Stargirl: Manic Pixie Dream Girl

I remember reading the book Stargirl when I was in elementary school. It was one of the few books that kept me engaged the entire time, so when I heard they were adapting it into a movie I was interested to see how they would tell the story onscreen.


Something I never realized until getting older and watching more films is that Stargirl is the poster child for manic pixie dream girls. She has an eccentric sense of style and carries around a ukulele. Her clothing stands out among the drab, dull setting. The pressures of high school don't seem to bother her and she is in her own universe. Her purpose is to change the lives of those around her. Through the eyes of Leo, she is a magical creature. There is something about Stargirl.


Stargirl is directed by Julia Hart and stars Grace VanderWaal. Stargirl shows up out of nowhere at an Arizona high school. She was homeschooled which only seems to further the mpdg trope. When she does show up it feels like she came from the sky with a mission. Leo first sees her across a crowded football field and falls in love.


She doesn't care what people think and unlike other high school movies, everyone falls in love with her for not conforming. She serenades kids and no one is ever mean to her. Even her presence at football games gives the team luck to start winning. She helps Leo come out of his shell by teaching him everything about himself.


VanderWaal plays the character without any purpose, there doesn't seem to be anything igniting Stargirl. The audience never gets to know her. Leo falls in love with her eccentricity, but randomly decides he wants her to be normal. This storyline is handled poorly that we don't understand why.


Stargirl shines with its feel of innocence and adolescence for younger generations watching it. The pacing and acting work well but it would have been better if the point of view was expanded to get a better understanding of the characters past the book's limitations.