We Have a Ghost” is the movie version of the best sugar cookie ever made.
It’s easy to get your hands on a sugar cookie, but most of them are pretty average. They’re cheaply made and too sugary, forgettable even before you’ve finished eating. High-quality cookies, on the other hand, highlight their sweetness with more subtle flavors. They’re rich, surprisingly complex, and completely unforgettable.
The latest from writer/director Christopher Landon, “We Have a Ghost” takes on the classic “teen moves into a haunted house” genre of family movies. It’s a cookie-cutter standard that’s spat out dozens of duplicates, but Landon takes each aspect of the story as seriously as if he’s seen it for the first time. The plot is surprisingly nuanced, the relationships are complicated and achingly tender, and there are both genuine scares and a sprinkle of silliness. It’s a familiar genre, but in Landon’s hands it feels new.
The movie follows Kevin and his family as his family moves into a new house. Kevin hates everything about it, but when he befriends the ghost living upstairs he decides to help him get his memory back. Kevin’s dad, however, is more interested in fame, posting videos of the ghost that attract the wrong sort of attention. As enemies come closer and Kevin digs deeper into the mystery of the ghost’s past, it becomes a race against the clock.
The movie has a healthy dose of hi-jinks, though they’re mostly more interesting than simple slapstick. They establish the ghost’s physical properties in just the right way to make for a truly entertaining car chase, and there’s an on-foot run through an office that’s just delightful. There’s also an extended scene with a psychic that is peak horror comedy.
