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The “manic pixie dream girl” trope was first described by nathan Rabin after disliking Kristen Dunst’s character in Elizabethtown (2005) and has grown to have a massive life of its own, inspiring much praise and criticism. To start, a definition: the manic pixie dream girl serves to help a usually brooding male protagonist experience the whimsy of life and to seek out the adventures that the universe holds. This female character is usually quirky or “adorkable” (guess who that may be) while helping the male lead, through a romantic relationship, grow and learn important lessons. She has no inner life and lives to serve her leading actor. While the term was coined circa 2007, the archetype has been around for a while and has caused many intrepid critics and theorists to delve into the cinematic archives and search for previous examples. Some critics have labeled the titular Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) from Woody Allen’s 1977 classic, Annie Hall, a prime specimen for this trope. But while Annie Hall may indulge in some manic pixie dream girl quirks, she is not a member of this trope.

Annie Hall differs greatly from the archetype because she is a three-dimensional human being with dreams and hopes that differ from solely improving Alvy Singer’s (Woody Allen) life. She yearns to be a singer and takes tangible steps to achieve her goal, like performing in night clubs, and breaking up with Alvy to move to Los Angeles for career possibilities. Annie Hall grows more than the male protagonist she is supposed to help, and thus breaks away from a crucial tenement of the manic pixie dream girl. Both characters work in tandem to help each other improve in life; it is not the one-way street found in most manic pixie dream girl films. Alvy puts Annie Hall in contact with a therapist and encourages her to perform and sing live. Annie changes Alvy Singer’s negative views on relationships which leads to his “we all need the eggs” ending monologue. The film’s characters are allowed to grow and mature which ultimately leads to the end of their relationship.

How can one accuse Annie Hall of being a manic pixie dream girl when Diane Keaton has admitted that the character is a better version of herself? (Combine that with the fact Diane Keaton’s real last name is “Hall” and her nickname was Annie, and the plot thickens). Diane Keaton says that Annie Hall was “a more affable version of herself.” When critics call Annie Hall a manic pixie dream girl, the term gets passed on to Diane Keaton and becomes an indictment of her personality. We know this is false because Diane Keaton is a national treasure, and has always been a bit loopy (this clip from The Colbert Report (2005) proves that point rather swimmingly.)

If Annie Hall were to hear these accusations about her person she would simply respond with a “la di da la di da,” and the offending person would leave knowing they were so very, very wrong.