Bechdel Test Movie List

Even the first criterium is barely met...

There wasn't a single female dog in the villain's huge pack.

Kevin (note: a female bird) "talks" to her babies... some of whom presumably might be female. WEAK.

In a film that has so few characters I think it is harsh it critize it for not having two females talking to each other. I can't see where they could have added more characters into the film without spoiling it, it stands as an excellent film as it is. Some times the Bechdel test just isn't practical.

At the end of the movie it was blatantly apparent to me that it didn't pass the test, and this bothered me. I do think the test is necessary, especially in kid's movies. At the end, the mother watches as her son gets his award and just sits in the audience while she lets a stranger act as the father figure. Why can't she? Why is she a bystander? She doesn't even speak. It's like saying that moms just cheer you on but they can't REALLY support you. Not okay in my book.

Thinking about how this fails, it amused me to think that the only female character is a bird named "Kevin". Lol!

@Laura Ruth
If I remember the movie correctly, the boy's mother is actually dead. What we see in the end of the movie is just the boy's imagination as he wishes his mother was there.

I have to disagree with Olivia. The movie has plenty of male characters talking to one another about something other than women, so I don't see why it wouldn't have had room for the reverse.

Elisa, it's his stepmother, who does have a name (although I can't recall it)

If all the genders in the movie had been reversed, I guarantee you that there would be people disagreeing with the rating of the movie purely because the entire trip would have been because of a 'man'--if you'll recall, the whole thing was an attempt by Carl to finally live Ellie's dream.

Now, I won't argue at all that it doesn't pass the test--it clearly doesn't--but I have seen comments on other movies claiming they don't pass because everything in the movie was because of a man. Well, everything that takes place in the movie 'Up' is because of a woman, and it was an incredibly touching tale, so I don't think that just because it fails the Bechdel test means it's anti-feminist in the slightest.

Also, I do believe Elisa is right, Russel was just imagining his mother being there, and being proud of him.

His mother was definitely alive and at the ceremony.

His parents are divorced, and his dad remarried (or is living with) someone named Phyllis. Which is why he sees him less. When Karl says you call your mother by her name he says Phyllis isn't my mom.

But he talk's about his mom also when Karl suggest playing let's see who can be quiet the longest he say's my mom loves that game.

I have to disagree with Olivia as well. Russell could have easily been a little girl, with little to no changes in the script. Any of the dogs could have been female, the main villain could have been female, etc. There is just no excuse for almost every single character in this film being male.

Gen: "I don't think that just because it fails the Bechdel test means it's anti-feminist in the slightest."

Correct. That is not what the Bechdel test means, and it is not what it was even intended to mean. The Bechdel test is a way of measuring an overarching trend across films, across the film industry. It says little to nothing on its own about whether any film is feminist or anti-feminist, and it isn't supposed to. What it does tell us about this film, though, is that it fits into the standard pattern of putting male characters in the spotlight and relegating female characters to secondary.

Fails! Elie is the only named female character. Go check out the cast of the movie on IMDB.

This is the movie I like to use to tell people that failing the Bechdel Test doesn't mean it is a bad movie. Not what the test is about. This movie shows the trend of less females in movies. If the average male to female ratio was 50-50 for movies, then this movie would just be an awesome movie. Elie is a powerful figure who presence is throughout the movie and that in and of itself is great. If you look at the overarching of Pixar movies, then it shows how much Pixar need to up there game of representation even more.

Does not pass the Bechdel Test because there weren't two females in the film that actually talked to each other, as it focused mainly on Carl and Russell. Most of the cast for Up was primarily male and the only characters that were female were Ellie and Kevin that make an appearance but did not talk to other females.

This film cannot pass all of the Bechdel test, because of the three named female characters: one dies early on in the film before the other characters are introduced, one is a bird named Kevin, and the last is mentioned briefly in a conversation but she is never shown (Phyllis, who is likely Russell’s dad’s new partner).

Phyllis is briefly seen in 2nd-last scene (the awards ceremony ) of the movie before the credits. However she doesn't speak (she just claps).

The is also "Police Officer Edith" played by Mickie McGowan who drops Carl back home after his court appearance. However she only talks to Carl and neither he nor anyone else talks to her.