Does a movie have two named female characters? Do these characters talk to each other? And if so, do they talk about something other than a man? If you can answer “yes” to these three questions, then the movie has just passed the Bechdel Test.

This elegant little checklist was popularized by Alison Bechdel and her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Apparently, a character refused to watch movies if they failed this test. There’s even a website that lists and discusses movies with regards to this test. Despite not being affiliated with Bechdel, the site does seem to uphold the spirit of the test. It rates films and allows readers to post comments and dispute ratings. It provides links to IMDB pages and reviews. It also points out that passing movies are not necessarily good or even “feminist-friendly” movies. If one scene in a macho action movie has two housewives exchanging Tupperware tips, the movie passes. Of course, most of the 1530 movies included (as of September 24, 2010) are from the last decade, but a decent amount of older films are there too.

Okay, so why is this interesting?

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