Tropes vs. Women: #1 The Manic Pixie Dream Girl

What are examples of the trope where the MPDG isn't white? That would actually be kind of cool.

That's just my opinion, but I think that Garden State's Sam clearly has a family that is shown, her life and her problems are discussed (her job, her epilepsia, her lying, her pets, her dancing, her taste in music), she isn't perfect. I like her and I don't think she is a shallow or flat character, whose sole purpose of being in the film is to 'save' the male protagonist, I feel like they are both 'saving' or helping each other (which is the sort of love story I like and can relate to), and that the film would have worked too (I might be wrong) if it was written out of her perspective (then, of course, one could point out her need for a saviour). However, it was written by Zach Braff, as something (allegedly) half-autobiographical, so it's understandably written out of his. There certainly is a lack of (good) films written from a female perspective and there is this annoying MPDG trope, but I'm not sure if Sam is a perfect example for it. I probably am biased, however, because I love Garden State and can relate to it so much (having a depressed/psychotic mum, taking antidepressants myself - which do not change your personality btw -, liking the Shins, the earlier seasons of Scrubs, Natalie Portman, feeling lost sometimes, and having found a lovely, quirky boyfriend who against all odds acctually likes me in my grumpiness), even though I know how most movies are written to make you want to identify with the protagonist.

Apart from that, thank you very much for your blogs here and your youtube-channel, I enjoy them a lot :)
(Also, please excuse potential grammar/spelling mistakes, English is not my mother tongue)

Why can't women inspire men to write a movie or paint a picture or sing a song? Would it be any less offensive if a woman inspired another woman? Or if a man inspired another man?

As a female artist myself a huge source of inspiration stems from gender studies and I am fascinated with the male form. My photographic representation of the men is not sexist. I think this video is over generalizing men who are inspired by women.

Yes women are writers and directors and everything else and men should respect that. But we should all be inspiring each other and looking into everyone's perspective of each other not automatically bashing a female character simply because she is partnered with a male protagonist. A female character can still be a round, honest, and interesting character and still help the plot flow along in a movie where the main character is a male.

Honestly I'm more disappointed in the portrayal of women in movies where they are the main character and the men are simply there to sweep them off their feet.

The one subset of MPDG that drives me into a rage is the completely invasive, unethical, going-to-take-over-your-life version. In Something Wild the MPDG kidnaps the boring guy; in Sweet November she cries rape in front of his neighbors to coerce him into engaging illegal activities with her. But, you know, the guy needed it, because he suffered from the ultimate sin of not being as delightfully quirky as the felonious heroine. CREEEPY, but it's played as romantic comedy. 

This piece makes me feel very sad inside. And a bit angry, actually.

Because the characters you're slating as so terrible and unrealistic are the characters my friends compare *me* to, the characters I love to see because they make me feel like being me is okay and not freakish and weird.

The trope of female character/love interest as catalyst for male journey of self-discovery is one that you can criticise without attacking specific personality types, especially since it's one that has a heavy degree of intersectionality with similar treatment of characters from minority or disempowered groups. They may not be "manic pixie dream girls" - which, seriously, kiss my manic pixie ass - but there's a near-infinite selection of female characters and characters of colour who exist solely to inspire the hero's journey of self-discovery. Singling out one character archetype is a bit pointless, and kind of insulting to me, as the kind of person whose friends will, in response to some of things I do, laugh and say things like: "*Such* a pixie."

i looooooved this video blog and have been trying to bring this touchy subject in film up for years. I am in no way surprised by the hyper-defensive comments I have read thus far.

Ohh...how troubling it must be to be white, waif like, and 'interesting.' *snore.*

Great video, very well-done! That trope has been around for centuries and it's time for it to end!

wow, I can even think of some more: Along Came Polly (maybe even There's Something About Mary), Forces of Nature, Pretty Woman...

I agree though that I don't think it's bad that women inspire some men - the problem is so many men dominate film and let their own tropes play on in our national subconscious. Clearly we need more women making films, more good female characters, and more women-centered plots.

Great video! MPDG really gets to me for some reason.
I think the only example I wouldn't wholly agree with here is that of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind b/c there is a scene where Winslet's character tells Carrey's character that men think she's going to fix them and she's not. that she's just as fucked up as anyone else.

Please do one of these on the mother character in Terrence Malick's Tree of Life!!!! (and characters like her--so many.)

I couldn't agree more with your deconstruction manic pixie dream girl trope, but I have more to add. My comment was too long, so I wrote a blog post on it. Have a read: http://scottkobewka.com/2011/07/15/an-open-letter-to-bitchmedia-and-femf...

The complaint seems to be that women are depicted solely as a muse for men and that women's personal interests and contributions to the world are not acknowledged. Why leave this to male writers and directors? Men don't see women's lives the way women do. Note the word *dream* in Manic Pixie Dream Girl. It is a mythological image of the female, idealized. Most men realize that women have talents and aspirations outside of their relationships with men or romantic others, but this is not what the male in the movie is focused on. We, the audience, are seeing the world, and the woman, from his perspective. This is not to say that how he sees the woman is exactly how she is in reality. While movies might strive to represent reality in some way, we have to remember that they are only a representation. The problem is when people forget that the "reality" of a film is not an objective one. I think that almost every woman has a bit of MPDG in her that may only exist with a particular person and at a particular time in her life. The MPDGs in these films might only be this way with these particular men, but we will never know that because it is from the males' perspectives. If we want the female perspective, a woman needs to create such a film. But this seems to defeat the purpose. I say let the guys have their MPDG....

Anita needs to work a little more eye rolling condescension into her videos. It's so charming.

I'm confused.... Anita seems to have a problem with the MPDG not being portrayed as a "full human being", and only being used to further the male lead's role, but isn't that true of any sidekick in any movie? Can you say any secondary character gets to be a "full human being," male or female?
And what's wrong with being a muse? People can't inspire others by just being themselves? If a woman inspires another woman, or a man is inspired by another man, is s/he objectifying them automatically?

This video uses a clip of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" but Kate Winslet's character is in fact a comment on the manic pixie dream girl. The brilliance of that script is examining that cliche as a real person transforming her from a haircut into a complex and flawed character. There's a key line of dialogue that sums this up:

"Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours."

Also, i think men can just be as easily be muses for women. I think the definition of the word has moved on from being gender specific.