We Have A Ghost
In his most late term of office at Blumhouse , author - director Christopher Landon showed a gift for making movies play . His horror - comediesHappy Death DayandFreakygot a lot of mileage out of their ( sub)genre - mashing conceits , but the ego - awareness was tempered with a lack of self - distressfulness , eschew parody or satire for something purely playful and appreciative . We Have a touch , Landon ’s new Netflix adaptation of Geoff Manaugh ’s short narration " Ernest , " accentuates the strengths and weakness of his work . In place of a slasher sensibility , We Have a Ghostchases an Amblin - esque sensory faculty of nervous adventure , at times very successfully . The funnier it lets itself be , the well it is ; the maraud into heartfelt dramatic event are less convincing . Landon ’s latest will be well remember for its multiple express mirth - out - loud set pieces , and with the craftsmanship and operation on display , viewers will in all likelihood be unforced to forgive its less - impactful stretches .
After a pat bit of setup shows the former occupants fleeing in terror one class prior , We Have a Ghostopens with the Presley family tour their possible new home . Even with the star sign ’s fixer - upper status , the low price tag worries them , but not in the financial position to ask too many questions , they sign on the stippled lineage . Soon after , Kevin ( Jahi Winston ) , the more reserved of the two sons , discovers the reason for the discount — their unexampled home is frequent .
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The specter , a middle - aged white man whose embroidered bowling shirt identifies him as Ernest ( David Harbour ) , unleash his ol' razzing routine on the teenager in the attic . Kevin , amused , films it on his phone . While he sets out to understand his undead cohabitant , his fatherFrank ( Anthony Mackie)sees Kevin ’s footage as his next get - rich - quick system ( butfor realthis time ) . He upload it to YouTube , and Ernest at last goes viral , catch far more attention than is good for the Presleys .
What ’s most right away striking aboutWe Have a Ghostis its tone . In some ways , Landon ’s film is very much talk to today , sporting an on-line sense of humor and a mordant protagonist who feels firmly stock-still in this generation of adolescent . In other ways , it is so distinctly a atavism to a certain ' 80s and ' 90 vibe , with echo of movies likeE.T.,Gremlins , Beetlejuice , andCasper , to the point that viewers might catch themselves marvel when this takes seat evenafterthey’ve seen references to TikTok .
The style it feel at the same time of its time and out of time works in its favor . Had the filmmakers gone the full - nostalgia route and , say , setWe Have a Ghostin the eighties , it would have fall in the trap of site itself in unremitting comparison with the pic they understandably look up to . Instead , spectator are encouraged to see this picture as in conversation with that past , and its choice of view feels pointed in this context of use — the subtext of today ’s conversation around gender and maleness , in finical , add juice to the well - wear down parent - and - tyke - can’t - relate dispute .
Also take out from that geological era is a real willingness to have sport with effects , and the first one-half peculiarly run with Ernest ’s CGI in some very creative ways , as the rules of his ghostliness are fleshed out . He is n’t corporeal , but , like inGhost , can will himself to interact with the strong-arm world . He can twist inconspicuous , and after learning from some of today ’s horror celluloid , can hold in his strong-arm coming into court in other , uproariously ghoulish way . Three extended sequences — two natural action - y chases and one misbegotten video segment for Jennifer Coolidge ’s celebrity sensitive — tolerate out for their execution and comic timing , and will be what most hoi polloi take with them from the viewing experience .
Ernest also ca n’t talk , outside some moan and groans , which makesHarbour ’s casting important toWe Have a Ghost’ssuccess . Using just his physicality and manifestation , he must sell the fictional character and his relationship with Kevinwithoutupstaging the Pb , and he succeeds quite outstandingly . Winston and Mackie are also worth single out , particularly in their scenes together , when the son ’s lack of respect for his father can be felt in a mode that adds emotional commission to their exchange .
Those moments , however , are somewhat anomalous when compared to the whole . When the tale is powered by Kevin ’s desire to foil Frank ’s Ernest - base YouTube enterprise , it is propulsive and engaging , but this strand bit by bit cedes to a race to dig up Ernest ’s past before the CIA - adjacent extrasensory researcher Dr. Leslie Monroe ( Tig Notaro ) can catch up with them . The moreWe Have a Ghostmakes plays for gist , the looser its adhesive friction on the audience ’s attention becomes .
Jahi Winston, Isabella Russo, and David Harbour in We Have a Ghost
This is all the more noticeable in the final act , which makes a ill-conceived attempt to up the stakes with one last horror - inflect action at law sequence before settling into its version of an " I ’ll be right here"-type coda . This stretch does n’t go as far as to unmake the goodwill the film has generate , though , andWe Have a Ghostremains a desirable alternative for family movie dark . But it does evoke that Landon , who is currently coiffure todirect theArachnophobiaremake , is still working out how best to mine this particular storytelling mineral vein . If the way of life fromHappy Death DaytoFreakyis any indication , this film could end up looking in retrospect like a stepping Edward Durell Stone to craft even more fine tuned fun the next time around .
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We Have a Ghostis uncommitted to teem on Netflix beginning February 24 . The film is 126 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for spoken communication , some intimate / suggestive reference and furiousness .
Jahi Winston, Isabella Russo, and David Harbour in We Have a Ghost
Based on the short history by Geoff Manaugh , We Have a Ghost is a supernatural clowning film written and directed by Christopher Landon . When a class discovers they have a ghost named Ernest ( David Harbour ) frequent their home , they learn to live with him as they discover about his strange and secret past . The youngest of the family , Kevin ( Jahi Di’Allo Winston ) , make a youtube channel to become famous . However , the communication channel soon garner unwanted attention - from the CIA .
