Batteries not included netflix11/21/2023 There is some mildly interesting familial tension at play between Mackie’s opportunist father and Winston’s disappointed son (a speech about being unable to hide one’s faults when a child gets old enough to see them is effective) but Landon struggles to bring emotional heft to the central friendship. It’s not quite as awful as that ended up being, but it’s similarly frustrating, an initial spark carelessly drowned out. The bigger it all gets, the further we feel pushed away and it starts to recall the scrappy disaster of Happy Death Day 2U, which squandered the simple joys of the original by needlessly extending the canvas. But the film gets quickly bogged down in some over-plotted nonsense involving a gaudy TV medium (Jennifer Coolidge, given very little and doing very little with it), a ghost hunter turned author (Tig Notaro) and an oversized CIA masterplan. In Landon’s simpler, sweeter low-stakes opening act, the film works best, a charming melange of Casper, Beetlejuice and the aforementioned Amblin classics, gently taking us through familiar motions. It’s Kevin who takes the lead, nurturing a friendship and tasking himself with trying to help the ghost figure out why he died and how he might find some sort of freedom. For father Frank (Anthony Mackie), it’s an opportunity to make money, for mother Melanie (Survivor’s Remorse alum Erica Ash) it’s a reason to be frustrated, for eldest son Fulton (Niles Fitch) it’s a way to get girls and for younger son Kevin (Jahi Winston) it’s a way to feel less alone. “We have a ghost!” is then exclaimed with the words meaning something different to each family member. ![]() His story takes a family and moves them into a suspiciously cheap new home only for them to find out that it is haunted by a gentle ghost, played by David Harbour. That type of film would be best defined by the Amblin logo, something that reminds most of us of a specific combination of adventure, comedy and often gentle moments of something scarier, films like ET, The Goonies, Batteries Not Included and Arachnophobia (a film Landon is currently set to remake). Landon has always been transparent about his influences – Happy Death Day recalling Groundhog Day, Disturbia recalling Rear Window (to the extent that Hitchcock’s estate tried to sue) – but here, he’s too busy trying to conjure the vibe of a certain type of film to focus on crafting something of his own. ![]() But as perfect as this match-up might seem on paper, the move has also come at a cost, a loss of something more distinctive perhaps. It makes sense that he would then parlay that into the world of family films and so his Netflix caper We Have a Ghost might be aimed at a younger demographic but it retains a similar speed and spirit. Like Landon’s previous work – writing scripts for Disturbia and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and directing Happy Death Days 1 and 2 – it showcased a buoyancy of tone that ensured fun was being had even when frightening things were happening.
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