Eva Longoria Parker stars as Kate, a ghost haunting her ex-fiancé Henry (Paul Rudd) and his new lover Ashley (Lake Bell) in Over Her Dead Body, a romantic comedy premiering tomorrow.

Eva Longoria Parker makes an unfunny ghost in Over Her Dead Body. Photo by moviepublicity.com.

Parker’s acting under writer and director Jeff Lowell (John Tucker Must Die) makes you feel like you’re watching Mrs. Solis from Desperate Housewives complain her way through a movie. Yes, Kate is supposed to be annoying and hate-able, but Parker’s performance is too one-dimensional to work. It’s strange that this movie is being marketed as an Eva Longoria Parker comedy because her character’s funniest moment is her death.

Rudd’s acting is the same loud word-stretching you’ve seen in Anchorman or The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but his delivery is good, even if the jokes seem like they were written by a sixth grader. Bell employs the same laid-back, effortless delivery as Rudd, and the comedic chemistry between the two is great. Scenes like the one where Ashley and Henry are about to get nasty and suddenly Kate lets out a long fart that only Ashley can hear fall flat. The movie doesn’t need them, and this type of scene is typical of the screenplay. When in doubt, phone it in with a typical laugh-inducer.

Anyone who’s seen a romantic comedy knows how this one ends. Will the ghost let go of her former man? Would it be a typical Hollywood romantic comedy if she didn’t? The plot is as flat and predictable as the characters and you’ll be left wondering whether or not the screenplay was really written before the strike.

Overall Rating: D

In a phone interview with Parker, I wasn’t allowed to ask about her role in Desperate Housewives or her personal life. Parker seemed distracted, and the interview was about as one-dimensional as her performance in Over Her Dead Body.

NBN: Why did you decide to be a part of Over Her Dead Body?
Parker: I was a really big fan of Jeff Lowell, who wrote this script, and I thought it would be really fun to play an angel… I mean a ghost! I’ve never played a ghost before and I thought, “Oh! That’ll be fun, why don’t I do that?”

NBN: You were in Harsh Times and The Sentinel, which were obviously more serious than Over Her Dead Body. Do you prefer serious movies or comedies?
Parker: Umm. I don’t prefer any. As an actor I like everything. I like comedies, I like action, I love dramas. I like all of the things that entertain you.

NBN: Were you excited to work with Paul Rudd?
Parker: Yes! I’m a big fan Paul Rudd fan. He is a comical all-star so to be able to work opposite of him was a privilege.

NBN: What was your favorite scene to shoot in the movie?
Parker: I love the scene where I’m floating above the bed distracting them [Henry (Paul Rudd) and Ashley [Lake Bell]) from their love-making. That was a lot of fun to shoot and I think that that the scene came out very funny.

NBN: Do you relate to your character in any way?
Parker: I do sympathize with her regarding why she’s so upset and a little p-ed off that she’s dead. You know, she dies on her wedding day and she um… um… ahem… doesn’t want to move on… she’s not ready to move on.

NBN: What is your ultimate goal as an actress and how does movie fit in with that goal?
Parker: Oh god, my goal as an actress is to entertain and I think this movie is extremely entertaining. I love to make people laugh and this movie is going to do that.

NBN: Do you plan on doing any more comedies?
Parker: Jason Biggs and I just wrapped up a movie together called Lower Learning, so that will be coming out in the fall. It was a lot of fun to do and it’s another comedy.

NBN: Why should people watch Over Her Dead Body?
Parker: If they want a good laugh. And it releases around Valentine’s Day and so it’s going to be great date movie.