Slumdog Millionaire (2008 Oscar Winner)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Latika and Mrs. Mackintosh.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

The Reader (2008 Oscar Nominee)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Hanna Schmitz, Gertrud, Julia, Rose and Ilana Mather, and Sophie, to name a few.  There are also several women in the Berg family: Carla, Emily, and Angela.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.  The women only talk to other men.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

Milk (2008 Oscar Nominee)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Anne Kronenberg, Dianne Feinstein, Carol Ruth Silver, and Mary Ann White.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

Frost/Nixon (2008 Oscar Nominee)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Caroline Cushing, Diane Sawyer, and Pat Nixon.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.  None of these women even share a scene together.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008 Oscar Nominee)

 Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Daisy, Queenie, Caroline, Elizabeth Abbott, and Dorothy Baker.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • Yes, the film is structured by conversations between Daisy and Caroline.  Daisy also talks to Dorothy and Queenie.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • Yes, Daisy, Caroline, and Dorothy have several conversations about the impending hurricane and Daisy’s health.  Daisy and Caroline also talk about the journal that Caroline reads from throughout the movie.

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

WALL-E (2008 #5 Box Office)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s EVE and Mary.  Some might argue that, as a robot, EVE has no gender, but every description I’ve found used female pronouns for her.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • No.

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

Hancock (2008 #4 Box Office)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • No.  The only named character is Mary.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • N/A
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008 #3 Box Office)

Access my analysis of previous series titles below:

• Indiana Jones 1-2
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Irina Spalko, and Marion Ravenwood is back from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • No.  While they have several scenes together, including a fight scene, they never verbally speak.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • N/A

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

Iron Man (2008 #2 Box Office)

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  There’s Pepper Potts and Christine Everhart.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • Yes, Pepper and Christine have one conversation together.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • Yes.  While Tony Stark has a strong presence in their conversation, the real purpose is Christine’s “trashiness” and Pepper’s job responsibilities.

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.

The Dark Knight (2008 #1 Box Office)

Access my analysis of previous Batman titles below:

• Batman
• Batman Returns
• Batman Forever
• Batman Begins

Bechdel-Wallace Test

1. Does the movie have at least two named female characters?
   • Yes.  Rachel Dawes is back, albeit played by a different actress.  New female characters include Detective Anna Ramirez, Barbara Gordon, Natascha, and Judge Janet Surrillo.
2. Do the female characters talk to each other on-screen?
   • Yes.  Anna and Barbara talk to each other.
3. Does their conversation revolve around something other than a man?
   • Yes.  Anna and Barbara talk about the Gordon family’s safety.  It is a bit dubious, however, as Anna is being held at gunpoint by Two-Face.  Since he doesn’t directly feed her words to her, it still passes but barely.

Please leave your comments below on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.