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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

manic pixie dream girl

so on the A.V. Club blog (don't ask), this dude wrote a column in 2007 and in it, he coined the term, "manic pixie dream girl," aka the girl in a movie who pulls the sensitive, brooding unhappy male out of his slump to see that yes, life IS wonderful. the guy writes that,

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.


Like the Magical Negro, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype is
largely defined by secondary status and lack of an inner life.

She's on hand to lift a gloomy male protagonist out of the

doldrums, not to pursue her own happiness.



the A.V. Club just came out w/ a top list of movies that feature the MPDG (manic pixie dream girl). since debwa loves lists and since I am in awe that somebody was clever enough to coin a phrase describing this annoying, unattainable, wish-that-was-me-but-also-despising-the-stereotype creature, I am only listing the movies I agree with/have seen/ and some that aren't on the list but I think holds true.

1) Garden State ft. MPDG natalie portman

2) breakfast at tiffany's ft. MPDG audrey hepburn

3) annie hall ft. MPDG diane keaton

4) along came polly ft. MPDG jennifer aniston

5) almost famous ft. MPDG kate hudson


6) eternal sunshine of the spotless mind ft. MPDG kate winslet


7) pretty woman ft. MPDG julia roberts


and finally, the Honorable Manic Pixie Dream Guy goes to: Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic.

any other suggestions? international MPDGs perhaps?


probably the worst thing about the MPDG is that it projects this unrealistic expectation that 1) just by the MPDG being in your life, you will be a) happier, b) more joyful, c) more thankful, and the dreaded d) "open my eyes/I can see clearly for the first time/etc," which is ridiculous and perpetuates the myth that you should look for outside fufillment in order to feel whole, and 2) I wish I was a MPDG. fuck. why do I let movies stipulate my life feelings. motherfucker.


ps I don't know what the "magical negro" is but I really want to.

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