9 Movies New to Netflix This September that Pass the Bechdel Test

Watching your hot dinner get cold as you start and abandon awful movies on Netflix is not chill, so we've compiled a list of worthwhile movies new to the streaming platform this September. And because movies that only treat women as background noise suck, we've also ensured that all the films on our list pass the Bechdel Test.

What's the Bechdel Test, you ask? In 1985, cartoonist Alison Bechdel published a strip titled "The Rule" (see below) for her comic Dykes To Watch Out For, in which one woman explains to another that she'll only watch a film if it meets three requirements:

• It has to have at least two women in it.
• They have to speak to each other.
• The topic of the conversation has to be about anything other than men.

And like that, the Bechdel test was born. Bechdel later said that the idea came from her friend, Liz Wallace. As such, the test is often referred to as the "Bechdel–Wallace test."

Of course, the test is somewhat arbitrary and by no means a way to designate whether or not a film is feminist, but if we're watching movies that can't be bothered to include two women talking about literally anything but men, we're letting filmmakers get away with a pretty big disservice to their audiences.

Here are nine movies new to Netflix this month that managed to pass the very low bar.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past year, you’re familiar with this title, which follows T’Challa, heir to the secret kingdom of Wakanda, as he learns to lead his people and faces a challenger. While it’s unsurprising that a film hailed for its diverse representation and cultural significance passes the Bechdel Test, what is surprising is that a movie as hyped and successful as Black Panther will be available on Netflix the same year as its theatrical release. If you somehow missed out on seeing Black Panther in theaters, it’s availability on Netflix means you now have absolutely no excuses. Cultural obligation aside, the fact that you’ll get to see incredible women characters acted by Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright (who plays a 16-year-old technology designer!), Angela Bassett, and more should have you running to your couch.

It’s always exciting when a classic makes its way to Netflix, and The Breakfast Club—which was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2016—is no exception. Like any good, classic 80s high school film, The Breakfast Club takes place over the course of one day. Our main characters find themselves in detention inside their school’s library, where they take advantage of the chance to rebel every time their assistant principal turns his back. Throughout the course of the day, they smoke weed, develop romances, and open-up to each other, revealing some hard truths about their individual coming-of-age journeys. Stranded in detention, the characters basically just talk for the majority of the movie, including parts where Claire and Allison speak directly to each other as the boys just sit there. Then, towards the end of the film, the two have a one-on-one scene where Claire does Allison’s makeup.

Two Weeks Notice, one of the best rom-coms of all time, comes to Netflix this month. On top of the sexual tension between Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant’s characters, what makes this movie great is its complex protagonist, Lucy (Sandra Bullock). Lucy is a lawyer with a degree from Harvard who takes on environmentalist cases pro bono and protests the destruction of community buildings in her spare time. When big shot George Wade (Hugh Grant) offers her a job with the promise of protecting her community and a high salary, she accepts with the intention of investing her pay in good causes. Soon, she develops feelings for her boss, which she finds infuriating, and tries to ignore for as long as she can. Throughout the movie, Lucy talks to other women in her life, like her friend and mother, about the issues she cares about, apart from George.

While it’s impossible to top the teen love story between Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray in the original A Cinderella Story, its spiritual spinoff, Another Cinderella Story, is a cute take on the classic plot line—plus dance battles. The film features a young Selena Gomez in the lead role of Mary Santiago, a high schooler and aspiring dancer. When Mary’s mother, who was a backup dancer for former pop star Dominique, dies, Dominique becomes Mary’s legal guardian—though she treats her more like hired help. In the role of Prince Charming is famous pop singer Joey Parker, who returns to Mary’s high school to remember why he first fell in love with dancing. The film passes the Bechdel Test numerous times with conversations between Mary and her best friend Tami about Mary’s unfair living conditions, among other things, and between Mary’s step mom and sisters as they scheme ways to sabotage her.

This is truly a good month to have a Netflix subscription, or your ex-girlfriend’s step dad’s login. Lilo and Stitch follows Lilo, a Hawaiian girl, who adopts Stitch, an extra-terrestrial on the run, as her “dog” and eventually teaches him the meaning of family, or ohana. The film passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, and that’s even if you count Stitch as a “man.” Lilo has conversations, or attempts to have conversations, with her girl friends about dolls and her new “dog,” but her relationship with her older sister Nani steals the show. The two discuss ohana, Nani’s job prospects, and their own relationship, among other things. Lilo and Stitch goes beyond the Bechdel Test with Nani’s character, who is Lilo’s sole guardian, and who supports the two financially, disciplines Lilo, and does the household cooking (even if she’s not very good at it), all without help.

Sierra Burgess is a high schooler who doesn’t exactly feel like she fits in. She’s a Stanford hopeful, and though she has the grades to get in, she’s still trying to find what sets her apart from the rest of the applicant pool. While she’s figuring it out, a wrong-number text leads to an accidental catfish, and Sierra finds herself falling in love with a very hot boy played by Noah Centineo from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. The only problem is he thinks she’s actually Veronica, the most popular girl at Sierra’s school and also Sierra’s notorious bully. With conversations between Sierra, her school counselor, and Veronica, Sierra Burgess Is A Loser passes the Bechdel Test as we see Sierra find the courage to stand up for herself.

I really wanted this movie to be better than it was, but the internet has spoken: It’s only got two stars on IMDB and and a 42 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, it passes the Bechdel Test many times over! Inexplicable plot and cheesiness aside, A Wrinkle in Time’s majority women-of-color cast, including Oprah Winfrey and lead Storm Reid, save the the film. Like Black Panther, it’s a rare example of a movie coming to Netflix the same year as its theatrical release. (Perhaps we can expect more of this from now on?) Despite its ratings, with captivating graphics and costume designs, I’d definitely recommend A Wrinkle in Time to anybody looking for something to capture the attention and imaginations of kids.

This 2003 film, the first in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, follows captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and a blacksmith named Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) as they team up to rescue the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), who’s been kidnapped by pirates. The movie just barely passes the Bechdel Test. It does, though, thanks to a scene between Elizabeth and Anamaria (Zoe Saldana) in which they discuss the now-occupied ship named Black Pearl attempting to attack their ship, Interceptor. Some saving graces in the film are Elizabeth’s scenes in which she briefly defies the damsel-in-distress trope—like when she makes a smoke signal or when she escapes danger and frees Jack’s crew—though she unfortunately does not totally break it. Despite it’s barely-passing Bechdel grade, the first Pirates of the Caribbean is a fun watch if you’re looking for something action-packed and nostalgic.

Inspired by the 1988 rescue of trapped Gray Whales in Alaska led by Cindy Lowry, Big Miracle follows reporter Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) and activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) as they discover and work to rescue whales trapped under frozen ice in the Pacific ocean off the coast of Alaska. Rachel inspires a massive rescue effort that involves unlikely parties like an oil executive and the President of the United States. The film passes the Bechdel Test due to conversations between Rachel and news reporter Jill Gerard (Kristen Bell) and Ruth McGraw (Kathy Baker). The drama received a 74 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and might be exactly what you need if you’re looking for a movie that will restore your faith in humanity.