Bechdel Test Movie List

/bech·del test/ n.
1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

[[1]] Chef (2014) [imdb]

This movie passed 1 of 3 tests. It was entered by 7384 on 2014-05-18 03:52:51.

Reviews

Comments

7384 said:
It has two significant named female characters, I think another couple have names as well, but they do not talk to each other. Like the real world of haute cuisine, it is a male-dominated movie.
Message posted on 2014-05-18 03:52:51
Nicole said:
Wow -- I haven't heard of the bechdel test, but I am glad to have a way to help me start to explain why I disliked this movie so much, and why it bothered me, as a feminist. The two main named female characters were so stereotyped and under-developed... they only wanted to advance/improve the protagonist's life (his career, his relationship with his son, his happiness). Barf.
Message posted on 2014-06-03 02:13:57
Joy said:
@Nicole, maybe that's because it's a movie about a dad's relationship with his son. Not every movie has to be about women. If you were truly a feminist, you would appreciate a movie about men just as much as you would a movie about women. Feminism fights for equality, not superiority.
Message posted on 2014-09-30 23:51:15
Derick said:
This entire movie is a fantasy. While pleasant for some, the nature of the female characters stood out for me from the onset. Especially since you have this (at the beginning) mediocre chef who has two of the most beautiful women in the world looking out for what's best for him and doing little else. There's a lot wrong with this movie but it's very fun for certain audiences and I can understand why they would want to defend it.
Message posted on 2014-10-07 04:23:49
sophie said:
This movie was the worst! So sexist.
Message posted on 2014-11-02 23:40:27
Joe smith said:
I am opposed mainly to the misrepresentation of women's roles when they are the main character. This movie however was not intended to tell a story about a woman's own conflicts. Female roles in this movie were supposed to support the main character (a struggling chef) and helping him find his own way which is why I believe the women's roles fit the theme although they did not fulfill the test. Disliking the film should have nothing to do with feminism @nicole especially because all of the women are independent and have their own job and lives despite dealing with the main character.
Message posted on 2014-11-30 01:22:20
Sallie said:
Here's the thing- women can only be expected to be OK with being bit parts, underdeveloped characters, and plot devices when we see men being treated equally the same in media. If there were the same number of female centric films with underdeveloped, stereotyped men who have no real agency and don't talk about anything other than women as there are where the roles are reversed, these comments about "feminism is about equality, not superiority" would actually ring true. That IS the definition of feminism, but using it to defend women being accessories to male stories where there is clearly no societal problem with men being exclusively portrayed as side characters and accessories to women is just wrong.
Message posted on 2015-05-10 13:30:24
Jen said:
@sallie
So, by your logic, movies where the main character and main supporting characters are men should not have women in them at all for fear that showing any kind of support or affection makes them an "accessory".
I wonder how that translates into real life? Does me wanting to show support to the positive endeavors of the men in my life (father, son, husband, brother, friends) make me their accessory?

Thanks for Objectification.
Message posted on 2015-07-19 02:46:26
Cara said:
@jen @sallie
The point is that the women are there ONLY to support the male protagonist - they have no motivation, drive or really even personality of their own. What I found particularly galling about this film is that the ex wife could be a great character - she has a great vision for his business and ideas for him - yet it isn't deemed necessary for us to know anything about her, or her own career - which judging by the size of the house she lives in, must be fabulously successful!
Message posted on 2015-11-18 20:10:05
CHEFTHEMOVIESUCKS said:
This movie sucks so hard. One of many reasons it sucks is because it actively perpetuates misogyny through its terribly written female characters. Y'all are making A FALSE DILEMMA logical fallacy to try to prove your point, "if these women can't support a man without him becoming a misogynist, then I guess women can never support men." The problem is not that they are supporting him, plenty of movies have women who support men while also being well written human people. The problem is that they are being used in the narrative in a way that perpetuates damaging views of women. They could make this entire movie again without female characters and it would be better and also less sexist because at least he is not then actively supporting the idea that women exist purely to stroke and to fawn and to be an endless well of money and time and energy and support with no need for compensation. Any movie with more than one character like this will SUCK if it also expects us to like or be invested in the central character. Favreau certainly did not intentionally or maliciously write such terrible, dehumanizing female characters, but when a movie has bad characters, it makes for a bad movie.
Message posted on 2021-12-26 07:52:49

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