The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope
Written by Beatrice Galvan
Graphics by Dana Dang
Ah, yes— the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The savior of our sad, tragic, and rather lonely male protagonist. More importantly a savior they didn't even need to begin with and were just written in due to lazy writing. I'm sure we have all seen the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in film at one point or another. This trope is extremely specific and determining which female characters in Hollywood are a Manic Pixie Dream Girl is very subjective and rather controversial. However, that didn’t stop it from becoming a term used by so many to describe the spontaneous and quirky girls in film.
What is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and what does it entail?
For those of you who are not all that familiar with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope, no need to fret. Here's how to spot a manic Pixie Dream Girl according to Hollywood. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl usually has a much stronger personality in comparison to our leading man— she's outgoing, spontaneous, and usually has a very particular taste; whether it be portrayed through her fashion, music sense, or her peculiar thoughts and theories. Their style is supposed to be outward and bold to portray that they are in fact “not like other girls.” Bonus points if the girl has bright dyed hair. Despite what many think about the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope these women are usually strong and independent individuals. They are completely unfazed no matter what men or society think of them. They are truly and unapologetically themselves. These women touch and change lives but more specifically, men's lives (sadly). Typically, after a man's encounter with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, he usually evolves into a much better version of himself and is ready to take on the world and embrace life's many challenges. Through the eyes of the male protagonist, The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is oftentimes seen as this ethereal higher being that inspires them much like the Muses in ancient Greek Mythology.
Examples of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl:
Sam from Garden State (2004) directed by Zach Braff
Natalie Portman’s character, Sam is always a go-to example when it comes to explaining the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope. Sam and the main protagonist of the film, Andrew, are brought together by fate. From the moment they meet she is instantly drawn to him. For the rest of the duration of the film, she slowly is able to rid him of his emotional numbness (in only four days) by the power of her optimistic attitude and quirky personality.
Judy Maxwell from What’s up, Doc? (1972) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
In this Romcom classic, Barbra Streisand plays the funny, relentless, quick-witted, Judy Maxwell, who primarily exists to help loosen up the uptight professor she just met but has somehow already devoted all her time into. Although it would seem the main protagonist, Steve, wants nothing to do with her, he still finds himself in wacky situations and adventures with her due to her unbeatable persistence.
Claire Colburn from Elizabethtown (2005) directed by Cameron Crowe
Our last example is the OG Manic Pixie Dream Girl that started it all: Claire Colburn played by actress, Kristen Dunst. Claire is a flight attendant who has an almost immediate attraction to Drew Baylor, a rather depressed soul who is on his way to his father’s memorial service. She then curates his life and encourages him to take a cross-country road trip to not only scatter his father’s ashes but to also partake in a journey of self discoverance.
Where did this Trope/label originate from?
Although the 2005 movie, Elizabethtown, is not the first film to have a female character that is like the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, it did have a pivotal role in inspiring the label. In 2007, the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” was invented and first used in an article written by film critic and author, Nathan Rabin, when labeling the leading lady, Claire Colburn, as a MPDG. In his article, Rabin stated:
“The Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” (Nathan Rabin, “The Bataan Death March of Whimsy Case File #1: Elizabethtown,” 2007)
At the time, the AV Club website was not as popular hence the reason for the article and label not gaining any traction until the next year, in 2008. The MPDG label then became a way to demean the quirky outgoing female character in any movie. The turmoil of the label MPDG became so bad that Rabbin made a follow-up article in 2014 apologizing for ever coining the term.
The Sexism behind the Trope:
The MPDG trope is similar to other tropes like the girl next door, the mean girl, and so on but what makes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope different from the others is the misinterpretation and sexualization of these characters. By making the MPDG only to please the men in the story the writers treat these women like objects which then make them seem very surface level and one dimensional when they have so much more to offer to the plot. Even when a film shows the MPDG’s aspirations its only purpose is to be used as a lesson to the male lead.
The way these female characters are oversexualized and undermined in these films is an exact reflection of the way men in society treat and view women in real-life situations. Due to these unrealistic expectations from the women written in these films, it just creates yet another standard that women should adhere to for the benefit of men. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a misogynistic cliche that has ruined the lives of many females in society today.
On the bright side, there are writers and directors in the industry that have been very vocal about their disdain for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. One of those outspoken individuals being, Zoe Kazan, the screenwriter of the movie, Ruby Sparks. She spoke out about the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope in an interview with Vulture. Kazan stated:
“It’s a way of describing female characters that’s reductive and diminutive, and I think basically misogynist. I’m not saying that some of those characters that have been referred to as that don’t deserve it; I think sometimes filmmakers have not used their imagination in imbuing their female characters with real life.”
Characters that defy and deconstruct the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope (in films and tv shows):
Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) directed by Michel Gondry
Clementine, played by Kate Winslet, is a character that is frequently misinterpreted as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl due to her bright vivid hair that matches her big personality. She’s generalized under the MPDG trope due to the men around her who see her more so as this fantasy or concept rather than seeing the real her. She has emotions and issues that are just as important as her main love interest, Joel, played by Jim Carrey. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind beautifully portrayed Clementine as a much more complex character rather than just Joel’s love interest/MPDG. This film called out this cliche and trope before MPDG even became a thing.
Summer from (500) Days of Summer (2009) directed by Mark Webb
Unlike the last character, Summer was not done justice in this film. They didn’t really go into depth with her character since this film is from the perspective of the male protagonist, Tom. However, Summer is intended to be perceived in that way because that is how Tom sees her. The whole premise of the film is to show how men continue to fantasize and misread the women in their lives. In this film, Tom continues to misread who Summer actually is. He totally ignores and overlooks her when she has her own thoughts and ambitions. Some who have seen the movie claim it was Summer’s fault for their relationship’s downfall. Though, in a 2019 interview with Larry King, Joseph Gordon-Levitt who played Tom said:
“It’s Tom’s fault. I think if you really pay attention, Tom’s not listening to Summer.”
Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) directed by Edgar Wright
Much like the previous examples, Ramona Flowers is often mislabeled as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl due to the misinterpretation of the men around her. When Scott meets Ramona he already has such high expectations due to the rumors and opinions created by others around him. He sees her as this higher being — a woman who is quite literally the woman of his dreams. However, once on their first date he’s brought back to reality when he realizes she’s not as perfect as he had imagined; Ramona has just as much emotional baggage as everyone else. What makes this film great is that unlike other films with the MPDG trope, Scott doesn’t change because of Ramona, he does it for himself. You see that when the final battle isn’t with Gideon but Nega Scott, the manifestation of all Scott’s flaws.
Jules from Euphoria (2019) directed by Sam Levinson
Hunter Schafer plays the new girl in town, Jules. The main character, Rue, is instantly attracted to her sailor moon-esque style and bright personality. Rue develops very unhealthy codependency with Jules to help her through her drug addiction. That can be a very big responsibility, especially when Jules has to deal with her own ups and downs of being a teenager in high school. Although Jules loves Rue she never asked for such a big responsibility, it was just thrown onto her. The creators of Euphoria did an amazing job at displaying the hardships Rue and Jules faced in their relationship. More specifically showing the struggle Jules had being Rue’s newfound drug. Though, in the end, she had to choose between her own happiness or Rue’s happiness. When she stayed on that train, she chose herself which most MPDGs never do.
Although this is a term that is used to describe female characters in film, I believe it is more reflective of the male writers and directors that create them. To judge and categorize creative and outgoing women under such a rubric quite simply erases all different and unique personalities that can be so uplifting and empowering to a whole generation of girls. Generalizing such bold and vibrant female characters absolutely undermines them. As much as the MPDG trope should die, it is highly unlikely that the stereotype and misinterpretation are going to stop or go anywhere anytime soon. Even so, at least there are female characters that absolutely deconstruct the trope and create a brand new meaning for the term as a whole— one that isn’t as degrading and over-sexualized as the current term.