A ghost scares people. He contorts his body, moans, and in one scene his face melts off and a skinless arm emerges out of his mouth to attempt to strangle a woman. This is all meant to be funny, but it's also creepy. People, including teenagers, are threatened by men with guns. A man shoots at a family and attacks them with household objects. A car chase results in several cars crashing. Police officers point guns at teenagers, and CIA operatives shoot tasers at and conduct tests on the ghost. A man and a woman both fall out of house windows. People get thrown around by the ghost. A woman says she'd rather swallow razor blades than give someone some information they're asking for. A man is killed and buried.
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A character mentions someone taking Xanax and pinot grigio. There's mention of getting high, being a drunk, and dying from drinking. A character drinks straight from a bottle and appears drunk, slurring his speech.
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Two teens share a bed in a motel (fully dressed) and, later, one kiss. A high school senior flashes his abdomen for an Instagram selfie, refers to himself as "hot," peruses dating apps, and talks about "getting laid." Other scenes mention strippers, boners, and dry humping.
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Kevin shows great compassion for Ernest, selflessly working to help him uncover his past and "cross over." Ernest also stands up for and defends Kevin. Kevin's brother and even his dad Frank push him around and tease him. Frank has run through a series of get-rich-quick schemes, disappointing his family, but he's a loving father and husband. Kevin's mom also stands up for her sons. Joy is a stellar student who's unafraid of her peers. Characters break laws and wreak havoc in pursuit of their goals. Leslie does the right thing. People jump on bandwagon trends and can get carried away.
Diverse Representations
some
A Black family moves into a haunted house. Their race is not central to the plot, but the parents poke occasional fun at White people. Authority figures (CIA, police) are mostly White. The teen neighbor is Japanese American, and she says her dad overschedules her to prove they "fit in." She also complains about racial stereotyping at school and "gender norms." She says she wants to be a ghost and "haunt Ted Cruz." A man dresses up like Jesus Christ.
Parents can be essential in their kids' lives, no matter how imperfect they are as people. Teenagers can be trusted to make decisions for themselves. Doing the right thing can sometimes require skirting the rules.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that We Have a Ghost is a dramatic comedy about a Black family that moves into a house and discovers it's haunted by an older White man, played by David Harbour. The teenage son, Kevin (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), befriends the ghost and shows compassion in trying to help him figure out how he died so he can "cross over." The ghost isn't scary, but sometimes he purposely tries to scare the living. These scenes can get creepy, like when the ghost contorts his body, melts his face, or tries to strangle a woman with a skinless arm that emerges from inside his mouth. Meanwhile, living adults, including police officers and CIA operatives, chase, threaten, shoot at, and try to capture or kill the ghosts and others, including teenagers. Violence involves guns, tasers, car chases, car crashes, people getting knocked over and hit over the head, and a man who is killed and buried. One man appears drunk, and another is said to have been a heavy drinker. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "douchebag," "d--k," and more. Teen kissing and references to "getting laid," strippers, boners, and dry humping. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Racist movie! Why is it okay for a black woman to say her family “will not be like every other STUPID WHITE FAMILY!” Can you imagine if the tables were turned. Blacks (since they referred to caucasians by the color of their skin) would be suing over this and the movie would be labeled a work of hate and bigotry. I’m tired of the double standards. This is coming from a BROWN American (apparently it’s okay to go by skin color and not race as long as you’re not too white).
A nice racist movie, if you're into that sort of thing.
Pretty racist. Lots of hate against white people. Not cool, keep trying to push that divide, Hollywood. More foul language then needed. This could have been a fun family movie.
What's the Story?
A family of four has just relocated to a new house in Chicago at the start of WE HAVE A GHOST. What they don't know is that their new home, which seemed too cheap to believe, is widely known to be haunted. Withdrawn teen son Kevin (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) is the first to encounter the middle-aged ghost in the attic, Ernest (David Harbour). His dad, Frank (Anthony Mackie), and older brother, Fulton (Niles Fitch), quickly see a means to cash in by posting videos of Ernest to YouTube. Frank hasn't quite gotten his act together, and his wife (Erica Ash) and youngest son are regularly disappointed by him. Together with high school classmate and next-door neighbor Joy (Isabella Russo), Kevin is set on helping Ernest discover what happened to him in life so he can move on from his ghostly purgatory. That discovery gets complicated once word of Ernest gets out and everyone wants a piece of him.
Part ghost story, part horror spoof, part family drama, and part caper, this film is a little all over the map and overly long, but still enjoyable. Teen star Winston shines in the lead role of We Have a Ghost. He's almost too good for this movie, bringing a level of seriousness to his performance that doesn't always match the film's overall kooky tone, but raises the whole affair up a notch. The film benefits from strong acting throughout and fun cameos (Jennifer Coolidge knocks her two scenes out of the park), though Harbour gets no spoken lines and is forced to emote with his eyebrows. A montage of TikTokers going nuts for the ghost is so on-point it's painfully funny. If the film had stuck with the humor and cut back on the violent scenes and sappy closure, it would have been a shorter, stronger movie overall.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what genre of film We Have a Ghost is. Is it horror? Comedy? Satire? Drama?
Why does Frank say parenting little kids is easier than teenagers? Do you agree with his point that kids grow up and recognize their parents' flaws? Is that necessarily a bad thing? Why or why not?
How does Kevin show compassion for Ernest? How do other characters show a lack of empathy for him?
MPAA explanation:
language, some sexual/suggestive references and violence
Last updated:
March 16, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Green
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