Bechdel Test Movie List

Gamora and Nebula have an argument in the beginning over which among the two can effectively recover the MacGuffin from Xandar.

Spoiler alert- The subplot returns later as the two share a scene alone as one tries to save the other in a certain fall to her death.

Nebula also tells Gamora that of all their siblings she hated her the least.

Wait a sec. if they are arguing over who has the better ability to execute their male overlord's bidding, does that count as something other than a man?

Movie passes the test. The two sisters have conversations and conflict over plot points and not the opposite gender. There is a romance story-line between Pratt and Saldana's characters, but surprisingly, nothing really comes of it - in fact, they never have their on screen kiss.

While the movie could certainly have had more female characters, the two named characters were quite strong and were never motivated by romantic feelings.

Every single conversation the two females had in this movie related to Ronan and Thanos in some way. And often a man interrupted them or weighed into the conversation making it even less like it passed. Not to mention Gamora was a pathetic toy for the men to fawn over and need to get rescued in prison. Is anyone really surprised by this?

Gamora and Nebula argue about who should get the Infinity Stone (a conversation that also involves Ronan and Peter Quill, but not enough to fail the test I'd say).

Towards the end of the movie they have another fight about their ongoing issues , and the fate of Xandar.

I'm not trying to call this out of the feminism front too bad, but I think it deserves to be said that while the movie is a comedy, its most humorless characters are all women, and that stood out to me in retrospect. Gamora's "Kevin Bacon" line is as close as anyone woman gets to making a joke that I remember. And in that instance, the joke is that she doesn't understand what she is saying.

Peter's mom could have used just a little characterization before she was tossed in the refrigerator. I really liked the touch of her making him those mixtapes, maybe it would have been cool to see that perhaps his sense of humor and other traits come from her influence .

I think this one is close - Gamora and Nebula do converse several times, but always about or for men. For example, in the conversation about retrieving the MacGuffin, the question is who should Ronan (a man) select to retrieve the MacGuffin. Similarly, they later have a conversation about their father.

I think having an argument about who can recover an object from a man to give to another man only marginally counts.

And when Nebula is chasing Gamora they exchange a few lines about how Gamora is the sibling Nebula hated the least before they talk about Thanos and Ronin.

Aren't they arguing about who can retrieve the macguffin for Ronan?
I'd say this exchange not only doesn't pass but fails pretty heinously as it's a competition over who can better Serve the male characters.

Though their conversation is brief, it may be arguable that they had a conversation not revolving around a man. Wasn't it after all, a disagreement about "their father"? Not to mention, even if the bechdel test barely passes over a few seconds- the entire movie was filled with sexism and degraded women.

Doesn't Gamora have a conversation with the female leader of the Nova corps?

I'm 100% sure that the their first dialog Gamora and Nebula refer to a man. It was something in the lines of "daddy thinks i'm beter than you" or like that.
Their final dialog (with Nebula hanging from the spaceship) also involves a man as Gamora asks Nebula to abandon Ronan since he's gone nuts and Nebula says smth like "you and him are both nuts".

SPOILERS

Gamora and Nebula have a short dialog when they first meet in Ronan's ship where they talk about how Nebula thinks Gamora is weak.

So the movie pass the test.

Movie passes all three tests. When Nebula was chasing Gamora on Knowhere, they exchanged dialogue that wasn't about a man.
"I didn't want to kill you. You were my favorite sister."
And somebody else mentioned that Gamora speaks briefly to Nova Prime on Xandar.

Everyone saying that this movie is sexist needs to get off their high-horse. There's plenty in this film that can be interpreted as pro-feminist. The head of the Nova Corps was a woman and highly respected. Most of the men in this film were comically stupid. Gamora (the female lead) served a purpose other than the love interest. A man gets naked but a woman doesn't. The most blatantly sexual scene in this film was of a shirtless Quill. There were female prisoners inside the Kyln. Speaking of the Kyln, if this was any other movie Gamora would have been threatened with rape. Even if the main characters' attitude towards women (Gamora in particular) can be construed as negative, Gamora's reaction too was pretty critical and harsh.
"Supposedly these bald bodies find you attractive, so maybe you can work out some sort of a trade"
"You must be joking..."

This movie was co-written by a female writer. Somebody who had won numerous accolades but couldn't find a job in Hollywood. This was her first film. props to the writer and props to Marvel and James Gunn for giving her the job.

Definite fail.

Nebula and Gamora speak to each other: only couched in terms of who is the better servant to their father. No conversation passes between them that doesn't refer primarily to a man.

Karen Gillan's defence to the press makes this seem to me like there was a deliberate attempt to artificially pass the test (yet it still fails).

Terrible representation of women, in any case.

Gamora and Nebula's single conversation related to Ronan and Thanos. For those that are somehow unaware, the third rule of the test states: "About something besides a man".

The one throwaway line Nebula says is hardly a conversation.

Even if it did (barely) pass, this movie is rife with representation issues. But the fact remains it doesn't.

I think it passes ("you were the sister I hated least" or something along those lines), but it's only barely, and the movie has a severe lack of complicated female characters. You talk about "strong" female characters, but give me women with emotions! Give me women that can both fight and feel, not simply "weapons." The men get to go through emotional journeys, but not the women, because they were trained to be "weapons." They're not people. Give me Natasha Romanoff, basically.

I think that this passes. The point of the test is that it should be incredibly easy to pass, therefore even one simple line of "you're the sibling I disliked the least" qualifies a passing grade. If this test were even marginally difficult to pass, it wouldn't mean anything. However, the simple idea of two named women saying something to each other that doesn't involve a man is so moronically simple that every film SHOULD pass, yet few do. If we make the test any harder, then the point of this list is moot.

Fruvious made the point that the initial conversation should not pass as the female characters are arguing over the right to retrieve something for a male. However I feel this misses an important facet. While Nebula, Thanos and Ronan might all see this as a "serving the male" scenario (and perhaps the audience is meant to as well) Gamora clearly does not. Her motivation in this scene is clearly to be the one sent so she can have the opportunity to seize the McGuffin and foil the plans of the male antagonists. Her role is not passive or submissive, she is actively driving the plot forward based on her actions and motivations.
Furthermore she is the first of the guardians to act in the interests of saving the world of Xandar influencing the others to her point of view over time. Drax is the one who is blinded by emotions(Rage), Quill and Rocket show more emotional vulnerability and more flesh for that matter. Gamora does not swoon over Star Lord, she calls him on misogyny, she instantly shuts down Rocket's suggestion of seducing their way out of prison all the while showing emotions such as fear, confusion, courage, determination and frustration without compromising her as an active character.
I think that
a) GoG passes the test and
b) Gamora is a positive depiction of an active female character.

Ingvlid: Seriously? "Fight and feel"? Did you miss how Gamora took the job as an attempt to betray Ronan because she emphatically cannot allow the destruction of entire civilizations? How she tells them all that she was murdered and how she wants to free herself from them? Or how she pleads emotionally with Nebula multiple times to join them because she actually cares about her sister? Or how she pleads with the Reavers for them not to give the stone to Ronan? Or how she ends up enjoying the music and starts to dance and develop some humor with her friends? How she comforts Drax about his family? Gamora displays a ton of emotion, and actually, it's mostly manifested when she interacts with her sister. Surprisingly, Gamora emotes a lot more than I would expect of a stereotypical "weapon woman", especially when it comes to the stone not being used for genocide and interacting with her sister, rather than any of the male characters.

Likewise, though Nebula is more cold-hearted than Gamora, they dedicate the entire pursuit of Gamora to Nebula's dismay that she has to kill her, since she was her least hated sibling. And when she blows up the ship, the camera spends time lingering on Nebula's quiet face, reflecting on what she's just done.

I think the movie is a marginal pass, or maybe a fail--Gamora and Nebula are the only females who interact, ahd you could interpret their conversations as all being about men.

What I find so interesting is that this movie was co-written by a woman (Nicole Perlman), and is widely discussed as appealing to both men and women. I would guess this has more to do with the broad appeal of charismatic male characters rather than the depth of female characters. But that's open to discussion....

*Spoilers*
I'd have to say pass, considering that in the context of trying to one-up each other their intentions are different. Gamora isn't trying to serve either Ronan or Thanos, but instead attempting to serve herself as seen by her going off to try and sell the infinity stone to the collector. So when even arguing under the guise of trying to determine whose the better servant to either Thanos or Ronan, Gamoras intention has nothing to do with either. When Nebula is saying that she hated her "sister" least, I'd say that's a sure pass, with the other interactions between the two being a somewhat grey area if you examine the intention. I even will go further and say that I appreciate that at least in the Avengers and GotG, any forced romance is put to the side or completely disregarded rather than just poorly tacked on as is seen in many super hero movies.

The movie fails the test. Every conversation the sisters have is referring to either Thanos or Ronan. There are several instances where the sisters address each other without mentioning males, but in none of those instances does the other sister actually respond, so it does not count as a conversation. Most notably, Nebula does call out Gamora about being weak when she enters Ronan's ship with Drax and Groot, but Drax shoots her before Gamora gets the chance to respond.

I think it's amazing how many different opinions there are about this film.
I agree with luminum and emmett about this one. Not only does it pass the test, but it actually has some serious things to say, which is surprising given the type of film it is. But it talks about family and loss. It does it in an amusing way - one of the most complex characters is a raccoon - but it is there. And I think that the female characters are strong ones, most of the cyphers are the various guards/henchmen of various sorts.

just a quick note but dosen't anyone think that the clause 'about a man,' should really be better defined?
Yes, Gamora and Nebula have a conversation about who should do the villians dirty work, but at no point is the villians gender mentioned.
They never discuss men, only Macguffins held by men. Should we really go through this site and start failing movies because the characters refer to male characters? Wouldn't it be stranger if the two female characters had a talk about something other than the plot device or their employers?
the test needs to define what it means for a woman to 'talk about a man', it fails if any mention of a male character is bad, but it passes given that all the exchanges can be put down to character development between two sisters who hate each other.

The conversation Nebula and Gamora has is more than just incidentally mentioning males -- it's in large part about their loyalty and service to Thanos and their efforts to please/break away from him. The conversation IS about a man in more than just an incidental way, since Gamora and Nebula are primarily interested in the Macguffin they're talking about because of the way it can alter their relationship with Thanos.

There is no other instance in the movie where the sisters talk to each other. Nebula mocks Gamora over the ship radio at one point, but Gamora doesn't answer. Nebula calls Gamora out for being weak when she arrives on Ronan's ship, but Drax shoots her before Gamora can respond. Gamora pleads with Nebula to surrender at the end of their battle, but Nebula lets herself fall off the ship rather than verbally respond to Gamora. Really, the movie almost feels like it's intentionally avoiding ever completely passing the test by always cutting the sisters off when they're about to have a completely non-male related conversation.

Drebin, no, it wouldn't "be stranger if the two female characters had a talk about something other than the plot device or their employers", maybe they could talk about how are their lives lately, "Hey, how are you?" "I am fine, thanks!" "No! I want you to diiiie!". And if you are thinking "Why would Nebula ask Gamora how she is doing?", maybe there should be more girls in this movie...

Think about how many times the male characters do not talk about the main plot or their employers.

Tho, I think Gamora and Nebula did talk quite a bit, so maybe they is a scene that they do not talk about their father, but I gotta watch it again.

I love the movie, btw, and Gamora is an awesome female character.

While there are conversations between the sisters, they are all with regards to serving Ronan and/or Thanos in some way.

I think the rating is solid, it passes the test. They are not talking about men, they are talking about their jobs, what they want to achieve, why they can't get along. Talking about men would be more like "Man that Thanos is so cool! Yes, he is isn't he."
And Gamora DOES have a sense of humor, it's just not as loud and annoying as Star Lords.
This line alone is awesome: "I am not some starry-eyed waif here to succumb to your... your pelvic sorcery!" She asserts her independence and DOESN'T kiss the dude.

Definite fail. Nebula and Gamora talking does not count as a pass because every single one of their conversations is about a man or doing something for a man. In the beginning they are arguing about who will do something for Ronan, and a single line in the conversation does not count as a pass. Similarly, in the end the line about not wanting to kill her because she was her favorite sister or whatever doesn't count because it is in the middle of a conversation about why Nebula is going to kill Gamora FOR Ronan. It does not count if it a single line of dialogue that does not directly reference a man in the middle of a conversation about a man.

When they came up with the Bechdel test did they say how long the conversation Has to be in order to pass? I.e does 2 question and responses count?

I agree with the rating, but I can also see why some commenters disagree. Perhaps the third qualification should be more specific, on the order of "about something besides a man and their personal relationships with him." In this case, GoG still passes, because Gamora's and Nebula's conversations, while still referencing Ronan, are discussions of who is better suited to retrieve the Infinity Stone (NOT about who is the better servant to their father!).

I think the original intended meaning of "talking about a man" is talking about a man romantically. If any reference to any male figure in the movie whatsoever counts as talking about a man, then any movie with major male characters is going to fail, and the only movies that will pass will be Jane Austen Novels and "Little Women".

All conversations between the females have to do with men (or an obtaining and object for the purpose of satisfying men). While their motives are not physically romantic, they are definitely representative of motives from romanticized literature.

This entire movie is about a power struggle between men - with arguably "lead" characters (its a team-based movie) to avoid getting shredded by most feminists.

Real feminists understand the dupe that's happening here.

I feel that the movie failed. In the beginning, when discussing who should get the orb, Gamora warns Nebula that she will be in trouble with Thanos if she fails. Nebula retorts that Ronan sent her. During the final fight, Gamora says that Thanos will destroy the world. These statements are primarily about men: what the men said and what they will do. The men are so prevalent that every plot point depends on them. In contrast, it is easy to find plot points that do not depend on women, such as when Korath and Quill talk at the beginning. ("Why are you wearing Ravagers' clothes?" "I'm the Star Lord.")

Here is a comparison:
"Ronan sent me on the mission. Thanos will punish you." <-- This IS about men.
"I should go on the mission. I'm better prepared." <-- This is NOT about men.

I disagree with the rating. Every time Gamora and Nebula speak with each other it's always at least tangentially related to a male character. They may have not been talking about the male character romantically, but it was the motives and actions of men that drove both their conversations and the rest of the movie, with the sparse female characters as fleeting peripheral objects.

I totally agree with the rating. Gamora and Nebula argue about who between them should recover the stone. We don't know about their real motivations for wanting to be the one who gets it. Presuming to know the unspoken motivation behind why anyone ever does anything would tell us that all men ever talk about, implicitly, is women - because we all know that everything men do is to impress women. This is not the best feminist film, but it's still a good one.

Another point can be made about sibling rivalry - which clearly makes the sisters highly competitive - but to me it seems that while Gamora is driven by the desire for revenge, Nebula is driven by pride, wanting her sister to experience humiliating defeat not only because she hates her more than anyone else but also because she sees herself as a warrior and wants to be the best at what she does.

A definite fail, imho. What type of female role model Gamora (the one female primary character) represents is a separate point. I also disagree that there is an unwritten implication that 'talking about a man' is in romantic context. In any context, my interpretation would be the man is the subject/closer to the subject, and the woman/women the object. And, so far as Gamora and feminism go...how does she celebrate their liberation/next phase? She throws on a mini-skirt, rests her hand on a big male shoulder and defers to yet another man for direction. You go girl!

I feel the film past the test, but was ultimately a negative portrayal of women. Gamora, the most dangerous woman in the galaxy requires men to help her from situations we've already been told she can handle easily (as per Thanos' opinion). Peter is a womanizer. And the collector keeps female slaves. I'm trying to work on an article about this and the new film. Any more opinions?

I agree that this passes. It doesn't even matter whether you think the Gamora & Nebula conversations count or not, because Gamora has conversations about the Infinity Stone and saving Xandar with Nova Prime (Glenn Close). So even if you wanna nitpick and say the sisters only talked about Thanos/Ronan, the Gamora-Nova Prime convo still counts.

Also 4 named female characters overall. Obvious pass.