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