I just finished writing my book club post for A Room with a View, and had an idea that begged to be its own blog post, inspired by a spur-of-the-moment comparison of lead characters Lucy and George to Summer and Tom in (500) Days of Summer:
Summer is the type of character often referred to as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG). MPDGs are not an actual female stereotype, but a character in films described as “that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach brooding soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures [Nathan Rabin, here].” Basically, think of any film where a hipster/intellectual type believes his life will never turn around, but then he meets a crazy girl who does her own thing, and falls in love with her. She teaches him to love life, and likes him for being so sensitive and adorable and usually somewhat nerdy, and all is good in the world.
Some MPDGs in film history:
Then I got to thinking: is there such thing as a Manic Pixie Dream Guy? Is there a stock character that is caring and smart and kind of a bad boy that exists solely in the imaginations of writer-directors to teach melancholy soulful young women to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures? And then it hit me:
Ryan Gosling.
Okay, not the real Ryan Gosling, but the fictionalized version of him that has spurned millions of “Hey Girl” memes all over the internet. Smart. Attractive. Sensitive. Swooned over by women everywhere. He is the male version of America’s favorite MPDG, Zooey Deschanel. (Sidenote: if someone made a quirky romantic comedy starring them both, scored with songs by bands like Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, and filmed it all in a sunny Instagram-like filter, would the indie world implode? Also, does anyone know a Hollywood producer I can pitch this idea to?)
I did a quick Google search to see if anyone else had thought of this yet (how has no one thought of this??) and the closest thing I found was a list posted by an anonymous user in response to a question similar to mine [read it here]. Taking from their list and mine, some popular examples are:
I’m dubbing this guy the Adorkable Maverick Dream Boy™ (patent pending)*. He’s cute, smart, free-spirited, and wears button-down shirts, often plaid. He’s the guy who convinces the wallflower that she’s beautiful or makes the nice girl realize that the heartthrob she’s crushing on isn’t really her type. Best-case scenario he has an accent (British, Southern, Canadian, it doesn’t really matter). The AMDB might start out as the best friend or even the enemy but eventually escapes the friend zone to become the love interest. He tends to be the one that the girl realizes has been there for her all along and that helps her learn how to be the best version of herself. Much like the MPDG, the AMDB is primarily in the story to be the romantic interest of the lead character, although in both cases it is sometimes hard to tell who really is the focal point of the story.
Am I on to something here? Is there a case for a male version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or is the Adorkable Maverick Dream Boy just wishful thinking?
*Not really, but if this term goes viral, I want credit at least on Wikipedia for coining it!
Summer is the type of character often referred to as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG). MPDGs are not an actual female stereotype, but a character in films described as “that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach brooding soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures [Nathan Rabin, here].” Basically, think of any film where a hipster/intellectual type believes his life will never turn around, but then he meets a crazy girl who does her own thing, and falls in love with her. She teaches him to love life, and likes him for being so sensitive and adorable and usually somewhat nerdy, and all is good in the world.
Some MPDGs in film history:
 |
| Natalie Portman in Garden State, Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot |
Ryan Gosling.
Okay, not the real Ryan Gosling, but the fictionalized version of him that has spurned millions of “Hey Girl” memes all over the internet. Smart. Attractive. Sensitive. Swooned over by women everywhere. He is the male version of America’s favorite MPDG, Zooey Deschanel. (Sidenote: if someone made a quirky romantic comedy starring them both, scored with songs by bands like Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, and filmed it all in a sunny Instagram-like filter, would the indie world implode? Also, does anyone know a Hollywood producer I can pitch this idea to?)
I did a quick Google search to see if anyone else had thought of this yet (how has no one thought of this??) and the closest thing I found was a list posted by an anonymous user in response to a question similar to mine [read it here]. Taking from their list and mine, some popular examples are:
 |
| Chris O'Dowd in Bridesmaids, Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, Ryan Gosling in The Notebook, James Marsden in 27 Dresses, Jimmy Stewart in The Shop Around the Corner |
I’m dubbing this guy the Adorkable Maverick Dream Boy™ (patent pending)*. He’s cute, smart, free-spirited, and wears button-down shirts, often plaid. He’s the guy who convinces the wallflower that she’s beautiful or makes the nice girl realize that the heartthrob she’s crushing on isn’t really her type. Best-case scenario he has an accent (British, Southern, Canadian, it doesn’t really matter). The AMDB might start out as the best friend or even the enemy but eventually escapes the friend zone to become the love interest. He tends to be the one that the girl realizes has been there for her all along and that helps her learn how to be the best version of herself. Much like the MPDG, the AMDB is primarily in the story to be the romantic interest of the lead character, although in both cases it is sometimes hard to tell who really is the focal point of the story.
Am I on to something here? Is there a case for a male version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or is the Adorkable Maverick Dream Boy just wishful thinking?
*Not really, but if this term goes viral, I want credit at least on Wikipedia for coining it!
