memories of women in film and television this year from Alyssa Rosenberg…Susan Wloszczyna, Christy Lemire and Sheila O’Malley will discuss 1980s cult film “Ms. 45.” Anne Elizabeth Moore will discuss lesbians and male directors in connection with “Blue is the Warmest Color.” Joyce Kulhawik will review “Nuclear Nation,” Sheila O’Malley will review “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” Marsha McCreadie will review “Punk Singer,” and there will be eight more reviews from our talented women critics.
Manic Pixie Dream Girls — Christy LeMire’s Top Five
Posted on August 2, 2013 at 3:59 pm
I am so happy that Christy Lemire, former movie critic for AP, now has her own website and I look forward to checking in often to see what she has to say. One of her first posts is about the popular concept of the “manic pixie dream girl,” first described in those terms by critic Nathan Rabin in discussing the Kirsten Dunst character in the Cameron Crowe film, “Elizabethtown.” This is the female character who represents the Life Force, adorkably quirky and given to spontaneous outbursts and impulsive childlike whims.
I’m not as bothered by the manic pixie dream girl as some people. For one thing, the idea of a Life Force changing the direction of a play-by-the-rules type has been around as long as there have been stories. The conflict between characters representing the id and superego has been played out endlessly, going back to ancient myths and fairy tales. Screwball comedies like “Bringing Up Baby” and “Nothing Sacred” are classic examples, and yet no one calls Katharine Hepburn or Carole Lombard manic pixie dream girls. Of course there are manic pixie dream boys as well — think of William Holden in “Picnic,” Melvin Douglas in “Ninotchka” and “Theodora Goes Wild,” and Burt Lancaster in “The Rainmaker.” Even the dull Vince Vaughn movie “The Internship” this summer featured a Life Spirit character who had to show the overly serious Rose Byrne how to find joy in life.
And I’d much rather watch a manic pixie dream girl than her far less interesting counterpart, the arrested development boy-man so often portrayed by Adam Sandler and the entire Judd Apatow repertory company. Vince Vaughn’s “Internship” character counts twice because he was also in the arrested development category. Even worse is the female character often matched with those perpetual pubescents, the thankless role of the “Johnny, when will you grow up?” nanny/schoolmarm types. I felt very bad for Mila Kunis in “Ted,” a very talented comic actress who was relegated to that overdone character.
Christy Lemire lists five of her favorite manic pixie dream girls. Mine include Jane Fonda in “Barefoot in the Park,” Katharine Hepburn in “Bringing Up Baby,” Goldie Hawn in “Cactus Flower” and “Butterflies are Free,” Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Stranger than Fiction” (bonus points for making her not so stereotypically free-spirited that she can’t still be a meticulous and organized small business owner), and Barbara Stanwyck in “The Lady Eve.”
I am thrilled that I have been invited to be one of the correspondents for Roger Ebert’s new show, “Ebert Presents At the Movies.” With AP’s Christy Lemire and the 24-year-old Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of MUBI.com as co-hosts and Roger and his wife Chaz producing, it is sure to be informative, provocative, and illuminating viewing for anyone who cares about movies. The show will also feature Kim Morgan of Sunset Gun, who also writes essays for MSN Movies, and authors and runs MSN’s daily film blog, the Hitlist, my friend Omar Moore of Popcorn Reel and more. It is a great honor to be included. Stay tuned for updates about the show!
“This is the rebirth of a dream,” said Ebert, who partnered in recent years with Richard Roeper before cancer robbed him of the ability to speak. He said he will act as co-producer and employ a computer voice to appear on every episode with segments titled Roger’s Office devoted to classic, overlooked and new films.
