After hyperkinetic control freak Kate (Eva Longoria Parker) dies in a weird accident just before she's wed, her heartbroken fiancé Henry (Paul Rudd) goes into a yearlong funk. His worried sister Chloe (Lindsay Sloane) hires female psychic Ashley (Lake Bell) with the hope that the ghost whisperer can produce a message from the still-earthbound spirit indicating that it's okay for Henry to move on with his life. Trouble is, the sassy specter doesn't feel that way, and when Henry begins to fall for Ashley, Kate uses her ghostly powers to sabotage their budding relationship. Writer-director Jeff Lowell puts some clever, cutesy dialogue into his characters' mouths and keeps the plot moving at a rapid clip, but this genial film never quite clicks. Part of the problem is that top-billed Parker plays a genuinely dislikable woman whose climactic burst of generosity and selflessness is totally out of character. Another serious drawback is secondary female lead Bell, who is a notably bland actress. The talented and personable Rudd makes the most of the script's wry one-liners and snappy comebacks, but he can't hold the film together solo, and his lack of chemistry with Bell is palpable. Not a necessary purchase. (E. Hulse)
Over Her Dead Body
New Line, 95 min., PG-13, DVD: $27.95, May 6 Volume 23, Issue 3
Over Her Dead Body
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