Woodyanders Nasty shrew Enid (marvelously essayed with lip-smacking venomous aplomb by Maureen Mueller) catches her long-suffering police officer husband Harry (a sound performance by the always engaging Judge Reinhold) doing just what you think with her sweet, ditsy sister June (a terrific portrayal by Elizabeth Perkins). June accidentally kills Enid in the ensuing fight. Harry and June try to cover up the murder and dispose of Enid's body, which proves to be easier said than done. Director/co-writer Maurice Phillips concocts a deliciously dry'n'deadpan black comedy riot that unfolds at a steady pace, offers a wealth of sidesplitting moments (June's loopy conversations with Enid's corpse are very funny and inspired), and boasts a handful of memorably eccentric secondary characters to keep things lively and enjoyable throughout. The excellent cast has a ball with the wacky material: Reinhold sweats and frets with exquisite eye-rolling panache, Perkins is a screwball treat as she endures one dreadful mishap after another and barely manages to keep hysteria at bay, Jeffrey Jones almost steals the whole show as Harry's eager beaver partner Floyd, Brion James has an uproariously raucous field day as a loutish and disgusting drunken truck driver, plus there are nifty bits by Rhea Perlman as snippy dispatcher Mavis, Michael J. Pollard as a flaky late-night motel manager, Charles Tyner as an ornery old coot, and Henry Jones as a doddery elderly gas station attendant. The New Mexico setting adds extra regional flavor to the infectiously kooky proceedings. Craig Safan's jaunty, twangy score likewise further enhances the quirkily macabre merriment. Alfonso Beato's crisp cinematography gives the picture an attractive bright look. A real hoot.

G.S. YOUNG This is one of my All Time Favorites! Elizabeth Perkins is at top of her comedic game and Rita Perlman was great fit on dispatcher. The older sister completed the circle of laughter and is always guaranteed to make one laugh out loud!! Anyone rating this flick less than a 7-10 may reflect stress (excessive) and distraction in your life?! By all means, one would need to relax & watch after exercising, running, or of course, a glass of wine or your favorite relaxation aid and enjoy the film ... for the first time (again!)!! Judge Reinhold is hilarious as his character comes to life without having to (or appearing to; smile) act out the character. Reinhold's over-zealous action seeking sidekick and partner on the force, is non other than the principal from Ferris Beulers Day Off fame. I've bought the DVD & also have it on the Laser Disc. It's a movie worth watching (& re-rating) as if the first attempt didn't yield a 7+ rating the 2nd time will! The comic genius of the characters, background music and perfect type-cast of Perkins and Reinhold makes this film, well, a Comedic Gem in which the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly accidents in life ...and the decisions to fix or clean them up don't always go according to plan!

Zantara Xenophobe Let me first say that I am not by any means a lover of dark comedies. In fact, I have the tendency to hate that sub-genre more than almost any other (there are exceptions). I rented this rare movie, which I was surprised to even find, because of the cast. I kept my eyes off of any information about the movie before I saw it so I could keep my mind open, and I was very pleased with the result. I found myself laughing and chuckling frequently, something I was not expecting.The plot focuses on two central characters: Jane (Elizabeth Perkins) and Harry (Judge Reinhold). Harry is one of his small desert city's few police officers. He is married to Enid (Maureen Mueller), a really nasty woman that abuses Harry. He's been having an affair with Enid's ditsy sister Jane. Enid catches them in the act one morning, which leads to a hilarious fight that results with Jane smashing a statue over Enid's head and killing her. Harry and Jane do some quick decision making and choose to not report the true story, but instead devise a way of making Enid's death look like an accident. But since Harry's partner (Jeffrey Jones) is outside the house, honking the car horn for Harry to come out, Jane must dispose of the body herself. Harry tells her what to do and leaves, but when Jane tries to accomplish it, she fails. So she calls up Harry to get her out of the jam. This happens over and over again, and each instance is pretty humorous. Many people seem to compare this to the `Weekend at Bernie's' movies. I can sort of see where the comparison is coming from by listening to the premise, but I didn't notice any comparison while I watched it. There is a limp body, but Maureen Mueller isn't required to do the outrageous stuff that Terry Kiser was in his pair of films. Admittedly the `Bernie's' movies are better than `Over Her Dead Body' thanks to Kiser, but this one shouldn't be overlooked. What makes it funny in addition to the situations are the quirky characters. Both Reinhold and Perkins are funny, but there are other people that make this stand out. Jeffrey Jones makes the whole movie twice as fun. He steals every scene he is in. Also funny is Brion James, as a consistently drunk truck driver that this on the dead body. I laughed pretty hard during the scene where he is clawing on the hood of a car while Perkins drives it, trying to shake him off. All in all, I suppose this could have been funnier, but it is still good for laughs and has a script that works well, tying up all subplots. And I found the final scene to be hilarious. Leaving me laughing is a good way to end a good movie. Zantara's score: 8 out of 10.

Varlaam This is sort of a distaff "Weekend at Bernie's", only it's set in small-town New Mexico and there are cops instead of crooks. It ends up being darker and drier. "Bernie's" may be wackier, but this film is funnier in the long run, I think.Elizabeth Perkins is a platinum blonde this time out, and looks even cuter than she usually does. She's a winning comedienne and is well teamed with Judge Reinhold and Jeffrey Jones. They could have been Lamour, Hope and Crosby starring in "The Road to Roswell" but thankfully that's a bit of New Mexico we don't get to see for a change.Once upon a time, the inconvenience of a dead body was considered a topic worthy of the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, in one of his rare comedies, "The Trouble With Harry" ("Is He's Dead"), and more recently it has been a lesser plot point for the National Lampoon in the original and still riotous "Vacation".Live comics stiff all the time, but dead ones are always good for a laugh.