the main characters of the film, but nearly every other female character is tied to a male biker character. These characters don’t even get the chance to talk with Kathy in a meaningful way during the film, asThe Bikeridersismuch more concerned with the dynamics of the all-male Vandals club. Even if the other female characters got a scene to talk with Kathy, it’s likely that all they would talk about are the issues and ventures surrounding the male characters.
25’Nope' (2022)
A mixture of alien horror and revisionist Western genres all wrapped in a beautiful,Steven Spielberg-esque bow,Nopewas a suitably engaging film fromJordan Peeleloaded with social themes. It follows OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Em (Keke Palmer) as they uncover a terrifying phenomenon in the skies above their horse ranch, a phenomenon a neighboring entertainer seeks to monetize.
While it offered plenty in the realms of cinematography, nuanced story, and thematic allure, arguably the strongest aspect of the film was its characters, with Em being particularly magnetic.Nopealso featured Wrenn Schmidt and Barbie Ferreira in named roles, but none of the women ever conversed with each other.
24’Sonic the Hedgehog 3' (2024)
While the first two entries in the audience-favoriteadaptation of the classic video game franchisemanaged to pass the Bechdel Test, changes to the pacing and focus causedSonic the Hedgehog 3to not pass the test. A great deal of the blame that caused the third film in the series to fail while previous entries succeeded was taking the focus away from human characters, a change that mostly made for a better film, but had an unexpected consequence of failing the test.
Even with the introduction of new female characters likeKrysten Ritter’s Director Rockwell and the long-awaited Maria Robotnik, the film misses out on the component that made the previous films pass the test: the characters of Rachel and Jojo. WhileNatasha Rothwellappears in the film to reprise her role as Rachel, it is entirely utilized as a method of transformation forTika Sumpter’s Maddie, not allowing them the chance to communicate on-screen. However, with the film’s end-credits tease of Amy Rose, it’s easy to see the franchise passing the test in the upcomingSonic the Hedgehog 4.
23’The Flash' (2023)
One of the most prominent and infamous superhero releases of recent memory,The Flashhad fans and critics largely divided upon its initial release, yet even aside from all the tensions surrounding the film, it still couldn’t manage to pass the Bechdel test. While many female characters are present within the film, such as Barry’s mother Nora, Iris West, Supergirl, and even an appearance from Wonder Woman,none of these female characters interact with one another.
While on the one hand, it would make sense that there would be an increased focus on Barry Allen’s ventures in what is his first theatrical venture, it’s still a surprise that a film with this many notable female characters didn’t have them interact even once. One can only hope and assume that in the many various rewrites andchanges thatThe Flashhad during production, there was a version of this film that did pass the Bechdel test.
22’Ratatouille' (2007)
When Remy (Patton Oswalt), a rat with ambitions of becoming a renowned chef, moves to Paris, he meets the unlucky busboy Linguini (Lou Romano) in the Pixar movieRatatouille. Remy works with Linguine for a possibility to demonstrate his culinary abilities to a distinguished food critic, all while trying to stay hidden.
With an unlikely yet charming culinary rat and an awkwardly endearing young chef,Ratatouilleis as engaging as it is wholesome.Still,Ratatouilleis surprisingly scarce onfemale characters for a Pixar film. There are only two named women in the entire movie - Colette (Janeane Garofalo) and food critic Solene LeClaire (Micki McGowan), who has just one scene - and since they never interact,Ratatouillefails the Bechdel Test.
21’A Minecraft Movie' (2025)
One of the biggest box-office hits of 2025 and a widespread internet phenomenon of memes and inside jokes,A Minecraft Moviewas rather successful in adapting a game that is famously made for everyone and about limitless possibilities. The number of characters within the film is relatively low, focusing more on the sprawling worlds that Minecraft entails, resulting in the film managing to miss out on passing the Bechdel test. It certainly doesn’t help thatmany of the mobs and creatures present in the film don’t speak and don’t even have stated genders to begin with.
Among the small cast of human characters, there are still standout female characters that help build the cast, including Henry’s older sister Natalie (Emma Myers), real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks), and school vice principal Marlene (Jennifer Coolidge). However, these characters rarely interact with one another, with the only exception being a few scenes between Natalie and Dawn, yet the duo only ever talks about Henry or the other male characters like Steve and Garrett.
