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See Again: 0 (0.0%)
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MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRLS

The "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (MPDG) is a term created by film critic Nathan Rabin in a 2007 article for the A.V. Club to describe the increasing use of a bubbly, shallow stock female character type (or trope) in films. Citing Kirsten Dunst's character in Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" (2005), Rabin observed 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." The MPDG is unabashedly girlish with eccentric personality quirks which draw the romantic interest of the (often) gloomy, depressed male protagonist, and her infectious personality helps to lift him out of the doldrums and instill important life lessons along the way. The MPDG is largely defined by secondary status, has no discernible inner life, and must never grow up, because that way, men never have to grow up either. Natalie Portman's character in "Garden State" (2004) is the most often cited case of the quintessential "Manic Pixie Dream Girl."

 

==============================================================================================

MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRLS

 

MPDG CANON (Nathin Rabin & A.V. Club Selections)(0)(1)(2)

 
1. Elizabethtown (2005)
--->(Kirsten Dunst) (0)(1)(3)(4a)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(12)(15)(16)(18)(19)(21)(22)(B)
2. I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968)
--->(Leigh Taylor-Young) (1)(2)(12)
3. Garden State (2004)
--->(Natalie Portman) (1)(3)(4ab)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(9)(20)(21)(22)(B)
4. Butterflies Are Free (1972)
--->(Goldie Hawn) (1)(4a)(5)(20)
5. Almost Famous (2000)
--->(Kate Hudson) (1)(2)(4a)(5)(6)(8)(12)(14)(15)(16)(18)(21)(B)
6. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
--->(Meg Ryan) (1)(2)(6)(11)(12)
7. The Apartment (1960)
--->(Shirley MacLaine) (1)(3)(10)(18)(A)
8. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
--->(Katharine Hepburn) (1)(4ab)(10)(12)(17)(20)(B)
9. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
--->(Barbra Streisand) (1)(8)(10)(12)(17)(B)
10. Annie Hall (1977)
--->(Diane Keaton) (1)(3)(12)(13)(14)(A)
11. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)
--->(Audrey Hepburn) (1)(4ab)(5)(7)(8)(9)(12)(16)(19)(A)(B)
12. Something Wild (1986)
--->(Melanie Griffith) (1)(8)(12)(17)(20)
13. Sweet November (2001)
--->(Charlize Theron) (1)(6)(12)(21)
14. Autumn In New York (2000)
--->(Winona Ryder) (1)(6)
15. The Last Kiss (2006)
--->(Rachel Bilson) (1)(5)(6)
16. My Sassy Girl (2008)
--->(Elisha Cuthbert) (1)(6)
 
17. The Lady Eve (1941)
--->(Barbara Stanwyck) (2)(17)
18. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
--->(Claudette Colbert) (2)(8)
 
 

MANIC PIXIE DREAM BITCHES (Allmovie's Cammila Collar)(21)

 
19. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
--->(Kate Winslet) (3)(4b)(5)(6)(8)(11)(14)(15)(16)(18)(20)(21)(A)
--->(Kirsten Dunst) (5)
20. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (3)(5)(6)(8)(11)(13)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(A)(B)
21. High Fidelity (2000)
--->(Catherine Zeta-Jones) (21)
22. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
--->(Mary Elizabeth Winstead) (8)(16)(20)(21)
 
 
 
 
0
 
00000000

CITED IN 2+ OTHER ARTICLES (NOT YET SOURCED)

 
23. My Man Godfrey (1936)
--->(Carole Lombard) .
24. The Seven Year Itch (1955)
--->(Marilyn Monroe) .
25. Wild Target (2010)
--->(Emily Blunt) .
26. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
--->(Jennifer Lawrence) .
 

CITED IN OTHER ARTICLES (2+ citations)

 
27. Ruby Sparks (2012)
--->(Zoe Kazan) (5)(14)(16)(17)(18)(20)
 
28. Along Came Polly (2004)
--->(Jennifer Aniston) (12)(14)(17)(18)(20)
 
29. Amelie (2001)
--->(Audrey Tautou) (4a)(7)(10)(19)
30. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
--->(Mila Kunis) (5)(8)(12)(14)
31. L.A. Story (1991)
--->(Sarah Jessica Parker) (8)(12)(17)(20)
32. Yes Man (2008)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (12)(17)(18)(19)
 
33. Jules and Jim (1962)
--->(Jeanne Moreau) (3)(8)(10)
34. Harold and Maude (1971)
--->(Ruth Gordon) (4b)(20)(B)
35. The Sound of Music (1965)
--->(Julie Andrews) (7)(12)(19)
36. Breathless (1960)
--->(Jean Seberg) (8)(20)(22)
 
37. Some Like It Hot (1959)
--->(Marilyn Monroe) (3)(12)
38. Punch Drunk Love (2002)
--->(Emily Watson) (3)(11)
39. Beautiful Girls (1996)
--->(Natalie Portman) (3)(5)
40. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
--->(Kirsten Dunst) (5)(16)
41. Elf (2003)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (5)(17)
42. All the Real Girls (2003)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (5)(13)
43. Lost In Translation (2003)
--->(Scarlett Johansson) (5)(11)
44. The Accidental Tourist (1988)
--->(Geena Davis) (8)(12)
45. Pretty Woman (1990)
--->(Julia Roberts) (8)(14)
46. The Girl Next Door (2004)
--->(Elisha Cuthbert) (8)(18)
47. Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (2012)
--->(Keira Knightley) (11)(16)
48. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
--->(Paige O'Hara=Belle/Beauty) (12)(22)
 
 
 
 
00000000000
 
 
 
 
 
0000000000

CITED IN OTHER ARTICLES (1 citation)

 
49. Rio Bravo (1959)
--->(Angie Dickinson) (3)
50. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
--->(Sally Hawkins) (4a)
51. Cactus Flower (1969)
--->(Goldie Hawn) (4a)
52. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
--->(Maggie Gyllenhaal) (4b)
53. American Beauty (1999)
--->(Mena Suvari) (5)
54. It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
--->(Emma Roberts) (8)
55. A Woman Is a Woman (1961)
--->(Anna Karina) (8)
56. Arthur (1981)
--->(Liza Minelli) (8)
57. One Crazy Summer (1986)
--->(Demi Moore) (8)
58. Get Him To the Greek (2010)
--->(Rose Byrne) (8)
59. Factory Girl (2006)
--->(Sienna Miller) (8)
60. Pulp Fiction (1994)
--->(Uma Thurman) (8)
61. Vivacious Lady (1938)
--->(Ginger Rogers) (8)
62. You Can't Take It With You (1938)
--->(Jean Arthur) (8)
63. Holiday (1938)
--->(Katharine Hepburn) (9)
64. Fight Club (1999)
--->(Helena Bonham Carter) (10)
65. Greenberg (2010)
--->(Greta Gerwig) (11)
66. Splash (1984)
--->(Daryl Hannah) (12)
67. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
--->(Juliette Lewis) (12)
68. Vanilla Sky (2001)
--->(Penelope Cruz) (12)
69. Before Sunrise (1995)
--->(Julie Delpy) (13)
70. The Hangover (2009)
--->(Heather Graham) (14)
71. There's Something About Mary (1998)
--->(Cameron Diaz) (14)
72. The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
--->(Malin Akerman) (14)
73. Adventureland (2009)
--->(Kristen Stewart) (16)
74. Love and Other Drugs (2010)
--->(Anne Hathaway) (16)
75. Happythankyoumoreplease (2010)
--->(Kate Mara) (16)
76. Juno (2007)
--->(Ellen Page) (16)
77. In Bruges (2008)
--->(Clemence Poesy) (16)
78. Into the Night (1985)
--->(Michelle Pfeiffer) (17)
79. Blue Velvet (1986)
--->(Isabella Rossellini) (17)
80. After Hours (1985)
--->(Rosanna Arquette) (17)
81. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
--->(Madonna) (17)
82. Gigantic (2008)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (18)
83. The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy (2005)
--->(Zooey Deschanel) (18)
84. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
--->(Samantha Morton?) (18)
85. Liberal Arts (2012)
--->(Elizabeth Olsen) (18)
86. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
--->(Emma Watson) (18)
87. Irma La Douce (1963)
--->(Shirley MacLaine) (20)
88. Sweet November (1968)
--->(Sandy Dennis) (20)
89. Mad Love (1995)
--->(Drew Barrymore) (20)
 
 

CITED BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS (sourced)

 
90. Love Me If You Dare (2003)
--->(Marion Cotillard) (A)
91. Roman Holiday (1953)
--->(Audrey Hepburn) (A)
92. Sabrina (1954)
--->(Audrey Hepburn) (A)
 
 

CITED BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS (unsourced)

 
93. The Major and the Minor (1942)
--->(Ginger Rogers) .
94. Barefoot In the Park (1967)
--->(Jane Fonda) .
95. Chasing Amy (1997)
--->(Joey Lauren Adams) .
96. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
--->(Maribel Verdu) .
97. Enchanted (2007)
--->(Amy Adams) .
98. Up (2009)
--->(Elie Docter=Ellie) .
 
 
 
 
000

==============================================================================================

NOTES

=================================================================================

 

Citations in Articles (Critics, Journalists, Bloggers)

 

Note (0): "The Bataan Death March of Whimsy Case File #1: Elizabethtown" - A.V.Club / Nathan Rabin (January 25, 2007)

 

Note (1): "Wild Things: 16 films featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls" - A.V.Club / Nathan Rabin, Donna Bowman, Amelie Gillette, Steven Hyden, Noel Murray, & Leonard Pierce (August 4, 2008)

 

Note (2): "Filmspotting #326: Top 5 Manic Pixie Girls & Nathan Rabin" (PODCAST) (NATHAN RABIN'S PERSONAL TOP 5 LIST) - Filmspotting / Hosts: Adam Kempenaar & Matty Robinson / Interview: Nathan Rabin (November 19, 2010)

 

Note (3): "Filmspotting #326: Top 5 Manic Pixie Girls & Nathan Rabin" (PODCAST) (HOSTS ADAM & MATTY'S TOP 5+ LIST) - Filmspotting / Hosts: Adam Kempenaar & Matty Robinson / Interview: Nathan Rabin (November 19, 2010)

 

Note (4a): "Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?" (ARTICLE-Neda Ulaby) "The Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (VIDEO-Neda Ulaby & Bob Mondello) - NPR / Neda Ulaby & Bob Mondello (October 09, 2008)

Note (4b): "Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Cinematic Scourge?" (TRANSCRIPT) (PODCAST) - NPR's "All Things Considered" / Neda Ulaby (October 09, 2008)

 

Note (5): Top 11 "Indie Dream Girls" (ARTICLE) (PHOTO GALLERY) - The Daily Beast / Doree Shafrir (Jul 20, 2009)

 

Note (6): "Tropes vs. Women: #1 The Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (ARTICLE) (VIDEO) - Bitch Magazine Website / Anita Sarkeesian (March 24, 2011)

 

Note (7): "The 10 Best (or Worst?) Manic Pixie Dream Girls of All Time" - Crasstalk Website / BaldwinP (July 27, 2011)

 

Note (8): "The Evolution of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, From Audrey to Zooey" - Moviefone Website / Sharon Knolle (October 5 2011)

 

Note (9): "Why Are Manic Pixie Dream Girls Getting Dumber?" - The Gloss Website / Jennifer Wright (January 17 2012)

 

Note (10): "Today's Tribute: The Manic Pixie Dream Girl" - CSU Long Beach Associated Student's 'Union Weekly' / Steve Bessette (February 5, 2012)

 

Note (11): "Sad-Sack Comedians + Manic Pixie Dream Girls: A Rom-com Template" - Vulture Website / Kyle Buchanan (June 19, 2012)

 

Note (12): "Exclusive Supercut: 75 Years of Manic Pixie Dream Girls" - Flavorwire Website / Michelle Rafferty (Jul 24, 2012)

 

Note (13): "On The Couch: Ruby Sparks" - Sundance Now Blog / Kelsey Miller (July 26, 2012)

 

Note (14): "10 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls' That Don't Live Up to the Fantasy" - The FW Website / Marla Rosenthal (July 30, 2012)

 

Note (15): "Top 5 Most Annoying Manic Pixie Dream Girls" - Heckler Spray Website / Hillary Scales (August 2, 2012)

 

Note (16): "The Problem With Manic Pixie Dream Girls" (ARTICLE) (GALLERY) - DailyLife / Clem Bastow (September 19, 2012)

 

Note (17): "Ruby Sparks: Manic Pixie Dream Girl Redux" - Multiglom / The Anne Bilson Blog (September 22, 2012)

 

Note (18): "Rise of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girls'" -Virgin Media-Virgin Movies / Charlie Lyne (October 9, 2012)

 

Note (19): "Liz Lemon Vs. the Manic Pixie Dream Girl" - The Cornell Daily Sun / Rachel Ellicott (October 16, 2012 )

 

Note (20): "15 Moments in Manic Pixie Dream Girl History" - Bullet Magazine Website (November 30th, 2012)

 

Note (21): "Semantic Breakdown: The Manic Pixie Dream Bitch" (YOU TUBE VIDEO) - Allmovie's Cammila Collar (December 14, 2012)

 

Note (22): "Clip Joint: Manic Pixie Dream Girls" - UK's The Guardian / Dominic Kelly (January 9, 2013)

 

Note (XXX): "_____" - _____ (_____)

 

=================================================================================

 

Citations in Articles (Others)

 

Note (A): "Filmspotting #326: Top 5 Manic Pixie Girls & Nathan Rabin" (PODCAST-'Celia from Providence' List) - Filmspotting / Hosts: Adam Kempenaar & Matty Robinson / Interview: Nathan Rabin (November 19, 2010)

 

Note (B): "Manic Pixie Dream Girl Facebook Page" - (Joined February 27, 2011)

 

Note (XXX): "_____" - _____ (_____)

 

=================================================================================

 

Misc. Articles

 

WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE - "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"

 

"Forever Your Girl - The Legacy of Helen Andelin's Fascinating Womanhood" - Bitch Magazine Website / Holly Welker (c. February 14, 2010)

 

"The Week the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Broke" - The Atlantic Wire / Esther Zuckerman (July 27, 2012)

 

"Random Thoughts on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl" - Basket of Kisses Website / MarlyK (December 10, 2012)

 

"The Male Gaze and the Manic Pixie" - Summersault Magazine Website / Torie Rose DeGhett (December 13, 2012)

 

"_____" - _____ (_____)

 

=================================================================================

 

Misc. Videos

 

"Turn Your Life Around With Help From Manic Pixie Prostitute" - The Mary Sue Webstie / Rebecca Pahle (December 6th, 2012)

 

"State Home for Manic Pixie Dream Girls" - You Tube Video / NaturalDisastronauts (March 1, 2012)

 

"_____" - _____ (_____)

=================================================================================

http://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/im_sorry_for_coining_the_phrase_manic_pixie_dream_girl/

 
99. A Million Ways To Die In the West (2014)
--->(Charlize Theron) (__)

=================================================================================

????????

 
100. This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
--->(Rose Byrne) (__)

=================================================================================

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9hnBfQmSl8

(1) Ruby Spark; (2) The Perks of Being a Wallflower; (4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; (5) Garden State

=================================================================================

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/entertainment/the-10-manic-pixie-dream-girls-of-hollywood/