We Have a Ghost
We Have a Ghost is streaming on Netflix at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 14.
STORY: B-
Kevin (Charm City King’s Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and his family move into a new house - something they’ve had to do a lot lately. But this house isn’t like the others. It’s got huge ceilings, dark wood paneling, fancy stained glass windows, and one of those cool staircases that goes halfway up and then splits in two directions. Oh, and there’s also a ghost named Ernest squatting in the attic.
Ernest delivers every classic ghost trope. He bellows. He waves his arms. He makes scary faces. He does this super cool, gross thing with his mouth. And of course, he’s got unsettled business he needs to resolve before moving on to wherever it is lost souls move on to.
Rather than terrifying us, Ernest’s spectral presence provides the story with a fun and goofy vibe. This is no raw, gritty thriller. It's actually a surprisingly sweet coming-of-age story.
PEOPLE: B
Frank (The Falcon & The WInter Soldier’s Anthony Mackie) is the headstrong dad who insists he knows what is right despite all evidence to the contrary. Kevin is his Mini-Me, and both are more similar than either would ever dare to admit.
Most stories are about characters undergoing big changes. Frank and Kevin’s transformations are subtle. Their growth is a shift in understanding rather than any achievement. This requires both actors to portray their growth through small, nuanced indications instead of soaring emotion and majestic gestures. That’s not an easy task for anyone, but both talented actors pull it off.
David Harbour’s role requires him to rely on the fine physical acting he’s always shown on Stranger Things. I think the hideous hairpiece they make him wear is mainly there as a way to remind us we’re watching Ernest and not Sheriff Hopper.
FILM NERD STUFF: C-
There are definitely some film nerd things to enjoy here. The effects near the end of the film, which are nicely reprised during the credits, aren’t just cool. They also reflect the characters’ emotion in the moment.
There’s a scene where Ernest is running from the police. He glides through a wall and sprints through what looks like an H&R Block tax office. The film speed suddenly decelerates like a Matrix shootout scene. Harbour leaps over cubicles like an antelope. Spilled coffee soars across the room like feverish confetti. Screams fill the room like people cramming onto a subway at rush hour. Chaos spins through the office like a typhoon running away from home. It’s a quick moment that isn’t necessary but hits absolutely perfectly.
There are a few moments in the film where the story fast forwards without explanation. It feels like we jump over a few missing scenes with no warning, and it yanks us out of the narrative.
DEMI, PATRICK, & BARRY (Elective Class): B+
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley once said, “I am not a role model.” Sorry Charlie, but if eyeballs are on you, you’re a role model whether you want to be or not. Since the movies attract eyeballs (not just the real life actors, but the stories themselves), they’re role models too, which is why people get in such a huff over excessive violence in movies and video games. While not a huge fan of gratuitous on-screen violence, I don’t get too worked up over it. Hopefully, the overwhelming amount of violence in movies is countered by all the healthy people you see in your life solving conflicts without Uzis and light sabers.
But romantic waters are different. In real life, we don’t get to watch people working their way through private, intimate moments because … well, those moments are PRIVATE and INTIMATE. We rely on many different types of stories in order to navigate our early romances: stories our family tells us (my parents told me, JUST DON’T TOUCH ANYBODY, FOR THE LOVE OF SAINT CHRISTMAS!), stories our friends tell us (which are exaggerated and/or completely made up 99.21897371% of the time), or stories the movies tell us (which have issues all their own).
I know you don’t get to watch and study real, breathing people navigate romantic waters. And if you rely on movies to guide you, you may believe people are flying across those romantic waters at 90 mph on obnoxiously loud jet skis. In reality, most people gently paddle a canoe.
Since movies are usually around 90 minutes long, they often feel the need to skip the “boring parts” so they can get to the “exciting parts” quicker. Real life doesn’t - and shouldn’t - move that fast. We Have a Ghost includes a charming scene (amusingly graced by Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Barry White) that shows a tiny romantic step that is totally sweet and totally normal.
Just about everyone will move past such innocent steps one day. Some sooner, some later. That is totally ok and totally natural. But I’m hoping We Have a Ghost can be a role model for realistic teenage romance that other films will follow.
FINAL COMMENTS:
We Have a Ghost isn’t a coming of age tale with a lot of flash. But it is one that will resonate with anybody who spends some time pondering its subtle charms. It’s a sweet tale that’s worth the watch.