Tropescilloscope: Manic Pixie Dream Girl
An upbeat young woman whose love gives the brooding male hero a new lease on life. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Butt-Monkey
Anti-Villain
Deus ex Machina
Gone Horribly Right
Bound and Gagged
Took a Level in Badass
Tempting Fate
Epic Fail
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Non-Indicative Name
A Father to His Men
Expository Hairstyle Change
Ripped from the Headlines
Sadistic Choice
Horror Comedy
Composite Character
Ungrateful Bastard
Only One Name
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Heroic BSoD
Batman Gambit
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
The Cavalry
Adaptation Expansion
Badass Boast
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Insane Troll Logic
Evil Is Hammy
Corpsing
The Un-Reveal
Documentary
Trailers Always Spoil
Guile Hero
Curb-Stomp Battle
Blackmail
Plot Hole
Dying Moment of Awesome
The Stoic
Red Eyes, Take Warning
A Date with Rosie Palms
Offscreen Teleportation
Logo Joke
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
The Power of Love
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Index of Film Westerns
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Manly Tears
Drowning My Sorrows
Psycho for Hire
Faux Affably Evil
Sassy Black Woman
N-Word Privileges
The Load
Animal Motifs
Rape as Drama
And Starring
Precision F-Strike
Parental Abandonment
Pyrrhic Victory
Scare Chord
Storming the Castle
Rule of Three
Evil Sounds Deep
Canadian Movies
She's Got Legs
Gainax Ending
Fish out of Water
Reality Ensues
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Bland-Name Product
One Steve Limit
The Hero Dies
Reality Is Unrealistic
The Bully
Gender Flip
Token Minority
Evil Plan
Hong Kong Films
Dirty Old Man
Aside Glance
Hero Antagonist
Pretty in Mink
Hell Is That Noise
Drugs Are Bad
I Need a Freaking Drink
Annoying Younger Sibling
Zombie Stories
Evil Brit
Artistic License Law
Superhero
Expy
Greater-Scope Villain
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
How We Got Here
Darker and Edgier
Cat Scare
Spared by the Adaptation
Morality Pet
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Defiant to the End
Pragmatic Adaptation
The Vamp
Adaptation Name Change
The Remake
Bavarian Fire Drill
20 Minutes into the Future
Film Noir
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Daddy's Girl
Stuff Blowing Up
Left the Background Music On
The Atoner
Military and Warfare Films
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Country Matters
More Dakka
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Brick Joke
Idiot Ball
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Hope Spot
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Didn't Think This Through
Fiery Redhead
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Daylight Horror
Bolivian Army Ending
Stylistic Suck
Mythology Gag
Insistent Terminology
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Market-Based Title
Punch-Clock Villain
The '60s
Accidental Misnaming
Outrun the Fireball
Double-Meaning Title
Babies Ever After
Karmic Death
Epic Movie
Translation Convention
Captain Obvious
BrotherSister Incest
Tagline
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Rousing Speech
Handicapped Badass
The Alleged Car
She Cleans Up Nicely
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
The Hero
Villain Opening Scene
Evil vs. Evil
Major Injury Underreaction
Ghost Fiction
Mercy Kill
Gilligan Cut
In the Back
BFG
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Captain Ersatz
Fantastic Racism
Kids Are Cruel
All There in the Script
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Beta Couple
Male Gaze
An Aesop
The Dreaded
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Call-Back
Bittersweet Ending
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
A God Am I
Killed Mid-Sentence
Disney Death
Tranquil Fury
Blood from the Mouth
Fourth Date Marriage
Sinister Minister
Narrator
Darkest Hour
Chase Scene
Took a Level in Jerkass
Thriller
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Off with His Head!
Intergenerational Friendship
Psychological Thriller
Almost Kiss
Scenery Gorn
Artistic License Geography
Stealth Hi/Bye
Arch-Enemy
Mama Bear
Animated Credits Opening
Russian Films
Badass Bookworm
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Amusing Injuries
What Happened to the Mouse?
Rewatch Bonus
Break the Cutie
Badass in a Nice Suit
Artistic License Gun Safety
Science Fiction Films
Word of God
Parental Incest
Ascended Extra
Meaningful Echo
Fan Disservice
Jerkass
Enemy Mine
Light Is Not Good
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Straight Gay
My Greatest Failure
Sacrificial Lion
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Not So Different
Decoy Protagonist
Chewing the Scenery
Honor Before Reason
Auto Erotica
Show Within a Show
Martial Arts Movie
Made of Iron
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Funny Foreigner
Mundane Made Awesome
Star-Crossed Lovers
Evil-Detecting Dog
Bloody Hilarious
Yandere
Fire-Forged Friends
Award-Bait Song
Race Lift
Brutal Honesty
Disguised in Drag
Crapsack World
Taking You with Me
Downer Ending
Obviously Evil
Shipper on Deck
Action Prologue
Shout-Out
Cool Old Lady
Eagleland
Leave the Camera Running
Comically Missing the Point
Bloodless Carnage
Canon Foreigner
Final Girl
MayDecember Romance
Cool Car
HeelFace Turn
Kick the Dog
Eiffel Tower Effect
Early Installment Weirdness
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Card-Carrying Villain
Would Hurt a Child
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Malevolent Masked Men
Married to the Job
Scary Black Man
Dual Wielding
Gorn
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Air-Vent Passageway
Would Hit a Girl
Big "NO!"
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Black and Gray Morality
Cassandra Truth
The Lost Lenore
Big Brother Instinct
German Films
Agony of the Feet
No OSHA Compliance
Cool Guns
Match Cut
Boom, Headshot!
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Same Language Dub
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Knife Nut
Does Not Like Shoes
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Dark Action Girl
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Sports Stories
Evil Counterpart
Informed Ability
Love at First Sight
Villain Ball
War Is Hell
Guns Akimbo
FaceHeel Turn
Groin Attack
Cluster F-Bomb
Hollywood Darkness
Beard of Evil
Anachronic Order
Shown Their Work
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Advertised Extra
Flashback
Hidden Depths
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Take That!
Friend to All Children
Toplessness from the Back
Rule of Funny
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Chekhov's Gun
Extreme Doormat
Brainless Beauty
Dies Wide Open
Big-Bad Ensemble
The Quiet One
Dull Surprise
Green-Eyed Monster
The Mole
Genre Throwback
Red Shirt
Stealth Pun
Woman in White
Action Genre
B-Movie
Five-Man Band
Affably Evil
Make It Look Like an Accident
Race Against the Clock
Heel Realization
Improbable Weapon User
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Manipulative Bastard
Creepy Child
Wham Shot
Video Credits
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Famous Last Words
The X of Y
Artistic License History
Big Fancy House
Public Domain Feature Films
Domestic Abuse
Children Are Innocent
Time Skip
Eyepatch of Power
Red Oni, Blue Oni
The Voiceless
Chekhov's Gunman
True Companions
Combat Pragmatist
Television Movie Index
Broken Aesop
Too Dumb to Live
Anachronism Stew
Title Drop
Those Wacky Nazis
Dramedy
Eureka Moment
Break the Haughty
Laughing Mad
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Punny Name
Neck Snap
Only Sane Man
Retcon
Bottomless Magazines
Dissonant Serenity
Animal Title Index
Fatal Flaw
Posthumous Character
Christmas Movies Index
Our Zombies Are Different
Redshirt Army
Actually Pretty Funny
The Dog Bites Back
Early-Bird Cameo
Hollywood Law
Gratuitous English
Japanese Films
In Name Only
Adults Are Useless
Red Herring
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
I Have Your Wife
Anti-Hero
Kill 'em All
Armor-Piercing Question
Visual Pun
Ironic Echo
Bar Brawl
Creator Cameo
Easily Forgiven
Wrong Genre Savvy
Crucified Hero Shot
It's Personal
Rich Bitch
Cain and Abel
An Axe to Grind
Vacation Films
Deal with the Devil
Adaptation Dye-Job
Rule of Symbolism
Stepford Smiler
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Setting Update
Affectionate Parody
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Slashed Throat
Bait-and-Switch
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Mooks
Random Events Plot
Redemption Equals Death
Blatant Lies
Dressing as the Enemy
Abhorrent Admirer
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Spell My Name with an "S"
It Will Never Catch On
For the Evulz
What the Hell, Hero?
Awesome, but Impractical
The Bad Guy Wins
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Fanservice
Italian Films
Be Careful What You Wish For
British Films
The Ghost
Love Triangle
The Big Guy
Not So Stoic
Femme Fatale
Silence Is Golden
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Failed a Spot Check
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Mr. Exposition
Developing Doomed Characters
Actor Allusion
Bond One-Liner
Big Bad Duumvirate
Bowdlerise
Back from the Dead
Nice Hat
Hair-Trigger Temper
Meaningful Background Event
Dark Reprise
Freudian Excuse
Reckless Gun Usage
Red Right Hand
Sanity Slippage
Running Gag
Camp Gay
Hero of Another Story
The Ditz
Big Applesauce
Cat Fight
Casting Gag
Scenery Porn
Bare Your Midriff
Chiaroscuro
Cool Old Guy
Cloudcuckoolander
Shirtless Scene
Whole Plot Reference
Only in It for the Money
One-Man Army
Historical Villain Upgrade
Bury Your Gays
Accidental Murder
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Demonic Possession
Film Noir Index
Rasputinian Death
Dumb Blonde
Villainous Breakdown
Badass Longcoat
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Mind Screw
Film Series
Big Damn Heroes
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Fingore
Determinator
Ax-Crazy
Only Known by Their Nickname
Cowboy Cop
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Sexy Discretion Shot
No Name Given
Spanner in the Works
Shower Scene
The Cameo
From Nobody to Nightmare
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Death Glare
Insult Backfire
Eldritch Abomination
Bilingual Bonus
Adorkable
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Mexican Standoff
Police are Useless
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Berserk Button
Politically Incorrect Villain
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Biopic
From Bad to Worse
Black Best Friend
Dramatic Irony
Serial Killer
Chekhov's Skill
Double Entendre
Historical In-Joke
Dark Is Not Evil
French Films
Closed Circle
Big Bad
Mighty Whitey
Black Dude Dies First
Vitriolic Best Buds
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Undying Loyalty
Diabolus ex Machina
Historical-Domain Character
You Have Failed Me
Despair Event Horizon
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
The '90s
The '50s
Leitmotif
Plucky Comic Relief
Worthy Opponent
Bald of Evil
Bond Villain Stupidity
Oh, Crap!
Papa Wolf
Fantasy Films
Good Is Not Nice
Defrosting Ice Queen
Stock Footage
Coming-of-Age Story
Cool Shades
Evil Laugh
The Place
Jitter Cam
Motor Mouth
Dirty Cop
Overly Long Gag
Calling the Old Man Out
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
"Awesome McCool" Name
Intrepid Reporter
Smoking Is Cool
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Adult Fear
Wham Line
Jerkass Has a Point
Foregone Conclusion
The Mafia
All for Nothing
Put on a Bus
Anguished Declaration of Love
Badass Normal
Damsel in Distress
Refuge in Audacity
Homage
Revenge
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
After the End
Jerk Jock
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Fatal Family Photo
Gold Digger
One-Word Title
Hypocrite
Get Out!
Villain Song
Fake Shemp
Spiritual Successor
Fat Bastard
Noodle Incident
Body Horror
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Demoted to Extra
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Small Name, Big Ego
Horror Films
Badass Grandpa
Australian Movies
Twist Ending
Slasher Smile
Meet Cute
Slasher Movie
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Authority Equals Asskicking
Rated M for Manly
Dutch Angle
Important Haircut
The Reveal
Central Theme
Conspicuous CG
Destination Defenestration
Broken Bird
Older Than They Look
'80s Hair
Spiteful Spit
He Who Fights Monsters
Not So Above It All
Imagine Spot
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Music Stories
Retired Badass
Driven to Suicide
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Serious Business
Psychopathic Manchild
Half the Man He Used to Be
Historical Hero Upgrade
It's All About Me
Parental Neglect
Pet the Dog
The Starscream
Grievous Bottley Harm
Interrupted Suicide
Skewed Priorities
Did Not Get the Girl
Frame-Up
The Brute
I Did What I Had to Do
Large Ham
Sequel Hook
Ominous Latin Chanting
Dwindling Party
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Pimped-Out Dress
Amoral Attorney
Ambiguously Gay
Foreshadowing
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Establishing Character Moment
Poor Communication Kills
Not Using the "Z" Word
Bad Boss
Improvised Weapon
The '70s
Beware the Nice Ones
Manchild
Truth in Television
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Lighter and Softer
Disproportionate Retribution
Retirony
Dirty Coward
NO INDOOR VOICE
Genre Shift
Dark and Troubled Past
Heroic Sacrifice
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Crazy-Prepared
Adaptational Villainy
Happily Married
folderlabel
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
The Film of the Book
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Deliberately Monochrome
Humans Are Bastards
Alliterative Name
Ms. Fanservice
The Chessmaster
Not What It Looks Like
Cruel and Unusual Death
Vampire Fiction
Funny Background Event
The Dragon
Instant Death Bullet
Exact Words
Pragmatic Villainy
Room Full of Crazy
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Self-Deprecation
Earn Your Happy Ending
Nice Guy
Adaptational Heroism
Obfuscating Stupidity
Woman Scorned
Made of Explodium
Costume Porn
Bi the Way
Covers Always Lie
Attempted Rape
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Immune to Bullets
Super Strength
The Ace
Neck Lift
Crazy Jealous Guy
Hoist by His Own Petard
Knight Templar
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
The Alcoholic
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
As Himself
Police Brutality
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
The Smurfette Principle
The Stinger
Reasonable Authority Figure
Dogged Nice Guy
Real Life Writes the Plot
Monumental Damage
Last-Name Basis
Let's Get Dangerous!
The Lancer
Extremely Short Timespan
Drives Like Crazy
Only a Flesh Wound
Asshole Victim
In Medias Res
Depraved Bisexual
Ass Shove
Flipping the Bird
Wretched Hive
Works Set in World War II
Nothing Is Scarier
All Men Are Perverts
A Minor Kidroduction
Karma Houdini
No Ending
Romantic False Lead
Say My Name
Never My Fault
Dramatic Gun Cock
My God, What Have I Done?
Ambiguous Ending
Abusive Parents
Fainting
Mood Whiplash
Meaningful Name
Hate Sink
Adaptation Distillation
Due to the Dead
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Smug Snake
Author Appeal
Better to Die than Be Killed
Eye Scream
Department of Redundancy Department
As the Good Book Says...
Artistic License Military
Here We Go Again!
What You Are in the Dark
Empathic Environment
Pretty Little Headshots
Together in Death
Mr. Fanservice
Your Cheating Heart
Those Two Bad Guys
Blood Knight
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Really Gets Around
Framing Device
Face Death with Dignity
Celebrity Paradox
Betty and Veronica
La Résistance
Action Survivor
Death of a Child
Facial Horror
Death Seeker
No-Sell
Training Montage
Adaptational Badass
Maybe Ever After
MacGuffin
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Evil Is Petty
Sole Survivor
Man on Fire
Unusual Euphemism
Unreliable Narrator
Alas, Poor Villain
Continuity Nod
Villain with Good Publicity
Black Comedy Rape
Soundtrack Dissonance
And I Must Scream
Bad "Bad Acting"
Silent Movie
Death by Irony
The Smart Guy
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Riddle for the Ages
Jump Scare
Apocalypse How
Catch-Phrase
Genre Savvy
Overprotective Dad
Sealed Evil in a Can
Lampshade Hanging
Credits Gag
Vomit Discretion Shot
timeperiod
Bloodier and Gorier
Camera Abuse
Adaptational Attractiveness
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Taking the Bullet
This Is Gonna Suck
Stalker with a Crush
Call-Forward
Heterosexual Life-Partners
The Chick
Take a Third Option
The Great Depression
Your Head A-Splode
The Oner
Author Avatar
Those Two Guys
Once More, with Clarity!
Villain Protagonist
Loads and Loads of Characters
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Deconstruction
Gory Discretion Shot
Humiliation Conga
Parental Substitute
Reality Has No Subtitles
Lock and Load Montage
Protagonist Title
Anyone Can Die
Recycled IN SPACE!
Mugging the Monster
Up to Eleven
Contrived Coincidence
Henpecked Husband
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Naïve Newcomer
Cold-Blooded Torture
The Musical
Fanservice Extra
Our Vampires Are Different
Fate Worse than Death
Curse Cut Short
Re-Cut
My Beloved Smother
Death by Adaptation
Becoming the Mask
Soft Glass
Totally Radical
Not Quite Dead
And the Adventure Continues
The Casanova
Arranged Marriage
Male Frontal Nudity
Everyone Has Standards
Distracted by the Sexy
Bullying a Dragon
The Sociopath
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
World of Ham
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Bring My Brown Pants
Age Lift
All There in the Manual
Arc Words
Never Found the Body
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Have a Gay Old Time
Naked People Are Funny
Pay Evil unto Evil
Irony
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
For Want of a Nail
Romantic Comedy
Sequel Escalation
Book-Ends
Broken Pedestal
Product Placement
Missing Mom
Novelization
Mad Scientist
Loophole Abuse
Real Life
You Killed My Father
Kill It with Fire
Deadpan Snarker
The Stoner
Catapult Nightmare
The Faceless
Disappeared Dad
Big Eater
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Kubrick Stare
Rule of Cool
Artistic License Biology
An Arm and a Leg
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Moment Killer
As You Know
Black Comedy
Antagonist Title
Never Trust a Trailer
Playing Gertrude
Tap on the Head
Heroes Want Redheads
Properly Paranoid
Faking the Dead
The '80s
Disney Villain Death
Artistic License Physics
Based on a True Story
Fun with Acronyms
All Just a Dream
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
The End... Or Is It?
Creative Closing Credits
Ambiguous Disorder
Death by Sex
Grey and Gray Morality
Car Fu
Madness Mantra
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Foil
Character Development
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
It Can Think
Adapted Out
Wicked Cultured
He Knows Too Much
Line-of-Sight Name
Paper-Thin Disguise
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
I'm a Humanitarian
Mistaken for Gay
Mystery and Detective Films
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Implacable Man
Hypocritical Humor
No Antagonist
Action Girl
Sci-Fi Horror
Improbable Aiming Skills
Laser-Guided Karma
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Alpha Bitch
Every Car Is a Pinto
Even Evil Has Standards
Ship Tease