Parents' Guide to We Have a Ghost

Movie PG-13 2023 127 minutes
We Have a Ghost: Haunted house with two fists meeting above them.

Common Sense Media Review

Jennifer Green By Jennifer Green , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Goofy but creepy supernatural tale has language, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 16+

Based on 20 parent reviews

Parents say the film has sparked significant controversy due to its perceived racial insensitivity and inappropriate humor, with many reviewers expressing strong objections to its portrayal of racial stereotypes and the normalization of parental neglect. While some viewers found the film entertaining and touching, others condemned it as a "racist film" not suitable for children, criticizing its use of vulgar language and slurs against white people that they believe contributes to societal divisions.

  • racial insensitivity
  • parental neglect
  • offensive humor
  • divided opinions
  • not suitable for kids
Summarized with AI

age 12+

Based on 8 kid reviews

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 Withdrawn teen son Kevin (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) is the first to encounter the middle-aged ghost in the attic, Ernest (David Harbour).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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 20 ):
Kids say ( 8 ):

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?

  • Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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

We Have a Ghost: Haunted house with two fists meeting above them.

What to Watch Next

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.

See how we rate