Pushing Daisies reminds us each episode that human beings, ragged and flawed, aren’t the best wielders of spiritual power. Where Christ’s divine nature provides a perfect mediator between God and humanity, Ned’s indecisive nature causes him to resurrect and kill all the wrong people.

“My goal was to invite people to have a conversation — to invite Christian people to have a conversation with the people that care about you but don’t follow your faith. My goal was for gay folks to have conversations with their atheist friends.”

Jesus, like Gondry, avoided cliched language and formulaic endings in his stories, which plague both mainstream and Christian films today. His parables, for the most part, were slice-of-life tales meant to provoke thought. He and Gondry are on the same page.

Thematically, I expect Gondry’s usual exploration of human frailty and perseverance, made visually unique with his distinct, imaginative way of looking at the world. I look forward to strolling down cinematic memory lane with the unwitting customers of Be Kind Rewind…

This is an enjoyable, varied, thought-provoker. Where lesser authors would force their characters to bend to a proposed theme, Brucie avoids clichéd boxes of premise-propelled motivation. Instead, the characters are catalyzed by the genuine desires of their hearts.

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