In my own weird way, I don’t mind most movie cliches. Yes sometimes they annoy me, but for the most part I accept them. I’m always delighted when my expectations are subverted. But there is one cliche I freaking HATE.
The manic pixie dream girl. I HATE HATE HATE IT.
From Wikipedia : Film critic Nathan Rabin, who coined the term after seeing Caroline "Miss" English in Elizabethtown (2005), describes the MPDG as "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."[
I found the inherently misogynistic nature of this character insulting.
Along comes RUBY SPARKS from Fox Searchlight, a film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Written by Zoe Kazan. Running time: 104 minutes. Rated R (for for language including some sexual references, and for some drug use).
We meet Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) a tortured young writer (we know he’s tortured because he wears black rimmed glasses, slouchy cardigans, and types on a manual typewriter) still riding the success of his first novel (he is clearly very wealthy, he lives in a two story house with a pool and a sweeping view of LA) but tormented by writers block. A visit to his shrink (Elliot Gould) reveals he takes almost no responsibility for his life. He feels his first novel was a freak occurrence, he’s still bitterly angry at his first girlfriend and he is disappointed in his dog. Yes you read that last sentence right. He obtained the terrier named Scotty because he thought it would lead to him meeting girls in the park. Turns out the dog doesn’t like strangers.
His muse comes to him in a dream. An ethereal backlit beauty played by Zoe Kazan (who also wrote the screenplay) looking disturbingly like a red headed Zooey Deschanel right down to her freakishly large Japanese anime blue eyes. Calvin names her Ruby and begins to write about her. He then awakes one morning to find her in his kitchen wearing an appropriately adorable pair of striped panties. Is she real? Yes Calvin’s brother Harry can see her.
Calvin realizes he can control her by writing about her (he types out that she speaks french and she instantly does) and declares he won’t write another word. This of course doesn’t last long.
I have no doubt Zoe Kazan as a young actress in LA has experienced a considerable amount of degrading treatment. From cutting remarks about her looks to people trying to manipulate her feelings. One of the most important aspects of the manic pixie dream girl is she has no life of her own. No job, no family, no friends, no interests, no desires beyond serving the man in her life. As Ruby starts to exist outside of Calvin’s mind. Taking an art class, eating dinner with friends Calvin can’t cope and starts to malnipulate her again. While the studio will no doubt sell this as a Rom Com its much more of dark fantasy with teeth. It touches on but alas doesn’t really explore Calvin’s desire to control the women in his life and his failure to take responsibility for his own happiness. When Calvin runs into his ex girlfriend at a party we start to see how deep his delusions lay and his shocking capacity for cruelty.
The performances are wonderful, even the supporting performances. I really liked this movie I just wish it had the courage to go past the rom com mold into the the dark and dramatic character study it touched on.
Do I reccomend this? I'm honestly not sure.
http://www.youtube.com/user/foxsearchlight?v=xb3_AE-UinY
