Navel-Gazing: Is Jack Dawson a Manic Pixie Dream Boy?

On the occasion of the re-release of Titanic in 3D, Amy and Allison ponder their nostalgic affinity for a young Leo DiCaprio. Why did Jack Dawson pull at the heartstrings of teenage girls everywhere (aside, of course, from his boyish bowl cut)? Was it because he existed only to save Rose from the shackles of repressive privilege? Does that make him—gasp—a Manic Pixie Dream Girl? Can boys even be MPDGs? Join us on this journey into the Heart of the Ocean , full of film theory, feminism, and teenage angst!

By DivineCaroline

Allison

Allison: Well, my parents actually had very few rules and little-to-no discipline, so my rebellion was somewhat misdirected. But the entire point of his character is that he shows up and saves Kate Winslet—literally and metaphorically. He opens her up to independence and new experiences, which is what enables her to go have this ass-kicking life. That’s classic MPDB. Amy: Plus he has that whole unstructured, free-spirit, kinda-weird thing going for him, which seems to be a tenet of Manic Pixie Dream Girls. I mean, he was friends with a one-legged French prostitute simply because she had beautiful hands. Replace “prostitute” with “bunny” and I feel like that could apply to any character that Zooey Deschanel has played.