It is a type of character typically found in charming movies about uptight but sweet-at-heart men who need to loosen up a little. The stuffy, risk-averse protagonist plods boringly through life until his depressing routine is interrupted by the appearance of the MPDG, who proceeds to remove the proverbial stick from his bottom and restore in him a childish sense of wonder. Think Natalie Portman in Garden State or Zooey Deschanel in Yes Man. The MPDG is charming, cute and carefree, but doesn't necessarily need much backstory or character development of her own.
Sophia Marlowe of Girlboss (new to Netflix) is not a manic pixie dream girl in the true sense, being a protagonist with her own desires and motivations rather than a plot device in a man's story, but one gets the sense that the writers, and perhaps the character, are striving for a manic pixie vibe.
Sophia (Britt Robertson) is cute, quirky, doesn't follow the rules and refuses to grow up, because ``adulthood is where dreams go to die''. Dressed in stylish vintage outfits and armed with abundant self-confidence and nerve, she freewheels through life with determined self-sufficiency and a cheerful lack of regard for those around her.
Unfortunately for Sophia, real life is beginning to catch up with her. With an eviction notice on her door, and having lost her job after finally wearing out the patience of her long-suffering manager, she finds herself in need of a new way to make a living, lest she be forced to move back in with her dad, Jay, played by Dean Norris (Breaking Bad). In a moment of inspiration, she lists her latest op-shop find, a vintage leather jacket, on eBay to make some quick cash. The immense success of the auction convinces her that this is how she can make her living, the path to her goal of finding ``a way of growing up without becoming a boring adult''.
Girlboss presents itself as a ``real loose'' retelling of true events, based on the autobiography of businesswoman Sophia Amoruso. The subject matter has potential, but overall the show falls flat. I get the sense Sophia is supposed to be likeable despite her flaws, but the character isn't really interesting enough to avoid just coming across as a jerk (and she is constantly stealing things! Stealing isn't cute! It just makes you a jerk!). I enjoyed some of the minor characters, such as dramatic art school student Nathan (Cole Escola) and earnestly passionate drycleaner Edwin (Jun Hee Lee), but these weren't enough to save the show for me.
This manic pixie was not my dream girl.
