The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a character archetype that launched into popularity to the resounding condemnation of feminist scholars. Let’s examine some popular examples of Manic Pixie Dream Girls, explore how the trope has changed, and how to improve on the archetype.
What Is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl?
A Manic Pixie Dream Girl embodies characteristics such as quirkiness, expressiveness, beauty, flirtatiousness, freedom, self-destructiveness, fragility, and volatility. She often defines herself by her ability to make the life of a man attracted to her more intriguing or captivating.
This last bit is the crux of the criticism of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl; her role in the story is dependent upon a male protagonist’s interest in her. In most cases, he is only interested in the idea of her. Film critic Nathan Rabin, who created the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl, apologized for his role in popularizing the archetype. He acknowledged that it presented a one-dimensional view of women, existing solely for the desires and aspirations of men and boys: “I’m sorry for creating this unstoppable monster…I feel deeply weird, if not downright ashamed, at having created a cliche that has been trotted out again and again in an infinite Internet feedback loop.”
‘500 Days of Summer’ (2009)
Modern Examples of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Summer from 500 Days of Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, is a popular example of this trope—and, thankfully, Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) suffers because he cannot see past his one-dimensional view of Summer.
When they first meet, he notices her beauty, unique love of indie music, and rebellious humor. However, he fails to see that there is no future for them after Summer tells him continuously throughout the film that she is not looking for a relationship. When she eventually breaks up with him, Tom experiences heartbreak and anger.
As the film jumps through their 500 days of comprehending one another, the audience can see Tom fail to identify her signs of discontent. Tom didn’t love the real her, the woman who walked and breathed. He was only infatuated with the image he’d created of her in his head.
Audiences have also found themselves confused about Summer’s role in the film, as Tom is the clear protagonist. Many have wondered if Summer was a villain for leading him on and breaking his heart, only to fall in love with someone else. While a film counterpart titled500 Days of Tommight give us a more complex view of Summer, this film (and Tom) did not.
‘500 Days of Summer’ (2009)
Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) fromScott Pilgrim vs. the World is another excellent example of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Not only does Scott (Michael Cera) pursue Ramona (being that she’s recently gotten over a breakup), but she is also defined by her seven evil exes, whom Scott must defeat to win her. Ramona has brightly colored hair—and even that changes unpredictably throughout the film—and she roller skates (magically, through Scott’s mind). Unfortunately, Gideon (Jason Schwartzman) also controls her mind, and she requires rescue in all versions of her ending.
Scott is enthralled by Ramona, but the story doesn’t give her many chances to take control of her own life. The only exception, if you can even call it that, is when she goes back to her abusive ex.
Other examples include Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtownand Natalie Portman inGarden State.
‘Elizabethtown’ (2005)
Evolution of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl
In his review ofElizabethtown, Rabin named the archetype of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, identifying her as a woman who “exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries.”
Attempts to improve upon this hollow trope have led to an evolution where filmmakers give their Manic Pixie Dream Girls a traumatic backstory. InChemical Hearts,Grace (Lili Reinhart) had been in a terrible accident. In the live-action series of Looking for Alaska, Alaska (played by Kristine Froseth) grapples with clinical depression—a facet not delved into in the book. The writers intentionally incorporated this element into the series to provide the audience with additional insight into Alaska, despite the fact that the character of Miles (portrayed by Charlie Plummer) does not acknowledge it.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind teeters on the edge of this trope. Joel’s (Jim Carrey) infatuation casts a long shadow, defining Clementine (Kate Winslet) not for who she is, but by his inability to see and meet her needs. Clementine rebels against this, however, when she tells him, “I’m not a concept. Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m going to ‘make them alive,’ but I’m just a f*cked up girl who’s looking for my peace of mind. Don’t assign me yours.” It’s a close call.
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‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
The Antithesis
Ramona Salt identifiedhope for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in the form of what she calls her antithesis—a wild, unpredictable, rebellious woman on her journey of self-discovery independent of anyone else’s attraction to her. Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) fromSex Educationis a popular example. Maeve is smart, mysterious, and sexual. Otis’ (Asa Butterfield) life changes when he meets her, but Maeve’s storyline and character arc exists beyond her romantic or sexual relationships. She is just as complex as the series protagonist.
In HBO’sGirls, Jessa Johansson (Jemima Kirke) is unpredictable, chaotic, selfish, and mesmerizing. She could have easily fallen into the trap of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, except that she was a character who had her agency. Her intense longing for stability and a sense of belonging frequently led to self-sabotaging behavior that hindered her from achieving her desired goals, shaping her in the process. She was still entirely alluring, but her role in the show was not simply to be alluring. She was her chaotic force of energy and change.
‘Sex Education’ (2019-2023)
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Women are just as complex as men. Women have goals, desires, vices, and virtues like men do. Ignoring that complexity dissatisfies their storylines. If it is a flaw of the male character to fail to see a woman for who she is and not just who he wants her to be, then the story must not only hang a lantern on that but stand on it as a foundation of the plot.
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Shannon Corbeil is a writer, actor, and U.S. Air Force veteran in Los Angeles with appearances on SEAL Team and The Rookie. She was also a 2023 DGE TV Writing Program Finalist and her screenplays have placed in various contests. You can read more about her on her website or come play on Instagram and Twitter!
