Bechdel Test Movie List

Women in the film: Coraline, Coraline's mother, Coraline's Other Mother, Mrs. Spink, Mrs. Forcible, the Other Mrs. Spink, the Other Mrs. Forcible, and the old woman who used to live in Coraline's house. Ah, also two female ghosts. They talk about loads of things that don't have anything to do with men.

In fact, it's been a few weeks since I saw this film, but I've a feeling that it doesn't pass the reverse Bechdel (two men talking to each other about something other than a woman). The men in the film are Father, Other Father, Wybie, Mr Bobinsky, and the Cat, and I don't think any of them meet. Can someone confirm or deny that for me?

Rhiannon, I just saw the movie and you're correct, they don't talk. In the end scene Father and Mr. Bobinsky are both in the garden, but not near each other.

Thanks for confirming that, neil. It's so rare I found it hard to believe!

This movie does technically pass the test. It's still a crap movie for feminists to endorse.
Coraline the movie is not the same as Coraline the book in two really important ways - 1. there is no male character Wybie in the book
2. - Because this male character wybie doesn't exist in the book, he can't save Coraline from the fake mother/monster. In fact, in the book Coraline outsmarts the monster/mother and gets her to fall into the hole (instead of Wybie having to save Coraline and the mother/monster falling into the hole as a result).

This movie completely disempowers Coraline - she still needs to be saved by the guy in the end. Coraline is no Aliens! Two thumbs way down for not letting the character do what was written in the book.

I disagree with Alex.

1. Wybie was added so that viewers wouldn't have to hear Coraline's thoughts or watch her wander around and occasionally talk to herself. Note the scene where she tells him about the doll being a spy for the Other Mother.

2. Wybie saves Coraline at the end, and then a few seconds later she has to save him from falling down the well too. Most of the action in the film belongs to Coraline and she outwits the Other Mother by herself. She isn't disempowered at all. I would argue that book Coraline is actually a weaker character than movie Coraline. After the Other Mother kidnaps her parents book Coraline sits around for a few days eating apples and chocolate cake before going to rescue them. Movie Coraline went back to the Other World the next day.

I agree with Teuta's comments. Furthermore, that is not a part of the test, so there is no reason to oppose the rating.

So let me get this straight: the one person who "disagrees" with the rating says that the movie does technically pass the test. Can we take the exclamation point off this rating? If you haven't noticed, plenty of crap movies get the smiley face--it's not a measure of quality, its a measure of whether two women talk to each other, as they do for this <b>entire film.</b>

Agreed. There is absolutely NO reason for the exclamation point in the rating. The reviewer's comment and disagreement was with their own perceived concern with the feminist angle based on difference between the book and the movie, not with whether the film passes the test.

In fact, the film passes without question, so much so that it doesn't even pass the Reverse Bechdel Test.