By Sadie Shepherd
While the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) was first coined in 2007, it is a trope that can be found across media, past and present. An MPDG is a female character who exists solely to reinvigorate the male protagonist through her sense of adventure and quirkiness.
At first glance, the book ‘Stargirl’ seems like it would be the perfect example of this trope. The book follows Leo Borlock in his junior year of high school and shows the relationship he forms with the ever-interesting new girl, Stargirl Caraway.
Like her name suggests, Stargirl is unlike anyone Leo has ever met. From her pet rat Cinnamon, who she constantly carries around, to the way she serenades every student on their birthday, Stargirl disregards social norms in favor of what she wants to do.
Much like how an MPDG would, Stargirl begins to affect Leo and how he views what “normal” is. Stargirl, though – rather than being a side character written out of convenience to drive the plot home – is the entire reason for the story. We get to know and appreciate her for more than just her relationship with Leo.
While the book is able to escape the entanglements of the MPDG trope, the movie – released on Disney+ on March 13 – manages to do the exact opposite.
Stargirl is played by ukulele-wielding Grace VanderWaal, winner of “America’s Got Talent” season 11. Although the book’s take on its namesake shows her with a true non-conformist attitude, VanderWaal’s version seems to walk the line of odd and trendy in the age of 2020.
Rather than frolicking on the football field during a game and kicking the ball herself like in the book, the movie shows Stargirl strum her ukelele while she crosses the field singing her rendition of “Be True to Your School” by the Beach Boys.
Instead of Stargirl’s personal choices affecting people inadvertently, her actions in the movie seem to be strategic and inauthentic, ruining the entire point of her marching to the beat of her own drum. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the movie is too short for us to truly get to know Stargirl, and thus she is easily reduced to being Leo’s muse.
Perhaps the main difference between the book and its film adaptation is in the ending. In the book, Leo reflects on his relationship with Stargirl in a bittersweet, longing way, while Leo in the movie is left happy and inspired even when Stargirl makes her exit from his life – proving that you can’t truly miss a character who was only meant to be a plot device.