L: The Manic Pixie Dream Girls (MPDG)
by JustStone | created - 17 Jul 2013 | updated - 04 Feb 2023 | PublicThis is my list of all the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) films I think really define what the MPDG is, so no Eternal Sunshine or Annie Hall here. What is MPDG you might ask? well as Nathan Rabin who coined the term has stated they are "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."
In my opinion, the MPDG solely exists (like a come to life fairy/angel/muse or ahem, pixie) to remind the lonely, sad, depressed, existential, misanthropic, young man what life and love is really all about, and occasionally act as a muse to reignite their creativity. They are sometimes sporting a pixie hair cut, and act like a child in an arrested development who is carefree and has no character arch or emotions except for happy, cheerful, and whimsical. They exist as a one-dimensional character, only to get the male protagonist out of his slump which is whatever the current state of his dull life.
Films I didn't include because I don't think they fit for whatever reason:
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Annie Hall
- Harold And Maude
- I Love You Alice B. Tolkas
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- Something About Mary
- Breakfast at Tiffany's
- Bringing up Baby
- French New Wave (Jules & Jim/Breathless/A Woman is a Woman)
- Some Like it Hot
- Almost Famous
- Weird Science
- The Apartment (or any Shirley MacLaine film)
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Joe Versus The Volcano
- The Palm Beach Story/It Happened One Night
- Autumn in New York
- Two Lovers
- Moonlight Mile
- The Last Kiss
- LA Story
- Happy Go Lucky
- Amélie
- Along Came Polly
- Petulia
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
- It's Kind of a Funny Story
- The Baxter
- Youth in Revolt
- Xanadu* (*actual muse)
Here is my list (categorized by year), comment if you think I should add a film or if I missed any important ones!
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- Movies or TV
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1. Roman Holiday (1953)
Passed | 118 min | Comedy, Romance
A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power
Votes: 147,752
I'm not adding Breakfast at Tiffany's because I think Audrey Hepburn is more of a MPDG in Holiday than she is in Tiffany's. Just my opinion.
2. Paris When It Sizzles (1964)
Approved | 110 min | Comedy, Romance
The sprightly young assistant of a Hollywood screenwriter helps him over his writer's block by acting out his fantasies of possible plots.
Director: Richard Quine | Stars: William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, Grégoire Aslan, Raymond Bussières
Votes: 9,466
Audrey plays a different kind of MPDG here, the kind the helps the protagonist write a script instead of one that helps him get over depression or mundane existence or whatever. Its an understated performance and I love this film!
3. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
G | 106 min | Comedy, Romance
Paul, a conservative young lawyer, marries the vivacious Corie. Their highly passionate relationship descends into comical discord in a five-flight New York City walk-up apartment.
Director: Gene Saks | Stars: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer, Mildred Natwick
Votes: 20,504 | Gross: $19.99M
Technically not a manic pixie dream girl because Jane Fonda has settled down (and we all know MPDG's don't settle down) with Robert Redford as his wife in the film. But I'm sure she was a MPDG before they got married and her character is still pixieish, so I will give it an honorable mention.
4. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
G | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars
Votes: 27,090 | Gross: $10.47M
5. Butterflies Are Free (1972)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A blind man moves into his own apartment against the wishes of his overprotective mother and befriends the freethinking young woman next door.
Director: Milton Katselas | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart, Paul Michael Glaser
Votes: 5,963 | Gross: $0.25M
Goldie Hawn was the MPDG of the 70's, hands down.
6. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
A bored New Jersey suburban housewife's fascination with a free-spirited woman she has read about in the personal columns leads to her being mistaken for the woman herself.
Director: Susan Seidelman | Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Mark Blum
Votes: 26,099 | Gross: $27.40M
Rosanna Arquette becomes a MPDG through amnesia! Madonna would later become one herself (see below)
7. Something Wild (1986)
R | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-convict husband shows up.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, George 'Red' Schwartz, Leib Lensky
Votes: 21,113 | Gross: $8.36M
A pretty run of the mill MPDG action/adventure film. Notice the short almost like pixie cut on Griffith.
8. Out of Bounds (1986)
R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Daryl's parents ship him off to the big city to live with his brother, hoping he will have a better life there. After a baggage mix-up at the airport, Daryl finds himself in possession of a drug cache, which a drug dealer wants back.
Director: Richard Tuggle | Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Jenny Wright, Jeff Kober, Glynn Turman
Votes: 2,077 | Gross: $5.10M
This is a real overlooked gem in the MPDG department. Jenny Wright owns the MPDG role in this film. If you can find it (I don't think its on DVD) rent this sucker and watch it for all its MPDG glory!
9. Who's That Girl (1987)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
The life of an uptight tax lawyer turns chaotic when he is asked to escort a young woman newly released from prison, who persuades him to help prove her innocence.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Madonna, Griffin Dunne, Haviland Morris, John McMartin
Votes: 11,072 | Gross: $7.31M
Madonna: the quintessential MPDG of the 80's. Sigh.
10. The Accidental Tourist (1988)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Amy Wright
Votes: 17,285 | Gross: $32.63M
11. L.A. Story (1991)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a wacky weatherman tries to win the heart of an English newspaper reporter, who is struggling to make sense of the strange world of early 1990s Los Angeles.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker
Votes: 34,445 | Gross: $28.86M
12. Career Opportunities (1991)
PG-13 | 83 min | Comedy, Romance
Jim is the dorky son of a local cement contractor who lives at home and has no direction. Josie is the gorgeous daughter of a wealthy businessman who dreams of leaving town. They find they have a lot in common.
Director: Bryan Gordon | Stars: Frank Whaley, Jennifer Connelly, Dermot Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney
Votes: 17,427 | Gross: $11.34M
The MPDG in a Target overnight, film.
13. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,644 | Gross: $12.28M
14. Mad Love (1995)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The wild and sexy story of two passionate young people who take to the road for the incredible adventure of their lives.
Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Chris O'Donnell, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, Richard Chaim
Votes: 6,985 | Gross: $15.45M
Well this is more of a run away love story, yet Drew is a MPDG in it, so I'll let it slide.
15. Sweet November (2001)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A workaholic executive, and an unconventional woman agree to a personal relationship for a short period. In this short period she changes his life.
Director: Pat O'Connor | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Jason Isaacs, Greg Germann
Votes: 94,616 | Gross: $25.29M
I don't like counting the ones where the MPDG is (spoiler) terminally i'll, and therefore living life to the fullest/whimsical because she has no time left, not because she is naturally this way. However Theron epitomizes the MPDG persona here, so yeah.
16. Garden State (2004)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm
Votes: 223,254 | Gross: $26.78M
The resurrection of the MPDG for the indie film/music decade.
17. The Girl Next Door (2004)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.
Director: Luke Greenfield | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Downs, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant
Votes: 240,024 | Gross: $14.59M
Oh Elisha Cuthbert, you are my favorite MPDG...even if you're a porn star.
18. Elizabethtown (2005)
PG-13 | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
During a hometown memorial for his Kentucky-born father, a young man begins an unexpected romance with a too-good-to-be-true stewardess.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin
Votes: 72,729 | Gross: $26.84M
The film that birthed the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Meh, still not the best example of one though.
19. Numb (I) (2007)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A chronically-depressed screenwriter desperately tries to cure his condition when he meets the girl of his dreams.
Director: Harris Goldberg | Stars: Matthew Perry, Lynn Collins, Kevin Pollak, Bob Gunton
Votes: 8,778
20. In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Romance
Broke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.
Director: Alex Holdridge | Stars: Scoot McNairy, Sara Simmonds, Brian McGuire, Kathleen Luong
Votes: 8,385 | Gross: $0.17M
Another missed MPDG gem. Good performances for the little indie film that could.
21. My Sassy Girl (2008)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A sweet Midwestern guy with his life planned out for himself is wooed, groomed, and ultimately dumped by a complicated, elusive gal.
Director: Yann Samuell | Stars: Elisha Cuthbert, Jesse Bradford, Austin Basis, Chris Sarandon
Votes: 20,480
Elisha Cuthbert is a repeat offender along with Hepburn, Hawn, and Deschanel.
22. Gigantic (2008)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A mattress salesman's plan to adopt a Chinese baby is augmented by the arrival of a young woman who comes to his workplace, falls asleep on one of the beds, and upon waking starts to affect his life.
Director: Matt Aselton | Stars: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Edward Asner
Votes: 9,949 | Gross: $0.10M
A pre "500 Days of Summer" Zooey Deschanel MPDG role.
23. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.
Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz
Votes: 558,553 | Gross: $32.39M
This is by far the quintessential MPDG film. Zooey Deschanel is the quintessential MPDG.
24. Ruby Sparks (2012)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A novelist struggling with writer's block finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence.
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | Stars: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas
Votes: 105,463 | Gross: $2.54M
Ah yes the anti-MPDG film. I don't care what Zoe Kazan says about these kinds of films or her social critique of the MPDG and misogyny. She still wrote a film about a MPDG. End of Story.
25. Barefoot (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The "black sheep" son of a wealthy family meets a young psychiatric patient who's been raised in isolation her entire life; he takes this naive young woman home for his brother's wedding.
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Scott Speedman, J.K. Simmons, Treat Williams
Votes: 27,071 | Gross: $0.01M
26. Flower (I) (2017)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
A sexually curious teen forms an unorthodox kinship with her mentally unstable stepbrother.
Director: Max Winkler | Stars: Zoey Deutch, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Adam Scott
Votes: 10,435 | Gross: $0.33M
27. What If (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Romance
Wallace, who is burned out from a string of failed relationships, forms an instant bond with Chantry, who lives with her longtime boyfriend. Together, they puzzle out what it means if your best friend is also the love of your life.
Director: Michael Dowse | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver
Votes: 81,713 | Gross: $3.45M
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