manic pixie dream girl

noun
/ˈmænɪk ˌpɪksi ˈdɹiːm ɡɜːl/UK/ˈmænɪk ˌpɪksi ˈdɹim ˌɡɝl/US

Etymology

Coined by the American film and music critic Nathan Rabin (born 1976) in a 2007 review of Elizabethtown (2005) to describe the character Claire Colburn played by Kirsten Dunst: see the quotation.

Definitions

  1. A stock female character, typically characterized as a bubbly, quirky free spirit, whose…

    A stock female character, typically characterized as a bubbly, quirky free spirit, whose main purpose within a narrative is to teach a young male protagonist to embrace the mysteries and adventures of life.

    • Looking for a new apartment, he cute-meets Sofia (Dolores Fonzi), a young woman with a pink bicycle helmet, yellow tights, a vaguely exotic background and all the other signs of manic-pixie-dream-girl status.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA