On February 24, Netflix released the comedy film “We’ve Got a Ghost!”, starring David Harbor and Anthony Mackie. Its plot is based on the short story “Ernest” by Jeff Mano, published in Vice magazine in the fall of 2017. In this review, we tell you whether a cool ghost came out of David Harbour.

“We have a ghost!” / We Have a Ghost

Genre family comedy
Director Christopher Landon
In roles David Harbour, Anthony Mackie, Tig Notaro, Jennifer Coolidge, Tom Bauer
Premiere Netflix
Graduation year 2023
Site IMDb

With the confidence of a true superhero, family man Frank Presley is determined to move into a new house with his wife and two teenage sons. The house looks a little creepy, like a cross between the gloomy building from Amityville Horror and the cabin from the opening credits of Home Alone. But the very low price tempts Frank to stay here.

While the father tries to establish a difficult relationship with the youngest son, 16-year-old Kevin, the latter discovers a real ghost in the attic. Despite the attempts of an otherworldly entity to scare the little guy, the boy does not get lost and even finds the bizarre resident funny. Over time, they manage to become friends, and even later, other family members learn about the supernatural neighbor, whom they decide to call Ernest.

When Frank uploads clips of Ernest’s footage online, they go viral and attract a lot of attention from the media and the general public. In addition to them, an agent of a government organization is also interested in the unusual find, and she wants to catch ghosts at any cost. As a result, this becomes a big problem for the main characters.

“We have a ghost!” — the new work of director Christopher Landon, who once dealt with the other world in the bad horror “Paranormal: Mark of the Devil.” After that, the director brought scouts against zombies on the same battlefield, but the real success was thanks to the fun slasher “Happy Death Day”. Then there was a less convenient sequel and, finally, the controversial Game.

It is obvious that Landon feels confident in the comedy slasher genre and is not afraid to beat the old genre paths (in “Days of Death” it was the day of the groundhog + the hunt for a conditional ghostly person, in “Ditch” – body swapping).

And in this project, he had to work with the story of a “haunted house.” But the difference with the director’s previous experience is that “We have a ghost!” – This is a story designed for enjoyable family viewing on Netflix. That’s why it’s usual to turn around here: no bloody massacres or humor on the verge of a foul.

However, just like evening entertainment in a cozy circle of relatives or friends, the movie does not work. Supernatural has a semi-transparent and semi-bald David Harbor in the frame. From the fun, there’s the bright Jennifer Coolidge, who jumps out of the window in the best tradition of action heroes. And from the fantastic – 85-year-old Tom Bauer from the second “Toughnut”, who arranges a good-looking man, who was preparing biceps for the role of Captain America, for a moment.

The problem of the film is especially evident during the adventures of the young heroes and their ghostly friend. They are banally not interesting to watch, and these wanderings are mostly aimed at a teenage audience.

Harbour, who after the role of Santa Claus on the verge of a nervous breakdown, again portrays a fantastic character, does a trick of the Twin from the second Matrix, but such tricks are unlikely to surprise anyone.

Among other things, the creators try to laugh at the modern era of chasing sensations, social networks and the trending video phenomenon, which looks interesting. Tiktok dances to Lady Gaga in the style of Wednesday Addams, from which there was no escape, are still fresh in my memory. In the film, Ernest calmly walks through the wall, and many TikTok users make it a trend. You take it, accelerate and crash into the wall with all your might – everyone is having fun, insults are pouring in.

Some depth of this simple and not particularly exciting story about the friendship and relationship of children with their parents is added not even by the elements of a thriller in the climax, but by the dramatic notes associated with the character of Harbor. They allow us to arrive at a sentimental ending that is dictated by the genre (and the original source), which slightly smoothes the overall impression of what we saw.

Landon does not forget to say hello to the cult “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze. This is just his own work, unlike Jerry Zucker’s tape, in the future no one will remember with a kind, quiet word.

Pros:
some funny episodes, David Harbour’s dramatic character line, his silent acting, the irony of social media culture, albeit criminally short-lived, but a great appearance by Jennifer Coolidge

Cons:
it’s a comedy that doesn’t laugh and an adventure that doesn’t thrill

Conclusion:

The story of Ernest’s ghost looks interesting within the confines of a short story-primary source. But in the format of an uninventive and boring 2-hour film – absolutely unconvincing