Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?
NPR has a very entertaining article on a new character archetype, the manic pixie dream girl, “that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that 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.”
The article cites some of the obvious ones (Garden State), but misses others (Amelie) in favor of more controversial and conversation-inducing picks (Breakfast at Tiffanies). So this is a call. Make a list!
Comments
I hate the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. It’s like watching a male writer masturbate and then, after the sputtering climax, quietly sob by the pulsating blue light of his Wii console while he dries the spunk of his legs with a Transformers t-shirt.
The MPDG is a two-dimensional cipher that the man in question can drape his insecurities upon, a bizarre and fetishized wish-fulfillment. No different from the luridly posed and helpless babes straining against their ripped bodices on the cover of old, trashy pulp novels. We’ve moved beyond sex, an uptight denial of physical lust isn’t the secretive urge driving our insecurities anymore… we’ve moved into an era where strong social bonds are less common, people are spread out and alienated, and the anxiety of connection is tantamount. Getting people to understand you is difficult and it’s not easy to meet people that don’t wince a little when they see some of the nerdier selections on your DVD shelf. So nowadays our movies are littered with girls who effortlessly embrace the emasculated, nebbish, emo male crippled with low self-esteem and embarrassment over his attachment to childish interests that he fears may keep him from making friends.
They’re magical tubes of cake frosting, empty of everything except their ability to shit out a sugary stamp of approval on their interests. Indie rock? Video games? Playing on the internet? A shelf full of expensive toys? The MPDG serves the exact same function as an imaginary friend: there to approve of what you do and back you up on the stuff you feel uncomfortable about. It’s navel gazing with a set of tits.
It’s always pretty telling that most of these movies abruptly end at the beginning of their “something wonderful”. Can you picture the actual meat of their relationship? The wackiness becoming strained and forced as she tries to drag the protagonist out of the house for the first time in weeks, even though he wants to just sit around and read comic books. The guy’s nifty apartment looking very much the same with none of her possessions on display, other than something that picked out together in a dash of whimsy. We don’t see these parts of the tale because the girl has no self-interest, no reason whatsoever for existing once she’s fulfilled her purpose of lifting the guy out of his funk.
Plenty of exceptions to this. If I’m feelin’ sassy, I’ll try to post some of them.
did we not discuss this when it was on the onion? or was that another board? i guess it was another board.
but yeah. i like some of those movies, but filmmakers across the spectrum still have no idea what to do with women.
Hahahhahhahahhahahahhahahahha! Justin, that was amazing! You out of work to do? Let’s go get lunch!
Justin, that was fucking brilliant.
I still want to meet one.