The Pixie and the Snidekick

Naming is such a primal human satisfaction.  There's no pleasure quite like the pleasure you feel when you come up with exactly the right name for someone or something -- you've just made order out of chaos and asserted your intelligence in the bargain.  There's a wonderful, palpable psychic ding! that happens when the appropriate name or phrase clicks into place: lexical justice has been served.

The next best thing to doing it yourself is hearing it done well (I remember experiencing glee mixed with an envious "why didn't I think of that?!" the first time I saw the words bromantic comedy in print).  So it's with great pleasure that I commend and bring to your attention a new term created by those stalwart cinema geeks over at the Onion's A.V. Club, used to describe a certain by-now familiar movie character type: The Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

First coined by Onion writer Nathan Rabin in a review of Elizabethtown (he was speaking of the female foil to Orlando Bloom played by Kirsten Dunst) the term is applied to that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." 

This sentient ray of sunshine sent from heaven to warm the heart and readjust the attitude of even the broodiest, most uptight male protagonist, the A.V. writers note, has its origins in the dizzy-ditzy leading ladies of the screwball era (Carole Lombard in Godfrey and Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby come to mind), but has made a resurgence in our past few decades, with Natalie Portman's "eccentric little angel" in Garden State perhaps the most iconic contemporary embodiment of the type.
  The Onion article, citing 16 examples, is a fun read, especially as it includes film clips of famous Pixies past, but you may also want to scan at least some of the Comments, which raise a few carps I'll second.  Annie Hall ultimately does not fit the type, I agree, because unlike the typical Manic Pixie Dream Girl, she doesn't give up her own autonomy to wholly support the movie's hero (and in fact, leaves him in the end -- verboten behavior for the ideal MPDG).  And as another commenter points out, the Kate Hudson character in Almost Famous is a MPDG variation -- a dream girl who remains unattainable.

You can surely come up with others to fill the gaps (Maggie Gyllenhaal in Stranger Than Fiction gets her props in the comments, and amusingly, Johnny Depp gets cited for his turn in Benny and Joon).  Clearly, the A.V.ers are onto something, but we'll leave it to future sociologists to decide why this particular fantasy figure has been so omnipresent on screen of late.  

When you read for the studios, it's inevitable that trends get in your face; depending on what movie has recently won its opening weekend, dozens of imitative specs come across your desk in quick succession.  But there are certain characters that resurface in script after script with astonishing regularity.  It was in trying to describe one such ubiquitous Spec Stock Type in coverage a week ago that I stumbled upon what I believe may be a new name of my own to add to the cinematic lexicon.

What do you call the best friend of the hero, male or female, whose primary function in the movie is to wax sardonic, to make with the zippy one-liners, to wisecrack -- often with amusing mean-spiritedness -- at the expense of the hero, heroine, or other supporting characters?

The Snidekick.

The Snidekick is a specific subset of the more general sidekick, which includes all manner of friends and foils for a protagonist, from the perpetually awed Dr. Watson, to the stalwart Sam of Lord of the Rings and Lucy's ever-gullible Ethel Mertz.  The Snidekick is distinguished by a particular sensibility -- often snarky and snippy -- that leaves no hapless hero or heroine's questionable behavior unremarked.

Leaving no turn unstoned (as Dame Diana Rigg once put it), the Snidekick thrives on the cutting verbal comeback.  It's Ed (Nick Frost) in Shaun of the Dead, snapping "Who died and made you f-cking king of the zombies?"; it's Jeff Slater (Bill Murray, a Snidekick archetype) sarcastically condemning Dustin Hoffman-as-Tootsie with "You slut!"  It's Tai (Brittany Murphy) in Clueless dissing Alicia Silverstone, "Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive."

Snidekicks transcend gender.  When it comes to being snotty, evidently men and women are equals, at least on screen.  Seinfeld got years of mileage out of boy-and-girl snidekick friction between George and Elaine (the show was a virtual snidekick bonanza).  For every posturing male potty-mouth -- say, Chasing Amy's Banky (quotes largely unprintable) -- there's a super-catty bitch like Mean Girls' Regina ("Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!").

What's unfortunate about the very notion of Snidekick is that it in some way acknowledges a tacit shallowing and superficial-izing of the venerable Sidekick character.  The well-rounded sidekick in romantic comedy (aka the male or female Buddy) can be snide, but he or she is also other things: a supportive, empathetic helpmate at core, with a necessary plot function, the sidekick covers a broad range of personalities, from the vulnerable mensch played by Carrie Fisher in When Harry... to the mordantly bitter Janeane Garofalo in Reality Bites.

The kinds of snidekicks I see showing up in spec script after spec script these days tend to be more uni-dimensional, and thus the need for the new, more specific sobriquet.  Every teen sex comedy I read, whether set in high school or in college, comes with its requisite friend trio, be it male of female -- and one of the two kicks (if not both friends of the lead) is the Snide.  Their sarcasm is their primary function, and they often have nothing but barbed attitude as a raison d'etre.

That the present day female Snidekick usually comes as part of a trio pack is clearly an attempt to replicate the success of earlier girl-fun fare like Clueless; that the male is sometimes a third musketeer but more often a leading man's #2 feels like an echo of buddy comedies like Some Like it Hot, or the lead guy w/sidekick paradigm exemplified by Woody Allen and Tony Roberts in Annie Hall.  Some notable Great Snidekicks that have preceded the present day derivatives would include:

Han Solo (Star Wars), a heroic sidekick but imminently snide-worthy, his status as a leading man-to-be presaged by his having his own snidekick, Chewbacca (whose trademark "Aaaaaargh!" is an uber-snidekick dialogue template)...
Zeus (Samuel Jackson) in Die Hard With a Vengeance ("Hey, all brothers don't know how to use guns, you racist motherfucker.")...
Rhoda of the Mary Tyler Moore show (a variant, apt to direct barbs at herself, e.g. "I don't know why I should even bother to eat this; I should just apply it directly to my hips.")...
Jeff Slater (Tootsie): "That is one nutty hospital," et al...
Cher (Alicia Silverstone) & Posse in Clueless, followed by Regina (Rachel McAdams) & Girls in Mean Girls (a meaner Clueless for the 2000s)...
Donkey (as voiced by Eddie Murphy) in the Shrek franchise...

Certain actors have honed their recent careers doing the Snidekick snap, such as Jeremy Piven (he's now got his own snidekick in gay assistant Lloyd on Entourage).  Of the many in the Appatow oeuvre (such as Superbad's Seth), notable has been Paul Rudd (who ironically was Mr. Nice in Clueless, and grew up to be positively acid-tongued in 40 Year-Old Virgin).  Judy Greer (13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses) seems poised to become the thinking woman's snidekick for this decade.

But I'll stop here, as I'm hoping my readership can add, detract, revise and annotate the list.  Have I nailed a viable type here or am I merely spinning semantical wheels?  Living RomCom wants to know.

Comments

[Christina]

I think you've definitely nailed a type. Zooey Deschanel was a snidekick in Failure to Launch. And I'd venture to say that anytime the snidekick outshines the main characters, like in Failure to Launch, you got a bad movie on your hands. I love Judy Greer - I wish someone would give her a leading role. She was great in 27 Dresses.

BTW, I recently saw 27 Dresses and it exceeded my expectations - I think it's a good rom com. (Not great, but good and satisfying.)

[James Patrick Joyce]

So would Brave Sir Robin's minstrels, in "Monty Python and...", be considered a sub-set (Group as Snidekick) of the Snidekick? Or only the singer, since the rest just backed him up?

[binnie]

Nancy Walker in "All About Eve".
Eve Arden in just about anything.

I realize I'm taking a trip in the WayBack Machine, but I'm feeling nostalgic...

[E.C. Henry]

Great post, Billy. More ammo for your next "how to book," right?

I LOVE the "pixie" and the "snidekick" as terms to be readily used when dissecting romantic comedies. We NEED a common jargon when delving into varrious works of art. And you're just the man to make such terms commonplace.

HUGE fan of Paul Rudd's work in "40 Year Old Virgin." His phrase, "Andy, ma-man," rings in my head DAILY. BUT I wouldn't necessarily call him a snidekick. He actually tries to befriend Andy and help him out. I think of him more as a straight buddy type.

You and Christina are spot on, Judy Green IS the embodyment of the snidekick on the female side. Rosie O'Donnel's character in "Sleepless in Seattle" might fit that bill too. And on the male side of the ledger I would give the nodd to Paul Giamatti as the ideal, male snidekick. Two other snidekicks who come to mind are: Dan Folger as "Stu" in "Good Luck Chuck," and Adam Goldberg as "Tony" in "How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days."

Love "pixies" in romantic comedies. In the one I just completed one of my minor characters is definatly a "pixie." Best "pixie" I can think of is Amy Adams in "Enchanted." And hey, Meg Ryan LOOKS like a pixie. And if I knew I could find one of those under a four leaf clover, baby I'd be in the field all day!

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Patrick]

Bonnie Hunt was a snidekick in at least two movies, I think she was very nearly the same character in both - Jerry Maguire and Only You.

[jamy]

I agree with Binnie, Eve Arden in every movie she ever made!

[Christian Howell]

Yes, you have hit on a type - or two. The snidekick is possibly the most annoying of all supporting characters.

They consistently harp on any failure or mistake, they spend mre of their time insulting the protag and not enough time being a friend.

They are definitely everywhere nowadays. They could be "Winston" in "Broken Flowers" but they usually turn out to be "Dignam" in "The Departed."

I think it's best called "misplaced conflict" as you can always throw in bit players or "antags" to get the brunt of the mistreatment.

I noticed this in "Good Will Hunting" also. At least the script.

I also see it too much in specs I've read at places like TriggerStreet.

We now have a name, we can now avoid it.

[Jezebel]

I have a different take on the snidekick, Christian. I think snidekicks - when motivated - provide comic relief while exposition is being delivered. In Billy's rom com book, there's a section where he discusses one role of the buddy in rom coms - to bring up objections to things the protag is thinking or doing (objections the audience might have) and let the protag answer. For example, when Aptow started filming 40 Year Old Virgin, the studio was concerned that Andy might come across creepy, like a closet serial killer. So Aptow's solution was to have the Seth Rogen character explicitly - and snidely - say that Andy might be a serial killer and address that question for the audience. Then it wasn't a problem. All of the coworkers in 40 Year Old Virgin were kind of snide and I think it worked because that trait was true to those sort of guys.

I agree snidekick characters can be annoying in less capable hands, and when not matched with the reality of what those characters would be like in a real life situation.

[matt]

Does anyone know, or has anyone ever witnessed a Snidekick in real-life?

I have a friend who is completely hilarious due to his genuine, born in the mud, snide-ness. And I love him for it. I think the 'trick' in specs is to NOT forget the other human/emotional attributes to these characters that make us love them so much.

The Pixie, IMHO, is a complete invention sometimes adopted for use by some real-life individuals when trying to be cute - but is never truly genuine.

Thanks for the post Billy, we need these to help eliminate the blindspots.

Matt.

[Patrick]

I agree with Jezebel that the snidekick is a good character. They let the main character bounce ideas off of someone, giving us some insight into what they are thinking, and they can provide comic relief and maybe balance out some sentimentality.

A badly written sidekick can really hamstring a movie - See my Super Ex-Girlfriend, Wilson's pal was so snide no human being could have tolerated that guy.

[E.C. Henry]

I (heart sign) all Matts, even if I don't see eye-to-eye with them on a given point. Justification: find one Matt you love, then extend that good feeling to the rest of the breathren.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Scott Myers]

Billy, this is a great post. And "snidekick" is a wonderful riff. Makes me think of Hobson (Sir John Gielgud), the butler to Arthur (Dudley Moore) in ARTHUR. He had a wickedly snide sense of humor -- "Thank you for a memorable afternoon, usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature." -- yet at the same time, he functioned as a wisdom / mentor character to Arthur's protagonist.

So I guess one question is can a "snidekick" character work in a script if their ONLY job is provide biting humor? That's probably the case in too many spec scripts and I doubt if that type of character provides much value to the plot / story.

Again, great post!

[Stephanie]

One of my favorite snidekicks is in the Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire film "Shall We Dance." That movie actually has a variety of sidekicks including two classic goofballs in Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore. But in this case, the snidekick is in Ginger's "gay" male companion, Jerome Cowan.

I realize that the likelihood of anyone knowing what the heck I'm talking about is very minimal, but that movie is a classic, and, if you ask me, a precursor to Rupert Everett's snidekick turn in "My Best Friend's Wedding."

Another classic snidekick is Kristin Scott Thomas' 'Fiona' in "Four Weddings and a Funeral." Now there's a way to have the snidekick actually amount to something, and perform a function in your story.

[Judith Duncan]

Hey Billy,
Great post and thanks for finding order in the chaos and giving us another little sign along the road of screenwriting, by naming the 'Snidekick'.

Cheers,
Judith

[sal]

Great post, Billy - "Snidekick" is a great label, and so apt in many films as everyone else here has already pointed out. Have to agree with Stephanie, Fiona is "$ weddings" is not only sharply acidic in her observations, but also turns out to have a vulnerability of her own, as well as a v funny relationship with her brother, which makes her more than just a sarky nit-picker.

Another one, cos she's one of my favourite under-rated actors, is Holly Aird in "Fever Pitch" - not the greatest film, but she and Mark Strong are both good snidekicks

[Christina]

Oh no! I just realized that in real life I'm never the bride, always the snidekick. Oh no!

[Heath Davis Havlick]

Good post, as usual. Two great archetypes to keep in mind. (Incidentally, I just named my kitten Pixie, and she matches your description to a T! My husband and I are enjoying our own romantic comedy with her every day.)

[mernitman]

Christina: I heart Zooey.

Either/or, Sir James: I like the way you think.

Binnie: Eve Arden!!! A snidekick Hall of Famer.

EC: Rosie in SLEEPLESS is a classic.

Patrick: Ditto re: Bonnie...

Yup, Jamy.

Christian, I lean to Jezebel's point of view.

(Thanks Jezebel!)

Matt: True that -- people in real life are rarely so stereotypical.

Patrick: True (though he WAS funny).

Scott: Totally -- I thought of Hobson as well, one of my favorite sidekicks, precisely because he was so much more than "just a sidekick." It's the ubiquity of these less-than-real-human Snidekicks that got me going on this post.

Stephanie: Eric Blore was truly one of the great classic Snides of all time.

Judith, you're welcome!

Sal: I guess that's why I see Fiona as more than Snidekick (she's actually a legitimate Buddy and Faux-Bellamy as well).

Christina: I smell a rom-com spec coming on...

Heath: Congrats on living the RomCom!

[phillip rosenberg]

I've always dreamed of being a snidekick but could never verbalize this longing. Until now. Thank you, Billy. BTW, I'd much rather be one than have one. Way more fun. Especially if you're one of the more well-balanced variety you describe.

[download movies]

What a great post, i think i just found the perfect matches between the names and the characters. A name is a powerful key to the success in the show business. Thanks for the post.