Nathan Rabin may have coined the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl to describe Kirsten Dunst's character in 'Elizabethtown' (a fact that was news to Kirsten), but she was hardly the first ingenue to use her feminine wiles to help a leading man find himself. From Jean Arthur to Claudette Colbert to -- perhaps most famously -- Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' the golden age of Hollywood was littered with MPDGs. To mark the 50th anniversary of 'Tiffany's,' Moviefone decided to celebrate Ms. Golightly's style, spirit, and status as the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl with an alphabetized list of cinema's finest, from A to Z. Too bad these types live only in the minds of male screenwriters because they seem really handy to have around when things are dull.
(Apologies to Shirley Maclaine, Parker Posey and Drew Barrymore, et al.)
Gallery | The Evolution of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl From Audrey to Zooey
-
A is for Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
The quintessential unobtainable girl next door, especially if you live in Manhattan. Holly Golightly isn't her real name, of course; she's a country mouse who's reinvented herself as a chic party girl who loves to sleep late, shoplift and calls her cat "Cat."
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
B is for 'Breathless,' with Jean Seberg
With her much-copied pixie haircut, Jean Seberg was as influential a cinematic icon as Audrey in 'Tiffany's.' This maddeningly elusive American girl captivates Jean Paul-Belmondo's petty criminal in Jean Luc-Godard's revolutionary new wave film. Unfortunately, pixie girls can't be counted on when things get tough.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
C is for Claudette Colbert in 'The Palm Beach Story'
What kind of wife would divorce her struggling architect husband and marry a millionaire to raise the money they need? Then introduce her ex as her brother? Definitely one who's got a touch of MPDG syndrome in this screwball comedy.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
D is for Kirsten Dunst in 'Elizabethtown'
How lucky for grief-stricken shoe designer Orlando Bloom -- who just lost his father, his job and his girlfriend -- that he meets bubbly flight attendant Claire (Dunst), a MPDG who helps him get back on track. It's like she was created just to change his life!
[Photo: WireImage] -
E is for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' with Kate Winslet
Clementine is a blue-haired breath of fresh air for Joel (Jim Carrey), but since her free spirit is of a dysfunctional stripe, so is their relationship. She's totally the dream girl you can't ever forget, even if you get your memories erased.
[Photo: Getty] -
F is for 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' with Mila Kunis
Mila's character is, to quote Jezebel, "a free-spirited nymph deposited on the shores of Hawaii in order to encourage Jason Segel to write the vampire rock puppet musical he's been fantasizing about for years."
[Photo: WireImage] -
G is for Geena Davis in 'The Accidental Tourist'
Another quirky, free spirit who comes along at just the right time to break our hero out of his funk. Muriel Pritchett takes an immediate liking to gloomy Macon (William Hurt) and hustles and bustles him into loving life again, even though there isn't much in it for her. (Other than an Oscar for Davis.)
[Photo: WireImage] -
H is for Kate Hudson in 'Almost Famous'
We present the rare Groupie Muse, who understands the sensitive rock star better than his wife and dreams of running away to Morocco. She also inspires a young rock journalist, probably forever warping his ideas about women.
[Photo: WireImage] -
I is for 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' with Emma Roberts
OK, she's more of a Depressive Pixie Dream Girl, one who nevertheless helps make a fellow teen's time in a mental ward almost fun by playing hooky in doctor's scrubs and helping him realize he wants to be an artist instead of a high-powered executive. And, hey, The Pixes are one of her favorite bands!
[Photo: Getty] -
J is for Jeanne Moreau in 'Jules and Jim'
Jeanne is one of those wild, impulsive women who only exist in the movies. This Bohemian beauty has affairs with both Jules and Jim and her quirks include dressing up like a man. (Radical for early 20th-century Paris.) The way she ends their threesome might be the ultimate manic manifesto.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
K is for Anna Karina in 'A Woman Is a Woman'
A "neorealist musical" about the (bien sur) unpredictable and unfathomable nature of women. Anna Karina, Jean Luc Godard's real-life muse and wife-to-be at the time, stars as a stripper who wants a baby and recruits the best friend of her reluctant beau for the job.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
L is for Liza Minelli in 'Arthur'
With her trademark spiky 'do, overabundance of eyeliner and bigger-than-life persona, when isn't Liza manic and pixie-ish? Definitely as would-be femme fatale in 'Cabaret,' but also as a shoplifting waitress from Queens who inspires a lonely millionaire to really live life in 'Arthur.'
[Photo: Getty] -
M is for Melanie Griffith in 'Something Wild'
The mysterious "Lulu" (not her real name) dares uptight businessman Charles (Jeff Daniels) to dine and dash, then practically kidnaps him for a sexy, shirt-ripping road trip. His life, needless to say, will never be the same.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
N is for Natalie Portman in 'Garden State'
Call us skeptical, but we kind of doubt the waiting rooms of New Jersey actually hold girls as charmingly spazzy and ready-to-save-you-from-your-funk as Natalie Portman.
[Photo: Getty] -
O is for 'One Crazy Summer' with Demi Moore
The most manic pixie in this movie is Bobcat Goldthwait, but Demi Moore's cute rock singer does inspire John Cusack's frustrated cartoonist to find love, the missing ingredient in his art school dreams.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
P is for Sarah Jessica Parker in 'LA Story'
Parker has carved out a niche as the ultimate New Yorker, but she was at her most pixie-ish as SanDeE*, a ditzy blonde Angeleno who is fond of twirling, wants to be a spokesmodel and serves as a tonic for a middle-aged Steve Martin.
[Photo: Getty] -
Q is for Jackie Q., Rose Byrne's character in 'Get Him to the Greek'
Jackie is the kind of wild girlfriend who encourages you to make a sex tape, records songs about her, er, back door, and then dumps you on national television when you've gotten sober and are no fun anymore.
[Photo: Getty] -
R is for Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman'
Those dog pound stickers that say "Who rescued who?" totally applies here, as Roberts' happy hooker saves Richard Gere from a dull, corporate life -- while he saves her from men who don't respect her. The wig probably got saved to be trotted out on special occasions.
[Photo: Getty] -
S is for Sienna Miller in 'Factory Girl'
One fashion icon plays another as Sienna took on the role of Andy Warhol It-Girl Edie Sedgwick in 'Factory Girl.' Sedgwick was a fragile muse to the pop artist and (in real life) Bob Dylan. She was always the life of the party and as eccentric, in her own way, as Warhol himself.
[Photo: Getty] -
T is for Toronto (the setting of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World')
Why Toronto? Because it's as good a place as any for a highly pitched battle for the love of a pink-wigged dream girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers). A guy would do just do about anything for someone as dreamy as her, like oh, fighting Seven Evil Exes.
[Photo: Getty] -
U is for Uma Thurman in 'Pulp Fiction'
Mia Wallace is an extreme version of the MPDG: quirky and impulsive, yes, but a lot more dangerous to your health than the average dream girl. And her retro Lulu bangs? Straight out of the MPDG playbook. (See also: Melanie Griffith in 'Something Wild.')
[Photo: Getty] -
V is for 'Vivacious Lady' with Ginger Rogers
A straitlaced professor falls for a nightclub singer and marries her in a whirlwind. He learns not only how to love, but how to stand up to his overbearing father and saves his parents' marriage into the bargain. Lesson: MPDGs can (sometimes) be good for the whole family.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
W is for 'What's Up, Doc?' with Barbra Streisand
You want your world turned upside down? Just cross paths with Judy Maxwell, who gets musicologist Howard (Ryan O'Neal) mixed up with spies and jewel thieves, disentangles him from his uptight fiancee, essentially giving his life a great big goosing.
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
X is for X-rated Elisha Cuthbert in 'The Girl Next Door'
What happens when a gorgeous ex-porn star moves in next door to Matthew (Emile Hirsch)? After a series of misadventures, he's launched on a new path that brings him fame, fortune and, of course, the hot babe that made it all possible.
[Photo: Getty] -
Y is for 'You Can't Take It With You' with Jean Arthur
Alice is the normal one in her colorfully creative family -- mom writes awful plays, sis is a dancer and dad builds fireworks in the basement -- but still manages to shake up things for levelheaded banker Tony (Jimmy Stewart), who's converted to their "happy madness."
[Photo: Everett Collection] -
Z is for Zooey Deschanel in '(500) Days of Summer'
You date a MPDG, you'll get your heart broken, but you'll have a lot of beautiful, cinematic memories. And, you'll find new inspiration to pursue your dreams, like Joseph Gordon-Levitt's aspiring architect does.
[Photo: Getty]
[Top Photo: Everett Collection]
Follow Moviefone on Twitter
Like Moviefone on Facebook
2 Comments