A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
a little
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.
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Positive Role Models
some
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.
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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.
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Violence & Scariness
some
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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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
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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Language
a lot
"F--k," "s--t," "bulls--t," "damn," "hell," "ass," "a--hole," "bitch," "douchebag," "butt," "d--k," "crap," "take a dump," "butt," "fool," "stupid," "sucks," "Oh my God!," "Jesus!," and the middle finger.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, CNN, Mac, H&R Block, CNN, Wheel of Fortune, Uber, Lyft, Taco Bell, Nike.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
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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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.
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.
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?
Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: February 24, 2023
- Cast: Jahi Di’Allo Winston, David Harbour, Anthony Mackie
- Director: Christopher Landon
- Inclusion Information: Black actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Compassion
- Run time: 127 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: language, some sexual/suggestive references and violence
- Last updated: March 16, 2023
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