PREMIERE'S REVIEW (posted 2/1/08)

Katherine Heigl's recent Vanity Fair quip on the inanity of her role in Knocked Up has called all of Hollywood's dim female characters into question. When Billy Wilder perfected his version of the rom-com so many years ago, or when Woody Allen wrapped Annie Hall and Manhattan in the late '70s, could they have ever imagined the vapidity of female roles to come, or, even more salient a question, an audience for them?

In Over Her Dead Body, Eva Longoria Parker stars as Kate, the titular dead body, an acolyte of the Victoria Beckham charm school — all sucked in, polished, and pinched. You know Kate as one of the feminine "Type A" perfectionists we hear so much about — an alpha female who, in lieu of running for president or something like that, takes her drive and ambition to — where else? — the planning of her wedding. Henry, a witty yet laid-back veterinarian (read: cute!) played by Paul Rudd, is the only man to have found the keys to her tightly-wound heart. Unfortunately for Kate, she gets whacked by a falling angel ice sculpture before her big day. Henry, we are told, has become distraught over the loss of his fiancée, so Chloe (Lindsay Sloane), his cute-as-a button sister, comes up with a life-saving plan to pull her brother out of the doldrums. She brings him to Ashley (Lake Bell), a caterer with a side-job as a clairvoyant, whose task is to reconnect him with his dead fiancée in the hopes of helping him move on. As one would expect, Henry and Ashley begin to fall for each other, the trouble being that Eva has pulled one last controlling maneuver by swooping in to haunt Ashley until she gives up Henry.

Over Her Dead Body is the directorial debut for Jeff Lowell, whose writing credits include the high-school revenge comedy John Tucker Must Die. Lowell, who also wrote this film, appears guilty of the Apatow-ian crime of creating stale, uncomplicated, slightly moony female characters, which becomes a greater problem when said females are the leads. Longoria, best known for Desperate Housewives, but having also recently completed roles in violence-driven flicks The Sentinel and Harsh Times, may hope to utilize this film to make headway into the rom-com genre, but this role has hardly provided an opportunity to show any range. She vacillates from annoying to unlikable, generating little sympathy from the audience. Sure, she's technically the villain, but the movie makes you feel like you should care at least a little about her, though you honestly can't imagine Henry having ever been attracted to her in the first place. Similarly, Bell's Ashley seems a little underdeveloped — or maybe she's just boring? As a fledgling couple, Ashley and Henry fail to generate much on-screen heat. You would hardly notice anything "romantic" happening if the characters didn't verbally announce it. The list of tiny yet vital problems could go on...

The silver lining in the film is Paul Rudd, who brings some nuance to his character that, given his past work, you can assume was all his doing. Jason Biggs, in his role as Ashley's gay best friend and catering partner, carries out an interesting, if somewhat left-field plot twist, after he sheds the remnants of his Woody Allen impersonation — a leftover from Anything Else? Oh, and there's a drawn out fart joke in there somewhere for those of you who feel such things are necessary.

— Cortney Rock