Over Her Dead Body - Happily Banal
It's not often that the star of a film is killed within the first five screen minutes, but in the case of Over Her Dead Body Eva Longoria Parker exits the scene almost as soon as she appears. However, this is not the kind of shock tactic famously employed by Alfred Hitchcock in Psycho when he killed off Janet Leigh in a complete subversion of the "rules" of the feature film. Instead, the death of Kate (Longoria Parker) in Over Her Dead Body is a plot device that kicks off the film's narrative. Kate's fiancé, Henry (Paul Rudd) copes poorly with the loss of his lover and mopes around his apartment until his sister, Chloe (Lindsay Sloane), devises a scheme to quell his grief. Chloe enlists gal-pal Ashley (Lake Bell), a part-time psychic, to help Henry manage his lonesomeness. While Ashley's psychic abilities are suspect, her winning smile and kind heart go someway toward distracting Henry from his recent loss. However, the presence of a ghostly Kate (who only Ashley can see) disrupts the new romance. This is familiar territory and some viewers may be reminded of P.S. I Love You or Just Like Heaven, both romantic comedies that exploited the afterlife for laughs. Over Her Dead Body trades upon this tradition but doesn’t take the recognisable material anywhere new. The mixture of the likeable leads (Paul Rudd and Lake Bell), sitcom standard humour and Eva Longoria Parker's stunning outfits will no doubt please the casual viewer, but some others may find the material a little thin.
Despite her top-billing this is not Eva Longoria Parker's film. In fact, her character, Kate, is resigned to a supporting role within the film's story. Intelligently, writer/director Jeff Lowell has put his faith in Paul Rudd and Lake Bell to handle most of the film's laughs. The two lead actors have a natural chemistry with each other and their laid-back approach offers up an easy-to-digest charm. In fact, Bell's turn as Ashley is quite a revelation. Having worked chiefly as a bit-part actor in television dramas until now, Bell pulls off her leading role in Over Her Dead Body with style. It doesn't hurt that she is easy on the eye, has a toothy smile and a very sexy body. One scene in which Ashley comically escapes the showers at her gym covered only by a small towel and soap suds will please many male viewers. Such escapades are de rigueur in films like Over Her Dead Body which rely heavily on the embarrassment of seeing (or hearing) people that no one else can see or hear. Bell does a serviceable job of handling the mildly comic scenes she shares with the literally ephemeral Kate. Longoria Parker has much less to do other than look gorgeous. Though she does this well, she seems wasted in the supporting role of the meddling spectre who will do anything to disrupt the attempts of her former fiancé to discover romance anew.
Much of the humour in Over Her Dead Body is at the level of the standard television sit-com. It is therefore no surprise that Lovell used to be a TV writer. The (intentionally) convoluted premise of the film is typical of the situation comedy genre, relying chiefly on a combination of unlikely circumstances and wacky characters in the pursuit of humour. Kate is a shrewish character whose chief aim is to prevent Henry from finding true love again. A series of comical situations ensue in a predictable manner: Ashley talking to vacant apparitions (remember, she can see Kate when no one else can), Kate appearing at the most unlikely of times (at one stage effecting a "coitus interruptus"!) and Henry walking around in a daze unsure of what to make of all the strange occurrences engulfing his world. Typically there is an assortment of loony secondary characters. Henry's intrusive sister Chloe is a scatterbrain who would rather interfere in her brother's love-life than tend to her own problems. And Ashley's best friend, Dan (Jason Biggs), hides an alarming secret that this reviewer is reluctant to reveal. It's all very pleasing and reassuring like a warm mug of milk. Yet a feature film should be more demanding and more spectacular than the average television sit-com. As a result, everything in Over Her Dead Body feels light and threadbare, as though a thirty minute story has been stretched out to feature length.
Part of the pleasure of a formula film is always knowing where the narrative is heading. Over Her Dead Body is the prototypical formula film as it ticks all the boxes on its way to its unsurprising conclusion. This is not necessarily a negative observation. Given the rom-com's evident popularity, why would anyone mess with this successful recipe? But perhaps the biggest problem with Over Her Dead Body is that the dramatic tension is never convincing enough to even momentarily sidetrack the predictable trajectory. The best genre films are those that can persuade you to temporarily believe that things just might not come together in the end, before managing to find a way to deliver the expected pleasing resolution. When Henry and Ashley suffer a falling-out due to a misunderstanding, you don't think, even for a split second, that it won't all work out in the end. Luckily there are a few less predictable revelations amongst the minor characters that offer modest surprises.
Ultimately there is little to like or dislike about Over Her Dead Body. Lovell offers up a bland romantic comedy in a way that is not very original, nor particularly displeasing. Rudd and Bell do what they can with their characters, and admirers of the actors won't be disappointed. Devotees of Longoria Parker might quibble over the size of her role but should take great pleasure in seeing her in a series of stunning angelic-white frocks. Over Her Dead Body is a formula film that takes pleasure in hitting its mark every time, perhaps too unsure of itself to try anything new. Some viewers will find the comfortable story and unproblematic romance pleasing, but I suspect most will be underwhelmed by the experience.
Eva Longoria - As Thin as the Material
Despite her top-billing this is not Eva Longoria Parker's film. In fact, her character, Kate, is resigned to a supporting role within the film's story. Intelligently, writer/director Jeff Lowell has put his faith in Paul Rudd and Lake Bell to handle most of the film's laughs. The two lead actors have a natural chemistry with each other and their laid-back approach offers up an easy-to-digest charm. In fact, Bell's turn as Ashley is quite a revelation. Having worked chiefly as a bit-part actor in television dramas until now, Bell pulls off her leading role in Over Her Dead Body with style. It doesn't hurt that she is easy on the eye, has a toothy smile and a very sexy body. One scene in which Ashley comically escapes the showers at her gym covered only by a small towel and soap suds will please many male viewers. Such escapades are de rigueur in films like Over Her Dead Body which rely heavily on the embarrassment of seeing (or hearing) people that no one else can see or hear. Bell does a serviceable job of handling the mildly comic scenes she shares with the literally ephemeral Kate. Longoria Parker has much less to do other than look gorgeous. Though she does this well, she seems wasted in the supporting role of the meddling spectre who will do anything to disrupt the attempts of her former fiancé to discover romance anew.
Much of the humour in Over Her Dead Body is at the level of the standard television sit-com. It is therefore no surprise that Lovell used to be a TV writer. The (intentionally) convoluted premise of the film is typical of the situation comedy genre, relying chiefly on a combination of unlikely circumstances and wacky characters in the pursuit of humour. Kate is a shrewish character whose chief aim is to prevent Henry from finding true love again. A series of comical situations ensue in a predictable manner: Ashley talking to vacant apparitions (remember, she can see Kate when no one else can), Kate appearing at the most unlikely of times (at one stage effecting a "coitus interruptus"!) and Henry walking around in a daze unsure of what to make of all the strange occurrences engulfing his world. Typically there is an assortment of loony secondary characters. Henry's intrusive sister Chloe is a scatterbrain who would rather interfere in her brother's love-life than tend to her own problems. And Ashley's best friend, Dan (Jason Biggs), hides an alarming secret that this reviewer is reluctant to reveal. It's all very pleasing and reassuring like a warm mug of milk. Yet a feature film should be more demanding and more spectacular than the average television sit-com. As a result, everything in Over Her Dead Body feels light and threadbare, as though a thirty minute story has been stretched out to feature length.
Part of the pleasure of a formula film is always knowing where the narrative is heading. Over Her Dead Body is the prototypical formula film as it ticks all the boxes on its way to its unsurprising conclusion. This is not necessarily a negative observation. Given the rom-com's evident popularity, why would anyone mess with this successful recipe? But perhaps the biggest problem with Over Her Dead Body is that the dramatic tension is never convincing enough to even momentarily sidetrack the predictable trajectory. The best genre films are those that can persuade you to temporarily believe that things just might not come together in the end, before managing to find a way to deliver the expected pleasing resolution. When Henry and Ashley suffer a falling-out due to a misunderstanding, you don't think, even for a split second, that it won't all work out in the end. Luckily there are a few less predictable revelations amongst the minor characters that offer modest surprises.
Gormless Paul Rudd
Ultimately there is little to like or dislike about Over Her Dead Body. Lovell offers up a bland romantic comedy in a way that is not very original, nor particularly displeasing. Rudd and Bell do what they can with their characters, and admirers of the actors won't be disappointed. Devotees of Longoria Parker might quibble over the size of her role but should take great pleasure in seeing her in a series of stunning angelic-white frocks. Over Her Dead Body is a formula film that takes pleasure in hitting its mark every time, perhaps too unsure of itself to try anything new. Some viewers will find the comfortable story and unproblematic romance pleasing, but I suspect most will be underwhelmed by the experience.
