It might be a little early to call it, but the worst movie (so far) of 2008 is “Over Her Dead Body.” Written and directed by Jeff Lowell (writer of “John Tucker Must Die”), this movie is poorly made and insulting to anyone with an average amount of intelligence.

The film stars “Desperate Housewives'” Eva Longoria Parker as Kate, a spoiled, high maintenance, mean-hearted woman who is crushed and killed by an ice sculpture on her wedding day. Paul Rudd (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Knocked Up”) plays Henry, the unlucky fiance who, instead of being given time to grieve, is forced back onto the dating circuit by his annoying, childish sister (Lindsay Sloane, TV’s “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Grosse Point”). But when Henry begins to date psychic caterer Ashley (Lake Bell, TV’s “Boston Legal”), Kate shows up to haunt the couple and generally be a bitch.

This insipid film is an unsuccessful rehash of dozens of romantic comedies that have come before it, including Reese Witherspoon’s “Just Like Heaven” and Matthew Perry’s “Three to Tango.” But, unsurprisingly, those films were much more bearable.

“Over Her Dead Body” requires a suspension of belief, and not just because there’s a ghost onscreen. We are supposed to believe that Henry, a laid back veterinarian, would actually fall in love with Kate, the uber-annoying Queen of Cruel. We are also supposed to believe that Ashley actually makes a solid living as both a psychic and a caterer, despite having no apparent psychic gifts and an incompetent assistant (Jason Biggs, “American Pie”) who can’t cook. But such issues are a trifle when you are supposed to feel bad for Kate by the end of the movie, even though she’s been more irritating than a three-year-old kid mixed with a Yorkshire terrier puppy throughout the film.

In addition to being stupid, the movie isn’t even well made. The soundtrack is full of obvious music choices that might actually make you groan aloud and roll your eyes. The film skips over random periods of time throughout the plot and includes a number of awkward edits and cuts that would make any film student (or really, anyone who’s ever seen a movie) angry that such a film was allowed in theaters.

The most astonishing thing about “Over Her Dead Body” is that it has talented actors like Paul Rudd and Stephen Root (“Office Space”) in it. Supposedly, many actors do “mainstream” crap like this because it always makes money and then they can afford to make better films that usually make less money. That’s a sad fact of Hollywood and it’s reared its ugly head at Rudd and Root. Neither gives the performance their all, and it’s pretty obvious that they’re phoning it in, waiting for their hefty paycheck.

But what of Mrs. Tony Parker? Eva plays an almost identical character to the one she portrays on “Desperate Housewives,” so she’s not really stretching her acting legs here. Above all, we learn that she can play a shrill, demanding harpy like a pro.

Unfortunately, this film is coming out near Valentine’s Day, so it’s almost sure to make a good amount of dough. But if you’re looking for something with substance or, heck, something that doesn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out, steer clear of “Over Her Dead Body.”