IMDb user comments for
"Pushing Daisies" (2007)

advertisement

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 10:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Index

93 comments in total

---

192 out of 300 people found the following comment useful :-
Previews looked good but did not deliver, 4 October 2007

Author: thearm from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The show sounded VERY scripted, forced and it is following the SiFi trend of Heroes, The Lost Room, etc.... Yes, I see the creator of PD is the same as Heroes. I like the idea but I don't think it was delivered very well. There are also some problems with the first episode such as: Lee with the gift feels obligated to Chi. Why, I don't know since nobody would believe Chi if he outed Lee. Also, when Chi witnessed the guy falling off the building only to be brought back to life by Lee, a normal person would not believe what they just saw. Chi believe what he saw right away. Also, Anna was very quick to believe that Lee could bring people back to life.

I will watch the second and third episode to see how the story develops.

---

197 out of 390 people found the following comment useful :-
Not that original, 6 October 2007

Author: Arthur Shvarts from United States

For a TV show it is Original, I guess. But it's not an original concept at all. It is a complete homage to the french movie Amélie. In fact, the music in the first episode when we first meet the Aunts, is also used in the movie...I think. Anyway, I'll give this show a chance, but what bothers me about it is that it does feel like someone trying to tell a story using someone else's style. Watch Amélie and you'll see what I mean. Not that the show is bad, but it just feels like the action is there to serve the style rather, so it doesn't feel as natural. It's like to a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail. So it's almost like a writing exercise. Write a one hour TV show in the style of Amelie. That's a little bit how it feels like, so it seems a little contrived. But it's only a pilot, so they may find their own voice as the series progresses.

---

195 out of 388 people found the following comment useful :-
Interesting but flawed program, 6 October 2007
Author: earlytalkie from United States

I viewed the pilot film of "Pushing Dasies" last nite, and I found that there were some good things in the program. It is an original idea, the acting is pretty good as are the production values. What I am having a hard time with is the believability of the the characters and the script. Granted, this is a fantasy premise, but the way these formerly dead people react to being temporarily awakened is absolutely absurd. Face it, if you woke up in a morgue with a sheet over you would you calmly speak in a matter-of-fact tone about your murder or accidental death, or would you scream in terror about what was happening to you? I don't think I would be that calm. The writers need to put some more realistic reactions into this program so that the viewers can take it more seriously.

---

52 out of 103 people found the following comment useful :-
summary, 7 October 2007

Author: pancake_repairman from australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

originality: The show has a Dr Suess/Lemony Snicket influenced narration over the first five minutes explaining the complex superpower Ned was bestowed with as a child which continues sporadically throughout. The score is very effective, but perhaps a bit too reminiscent of Tim Burton's films. moral fortitude: The fact that Ned killed someone else to bring Chuck back to life is waved away as insignificant. character consistency: Chuck is presented as seeing only the bright side of everything, yet she's apparently cynical enough to assume the worst about Ned, that's he's just using her for some reward. plot holes: How the killer traced the monkeys back to the travel agent. hallmark sentimentality: You can already see the recurring emotional scenes the "couple who can't touch" concept is going to be used as fodder for. miscellaneous: The whimsical banter is appreciated for it's rarity in an increasingly regimented TV dramedy field but it often feels too academic.

---

55 out of 109 people found the following comment useful :-
Cute, but it's no Wonderfalls, 20 February 2008

Author: lulu rocky from United States

I have finally come to the realization that there will never be another Wonderfalls. As hard has Bryan Fuller may try, the magic just cannot be recreated and I will forever be forced to live with a mere 13 episodes.

That being said, I do not hate Pushing Daisies. I am actually quite fond of Pushing Daisies, but every now and then my mind will wonder off upon viewing an episode, and I cannot help but reminisce the Tyler family and Eric, the ever-so-charming bartender who Jaye was destined for. It was a PERFECT show. FLAWLESS.

so...what have we learned?

1.) If you have not seen Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies will strike you as innovative and vastly original (so you can watch)

2.) If you are a huge, or even minor, fan of Wonderfalls, you will most likely find that Pushing Daisies is entertaining, but miss Lee Pace as Aaron Tyler, and be constantly annoyed by Anna Friel who does not bare the same wit, attitude, or charm as the beloved Jaye Tyler (so it really is not worth your time unless you are a die-hard Pace or Fuller fan)

---

1 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Life. Dead. Life again...., 21 July 2008

Author: Lily Ross from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

'Pushing Daisies' is the great new show by Bryan Fuller, the creator behind 'Wonderfalls' and 'Dead Like Me'. Well, since both of those shows are gone, one can't help but assume that the interesting concept of 'Pushing Daisies' isn't in some way inspired by it. Life, Dead, Life again... 'Pushing Daisies' is the story of pie-maker Ned who has the inexplicable ability to bring the dead back to life....with rules:

1. Touch a dead person once and they come back to life.

2. Touch them a second time and they go back to being dead, this time forever.

3. Keep any dead person alive again for more than one minute, and someone else must die in their place.

Bringing to the screen a quirky and eccentric tale of private investigators, the dead who don't stay dead, infatuated waitresses, lovers who can never touch and a whole lot of pie-making, Fuller enchants with a unique fairytale. The style is reminiscent of 'Amelie' and Burton's more colourful escapades. The humour is sarcastic, and the dialogue is dry and witty, echoing of Buffy-style banter.

Of course, the main crux of the show is the relationship between Ned and his formerly dead childhood-sweetheart Chuck who he can never touch lest she go back to being dead. The sweet nature of their relationship and the trouble they get into with other eccentric and wacky characters drives the story.

Cannot wait for the next Season!

---

25 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-
Tries to Appear Creative instead of Being Creative, 30 May 2008

Author: Anita Silver from United States

Pushing Daisies piles on cliché after cliché of what passes for "creative" independent film-making in Hollywood.

It's too bad that it's not actually creative.

Bryan Fuller had accustomed us to much, much better. Both Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls were truly creative shows that did not rely on gimmickry like the overbearingly annoying British voice-over of Pushing Daisies.

In his previous shows Fuller had created flesh and blood character thrown into unlikely situations by the appearance of the supernatural. Pushing Daisies' characters on the other hand are cardboard and annoying and seem to be there only to say "look how "creative" we are.

All in all, a great disappointment.

---

4 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Light-hearted fun, 4 July 2008

Author: joewainman from United Kingdom

Firstly, I think people are taking the show too seriously and therefore making unfair criticisms.

The show is light-hearted and therefore we (as the audience) should view it with a pinch of salt.

It is witty and original. The plot s entertaining and the characters are wonderfully created.

NED - I love his portrayal as "The Pie Maker" is wonderful. His character's nervous personality is brilliantly acted! CHUCK - Anna's accent is immense! Who'd have thought she was a good old Mancester girl from England! I love her positive outlook on life and he fearless attitude. I also love she's called Chuck! Doesn't work as well in the US, but in a Yorkshire accent, like mine, the "U" would be much stronger, 'ChUck'! Love it! EMMERSON - What can I say, outstanding characterisation of the knitting detective is fantastic, bravo! OLIVE - By far the best character! Poor Olive battling hr unrequited love story, yet remaining the funniest character in the show! I loved in Ep2 how she burst into song - a great way to show off her Broadway background. Wonderful Kristin Chenoweth! THE DARLIN AUNTS - Such a contrast of personalities work together so well, one cynical, one more optimistic - brilliant! Ellen Greene is awesome, love her duet with Chenoweth in Ep4, and her solo in Ep7!

---

184 out of 370 people found the following comment useful :-
"Dead To Me", 11 October 2007

Author: aimless-46 from Kentucky

I guess stealing from yourself is not as bad as stealing from someone else, but it does tend to keep you in the same rut. The creator of "Pushing Daisies", Bryan Fuller, simply recycled his premise from "Dead Like Me", even having the characters headquartered out in a waffle (pie) house. The only substantial changes are a surreal production design and an "Ameilie" type storytelling technique; presumably to give the thing a more absurdest feel. CW Television has also stolen Fuller's DLM idea for a spectacularly bad show called "Reaper", which premiered this fall.

I instantly disliked this show despite a very favorable bias. My biggest question is how much better I would have liked it had I not been a fan of "Dead Like Me"? I think that I would have probably liked it a bit better but not enough to become a regular viewer or fear its early cancellation. My other question is how anyone can consider this even remotely original, given its obvious rip-off status? Since everything is relative maybe those making the originality claim have spent the past two years on a steady diet of "Hannah Montana" or "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody".

So why can't I recommend it to fans of "Dead Like Me", or even to fans of "Tru Calling"? Mostly because it somehow fails to capture the humanity elements of Fuller's earlier show (which is available on DVD if you are interested). "Dead Like Me" balanced its supernatural premise with a very clever coming of age story. It had its absurdest elements but they were offset by a realistic production design; which kept it grounded. The strength of "Dead Like Me" was its foundation of normalcy, despite the supernatural elements the characters behaved in ways that viewers instantly identified with. "Pushing Daisies" is more like "Austin Powers", you might find it funny at times but there is never a strong connection with the characters.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

---

190 out of 382 people found the following comment useful :-
Like a Breath of Stale Air, 13 October 2007

Author: Richard Jolie from United States

Sorry, but the whole "it's a breath of fresh air for TV" just doesn't ring true.

The show wallows in its own pretension and is overall very stale and not interesting.

Barry Levinson apparently thought that the more empty tricks he could pile on would make a better show, but it didn't. Having claymation for no particular purpose may impress TV critics, but it won't impress anyone else. It's just weird for the sake of weird.

The character are completely cut from clichéd cloth and don't have any life of their own.

And I kept the worst for last: the narrator. Has an actor ever managed to be this obnoxious? Of course it doesn't help that the narration tell you everything instead of showing it, making it a very lazy writing effort by the previously inspire Bryan Fuller.

Overall, not a must-see at all, but rather a show that will die quickly and not leave a strong memory.

---

---

Page 1 of 10:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Awards
External reviews	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user comments	Your vote history