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Ezra has a lot of moving beauty, and although Max's stand-up act may use some work from the few glances we get of it, overall things stay vibrant and mostly funny. Goldwyn's heart is in the right place as Tony Spiridakis's script, which he developed after realizing he did not need "to fix" his autistic teenage son (via Disability Scoop.), clearly shows. Ezra doesn't claim to have all the answers, and Cannavale's sincere portrayal as a father adjusting as he goes along is striking and real.
Ezra is about the ties among dads and sons, among Max and Erza, but also among Max and Stan. As an emotionally repressed dad who never quite figured out how to express his feelings to his child, De Niro delivers a dedicated performance Max's dedication to Ezra and challenges to know whether to help him or urge him to bring Ezra back to his mother and put a stop to all the anarchy impress and frustrates Stan. Since nobody really understands what the proper thing to do, the connections among the characters are nuanced and fascinating.
Ezra performs brilliantly as a road trip film about fathers and sons repairing the mistakes of the past, learning to accept one another as they are, and drawing inspiration from each other's challenges and successes in light of all this. However, that overlooks the conflicting messages about Autism as Ezra adopts dubious moralistic positions on parent philosophies, special needs education, and medication of neurodivergent children. These problems are never entirely resolved, and occasionally Max's actions' idiocy is presented almost heroically.
Ezra is touring theaters right now. Though as a heartfelt look at the familial relationships, suffering parents, and the difficulties of impairments, this is a well-balanced and emotive dramedy, a version of this narrative could be done with considerably more nuance and success than what is seen in Ezra. Strong performances abound, and Cannavale really shines in this kind of wayward, fatherly role that balances loving honesty with social acceptability. Though it just never quite gets to attain the degree of great insight that its plot seems to aim for, Ezra is charming and entertaining.
At the core of Ezra, Tony Goldwyn's well-meaning but confused tale about a parent doing what he believes to do right by his autistic 11-year-old son, is some significant messaging. With Robert De Niro as his hot-headed, demanding dad Stan and Bobby Cannavale as Max Brandel, a struggling stand-up comedian and newly divorced father, there are signs that Ezra's trouble in suitably navigating social situations may go back generations. Though its heart makes up for it, Ezra never manages to be as perceptive as it desires as a road trip movie tackling delicate subjects.
Around a gifted and outstanding cast including Rose Byrne as his mother, Jenna, and Whoopi Goldberg as Max's manager, Jayne, Newcomer William Fitzgerald holds his own as Ezra. Though Ezra's Autism has its challenges, he can nevertheless function effectively as a small child who sees the world via movie quotes hates to be touched or hugged, cannot eat from a metal spoon, and panics at the mere thought of bananas. As his problems get worse, though, physicians want to medicate him and send him to a specialized school. Max grabs Ezra in the night, wanting to shield his kid from what he sees as an attempt to toss away his opportunity at a normal existence, and the two travel cross-country together on the way to do stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
De Niro in this role is interesting since Ezra's experiences as a father to an autistic boy have great bearing on the issues he addresses. De Niro said he assumed the job partly since he could relate to it. De Niro remarked (via NBC New York) "It's something I understand as far as having a child in Ezra's situation." De Niro's great performance gains weight from this personal connection since he embraces its idea totally.
This is a well-balanced and poignant dramedy as a sincere look at the family ties, struggling parents, and difficulties of disability. Strong performances abound, and Cannavale really shines in this kind of wayward, fatherly role that balances loving honesty with social acceptability. Though it just never quite gets to attain the degree of great insight that its plot seems to aim for, Ezra is charming and entertaining.
Stand-up comic book Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale) and his 11-year-old autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) set off on a road trip in this vivid picture of a family trying to understand one another.
As Max tries to establish his own place in the world and negotiate his son's particular demands, the movie is bursting with emotion and humor. This is a moving tale about the relationship between a father and son and the difficulties negotiating a society not always understanding autism.