“Over Her Dead Body” from first-time director Jeff Lowell, wants to be a light romantic comedy with ghosts, but it only succeeds in being a weak remake of “Ghost” only that this time is not the husband who gets to be sent to heaven, but the future shrewd bride-to-be.

“Desperate Housewives” star, Eva Longoria Parker, is Kate, a rather controller freak and ice queen kind of a woman, who we get to see in her earthily state only at the beginning of the movie, when she is preparing to marry veterinarian and nice guy Henry, played by Paul Rudd.

Kate sadly dies just a few hours before saying “I Do” in a stupid (if you ask me) sculpture accident, which depicts an angel (check out the irony).

A year later we see cute, but moping Henry dragged by his sister Chloe, played by Lindsay Sloane, to a psychic caterer in order to make him get pass Kate and move on with his life. Chloe believes that if the spirit of Kate tells Henry to let her go, he will be able to do so.

So they go to Ashley (Lake Bell) and even though Henry doubts about her psychic abilities, very soon he finds himself romantically attached to her.

So things should be easy going from here! Wrong!

Even though at first Ashley fakes that she can make contact with Kate, at the request of Chloe, soon she finds herself talking to Kate, who is back on Earth as a ghost and is making Ashley’s life miserable. She thinks that if she can’t have Henry, than no one can.

The movie tries to be funny and I can say that it has its moments, but it won’t make you burst into tears with laughter.

Kate’s ghost appears to Ashley in the most unexpected moments. Take for example the shower scene where Ashley runs almost naked when Kate plays a trick on her; or Kate showing up just when Ashley and Henry decide to get romantically involved in the bedroom.

Another character who tries to bring humor to the story is the gay friend and business partener of Ashley, Dan, played by “American pie” star, Jason Biggs. But Dan is not really gay. He has only been pretending for five years because he is in love with Ashley and he doesn’t want to put their friendship at risk by displaying his feelings.

Even though the movie wants to be more Longoria Parker focused, her co-star, Bell, steals part of the show, as she is the romantic interest of Rudd.

Speaking of Rudd, you might say that he is working hard at a movie that is doomed from scene one. He has a few shots at trying to save it with a joke of women who have a lot of cats.

Unfortunately, writer-director Lowell didn’t make such a good job at crafting its characters, which seem so predictable, shallow and cliché.

And don’t get me started about chemistry between characters! Where’s the acting people ?

If you want to see for yourselves you should take a peek here http://www.efluxmedia.com/video_Over_Her_Dead_Body_00095.html.

Movie Type: Comedy, Fiction, Fantasy

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and language

Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Directed By:  Jeff Lowell

Cast:    Paul Rudd, Eva Longoria Parker, Lake Bell, Jason Biggs, Lindsay Sloane

Released: February 1st, 2008 (wide)

U.S. Box Office: TBA