Near the beginning of the script, there’s paragraph explaining the female lead’s motivation, and in Max’s handwriting were the words: Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I wondered what that meant, so I Googled it and smiled when I discovered that it was a term used to describe the female lead in one of my favorite movies: “Elizabethtown.”
I loved that story and I loved the character played by Kirsten Dunst. I remember the first time I saw it, thinking it was the quirkiest and most romantic movie I could remember seeing. It was all real-life situations, but it truly was a fairy-tale love story and a story about a man finding out who he really is…with the help of a girl who appeared out of nowhere just at the right time.
When I got to the end of the script there was a note from Max, directing me back to that paragraph, just in case I had missed it. He wrote:
You’ll see why I never made this movie. Someone had already done one like it. But this remains my favorite thing I’ve ever written. You’re the only person on the planet who has seen it. – M
As much as I loved and admired her, I really had never thought of myself as anything like the character in “Elizabethtown.” But maybe to Max, that’s exactly who I was.
His dream girl.
That’s what he was telling me.
Shit. I had retreated too quickly. I hadn’t given him a chance to explain. Maybe there was nothing to the story. Maybe it was just another tabloid piece of junk journalism.
I felt so stupid. I at least owed it to Max to let him explain. I just had to.
I scrounged around for my phone, turned it on, and dialed his number. I waited through three rings….
….and then he answered: “Hello, dream girl.”