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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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66
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79
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64
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69
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You, the Living
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Over Her Dead Body

Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 29 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 26 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
Written by: Jeff Lowell
Directed by: Jeff Lowell
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 1, 2008
DVD: May 6, 2008
Running Time: 95 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for sexual content and language
Starring Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, Lindsay Sloane, and Jason Biggs
Devastated when his fiancée Kate is killed on their wedding day, Henry reluctantly agrees to consult a psychic named Ashley at the urging of his sister Chloe. Despite his skepticism over her psychic abilities, Henry finds himself falling hard for Ashley, and vice versa. But there is a big snag. Ashley is being haunted by Kate’s ghost, who considers it her heavenly duty to break up Henry and Ashley's fledgling romance, if it is the last thing she does on this earthly plane...(New Line Cinema)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
TV Guide Ken Fox
This madcap paranormal love triangle is charming on its own terms.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
Though the tale may fall short on imagination, the principal actors make Over Her Dead Body livelier than one would expect.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
What ensues may be predictable, but the slapstick performances of Rudd and Bell are anything but. They court, they spark, and a few times they catch comic fire.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Nick Pinkerton
Many a comic potentiality is underworked, and the film's prevailing tone is obnoxiously erratic -- surely the supporting eccentrics (Jason Biggs and Lindsay Sloane) aren't supposed to be so off-putting? -- but it rests safe when entrusted to the charisma of its principals.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
The slapstick is crudely executed. And the movie never makes up its mind regarding how nasty the ghost of Kate is going to play her revenge tactics.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Consider for a moment how this movie might play if it took itself seriously. Would it be better than as a comedy? I suspect so.
Read Full Review >Washington Post John Anderson
In her imperfectly beautiful way, Bell suggests Carole Lombard. As a comedian, Bell is enough of a distraction that you can forgive all the inanities around her. And there are many.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
The result, while not horrifically bad, is as mediocre a motion picture as you're likely to find in a multiplex this season. It's tough to hate the movie because it doesn't generate enough emotion for that kind of passion.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
For what it is -- a romantic comedy about the rivalry between a jealous ghost and a flaky psychic for the love of a veterinarian -- Over Her Dead Body is not bad.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
It's said that opposites attract, but for the brief period they're onscreen together in the dire comedy Over Her Dead Body, Eva Longoria Parker and Paul Rudd are one of the more bizarrely mismatched couples in recent memory.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
To be fair, Rudd and Bell are cute and funny in their scenes together, and Rudd salvages a few laughs with his deadpan line readings.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Rudd's talents as a thinking woman's charmer are wasted -- as are those of amiable Jason Biggs in a weak variation on the pop theme of being a gal's gay best friend.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
For what is essentially a screwball comedy, Over Her Dead Body is surprisingly uninspired, a frothy concept that offers little satisfaction in the way of execution.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Playing a competitive schemer not unlike her "Desperate Housewives" character, Parker doesn't generate much heat, while Rudd is squandered in a bland role.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden
Rudd is an underappreciated comic actor, and his line readings are the best thing in the film, but the bland role barely taps his talent. Amid the rest of the cast's one-note posing, his scenes with a parrot have a spontaneity and wit otherwise in short supply.
Read Full Review >Variety Dennis Harvey
Even the weakest "Desperate Housewives" episode packs more heat than this tepid romantic comedy-fantasy, whose basic plot gimmick has been done as far back as "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir."
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
At some point, this movie must have been a screenplay. But it's an enigma why anyone would bet tens of millions of dollars that people would laugh.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
Back to Wisteria Lane, Eva, and stay there until we call you.
Read Full Review >Premiere Cortney Rock
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.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
I like Longoria Parker on "Desperate Housewives" and truly believe she could have a career on the big screen if she promises to never again work with writer-director Jeff Lowell, who perpetrated this offense of a ghost comedy on her and on her otherwise gifted co-stars Paul Rudd and Lake Bell.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
A hopeless pastiche of timeworn plotlines, hackneyed dialogue and stultifying direction; to call it amateurish is a slap in the face to amateurs everywhere.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Connie Ogle
It's not quite true to say that death is preferable to sitting through Over HerDead Body, but it's a safe bet that if you struggle through this witless romantic comedy the lure of being six feet under will cross your mind.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson
Few things are more painful to watch than a botched comedy.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The kindest context in which to put Over Her Dead Body, which was written and directed by Jeff Lowell, is that of a training film, a public display of people trying to master their craft. The best way to see it is not at all.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
Where Over Her Dead Body should soar with blistering verbal gymnastics, it limps with empty sass about weight gain and skin blemishes; where it should race with inventive comic set-pieces, it slogs with extended flatulence sequences and gags about lifting overweight dogs.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Over Her Dead Body is to romantic comedy what Spam is to meat. But at least with Spam, you get cool packaging.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
May be the worst romantic comedy I've ever seen, although I hesitate to make such a resolute pronouncement about a movie that's so barely even THERE.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.3 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Juki S. gave it an8:
Was positively surprised by the idea of the story.Bell as psychic part time job and Rudd and Biggs would like to see them in more scenes.
Karen Z gave it an8:
Wasn't expecting much but this movie was really funny. I plan on renting it again. Eva Longoria is adorable and can really pull off a comedy.
Lewis B gave it a2:
Horrific, to be fair. Acting and script were both terrible. Worst film I've seen this year.
Amanda S gave it a5:
Lake and Rudd were worth watching. I can't wait to see what else those two do together. But I wanted to leave the room every time the camera moved away from them. Longoria should take this as a nice fizzling moment to disappear into....
Jesus S. gave it a10:
This movie is awesome and raw I like to watch it again and again because it is so funny!
Joey K gave it a7:
With entirely indifferent expectations going in, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Sure it wasn't a cinematic masterpiece, but it was fun to watch.It was predictable, but it was still plenty entertaining. It successfully struck a balance between boring and too cliched. It wasn't a laugh riot, but it was very funny. There are some great jokes in there. I guess some reviewers can't appreciate a natural sounding joke, and will only notice the humor in a romantic comedy if it's outrageous, stupid, and nauseatingly charming. The acting was great, the writing was great. It's a good movie. People may have thought it was bland, but it was just right, for a worthwhile movie to watch when you have the time.
Jay H gave it a5:
I was not impressed with Eva Longoria Parker, but Paul Rudd was good. Strained comedy has a few laughs but overall it's predictable and shallow.
