Admissions of Mulan: The Bechdel Test

I watched Admission for the first time today.

I'll admit, I truly am a sucker for rom-coms. They exist in a world of ridiculous fantasy often times. They strive to be a sort-of feel good romp. They provide me with the occasional laugh or more if it's executed well enough. Often times, they also feature a female lead with a sense of humor.

So naturally I would make make time for Admission.

It stars Tina Fey.

That statement alone makes anyone who are fans of sitcoms during the past couple of years jump on board.

It also has Paul Rudd.

He has the looks to be one of those action star types, but always grounds himself, bringing about often under-appreciated performances of pure comedic bravado.

Admission has the hooks: a little bit of comedic star power, a relatable story about getting into the university of our choosing (common amongst folks, at least in a first world environment), and it's even a adaptation of an already established book.

Oh, and let's not forget: It passes the Bechdel Test.

But see. Here's the thing. The movie isn't that great.

Sure, it was good for a few laughs. Paul Rudd does a good job as the caring father-figure. Tina Fey is Tina Fey, which is awesome, but isn't enough considering her character occasionally becomes rough around the edges. It also has a final act that doesn't just dive, it flat out bombs, with so much speed it has no time for a steady, safe landing, drilling the moments it establish right into the earth.

This got me thinking about the whole thing. Should I even praise the film for passing the Bechdel Test? Do I want to lump this supposed test of feminism in with a film that I truly find to be mediocre?

I'm sure many others have asked that question recently. After all, Frozen was within the year. While I personally liked Frozen, many people found it to only be okay, or even terrible. This brought in many perspectives on the matter. Some disliked it, but praised it, simply because it passed the Bechdel Test. Some disliked it, and stated that there were better films out there that passed the Bechdel Test and would be a better representation of women. Some simply said it was a step in the right direction for Disney.

This to me is just a mess.

While it was fun upon it's first use, the Bechdel Test creates a tangible thing. It creates a formula that materializes the worth of a woman in fiction. It drives this position that if a woman doesn't do this, she is less of a woman.

First off, an author doesn't owe that. Actually,  fiction in general doesn't owe itself to pass the Bechdel Test. And not all stories that pass the Bechdel Test empower women. What if I made a film with a female lead in a man's world? And I'm not talking succeeding by their standards, because the film that comes to mind is one that always brings up the discussion: Mulan.

A FILM BY DISNEY NO DOUBT!

So, a few things.

"She had to become a man to do all these things that are supposedly women-empowering"

Okay. Yes. And by the end of the film, what does the world see her as?

That's right, not a man, BUT A WOMAN.

Hell, I'd go even farther than that. It's just about being a man or woman at that point. It's about being a hero.

"In order to even imagine female heroism, we're placing it in the realm of fantasy." - Kathleen Karlyn of the University of Oregon.

First off, this seems a little bit like a contradiction. In order to imagine… realm of fantasy.

Imagine… fantasy.

Okay.

And since when did we watch films for the pure-unadulterated truth? Even a film that has a camera sitting there, recording all things that pass by is still a fabrication.

All films are fabrications. Some are just more honest about it, and it doesn't make it's lesson and examples any less profound.

Mulan IS an example of female empowerment. She is a hero that is also a woman. What happens in the history books is a different study, but what the filmic embodiment of Mulan did is still something worth watching and worth learning from.

And on top of that, she still feels real to a modern audience.

I'm not talking like… live action and tangible, because obviously this isn't a pure adaptation of the legend. It's Disney-fied.

But rather she… cuts her toenails. She cares for her father. She has a dog. She feels disappointment. She undergoes an identity crisis. She wants to live up to something.

She does things that make her human. Which, by the way, consists of both men AND women.

So, I implore you, oh wonderful reader and film-attendee. Do away with the Bechdel Test. You can make your own decisions. A woman's worth can't be measured in time.