We’re all aware of the “manic pixie dream girl” character by now. Nathan Rabin, the critic who coined the phrase, describes her as, “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.” While some contemporary MPDGs may be easy to spot in films like 500 Days of Summer and Garden State, the trope has actually been around for quite awhile. Just check out this video of 75 years of MPDGs if you need proof!
I’m not quite sure that all of these are MPDGs; after all, in The Sound of Music, Maria is clearly the most well-developed character and doesn’t just play a supporting role to Captain Von Trapp. And where in the world is Juno MacGuff, or Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim? Nonetheless, the video was a fun watch, if only to be reminded of some cinematic classics that I need to re-watch. [via HyperVocal]
What do you think of this mashup?
guest
Ramona Flowers is more real than, say, Zooey Deschanel’s dumb character in 500 Days of Summer. She isn’t a bubbly girl, just a mysterious, guarded one. And Scott Pilgrim, at least in the beginning of the series, is not at all brooding and deep. He’s actually more of a man-boy who tends to break ladies’ hearts and not understand when he’s hurt them.
Same with Juno. I’d consider her more of a real girl than the MPDG type.
guest
@blackspiders@xanga - Yeah…Juno??? Eh I dunno.