‘Ezra’ Review: Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne and Robert De Niro in a Sensitive Drama About the Challenges of Autism

It may possess all the telltale markings of standard-issue fall film fest audience awards fodder, but Ezra, about an 11-year-old who’s unmistakably on the spectrum, earns its crowd-hugging stripes legitimately thanks to its superb ensemble and sensitive direction that never gets in the way of its knowing script.

Bobby Cannavale puts it all on the screen as a New Jersey stand-up comic who constantly butts heads with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne) over the best way of raising their autistic son (impressive newcomer William A. Fitzgerald), while also butting heads with his uncommunicative dad (Robert De Niro).

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But even a charismatic cast could only carry this kind of scenario so far if it hadn’t been for a tender screenplay by Tony Spiridakis, informed by the challenges of rearing his own, now 24-year-old, neurodivergent son, and an assured yet restrained guiding hand from actor-director Goldwyn. Whether or not it emerges as a festival prize contender, the as-yet unattached title, handed its world premiere at TIFF, deserves a premium buyer (even if they end up opting for a title change lest some be under the impression that it’s the Ezra Miller story, which is a whole other ball of wax).

Preferring to tell stories over cracking conventional jokes, Cannavale’s Max Bernal often incorporates his challenging relationship with his son, Ezra (Fitzgerald), into his material, which doesn’t necessarily yield the biggest laughs. As Max’s supportive manager, Jayne (Whoopi Goldberg), puts it, “I really want you to fly, but you keep bombing the runway.”

Despite being sharp as a pin, reading The New York Times since age 5, Ezra’s lack of a filter and impulsive outbursts (metal forks and bananas are among his triggering mechanisms) have gotten him expelled from more than one school. But when the latest incident has mom Jenna (Byrne) reluctantly agreeing to a doctor’s recommendation that Alex attend a special needs institution and be put on Risperdal (an antipsychotic used to treat everything from schizophrenia to bipolar disorder), in-denial Max has other ideas.

He abducts his son in the middle of the night, taking off in the old car belonging to his hotel doorman dad, Stan (De Niro), and setting out on an impromptu excursion. While the notion of a cross-country movie road trip could very easily set off warning flares (looking at you, Green Book), especially with Jenna and Stan following in hot pursuit, the script takes the characters in some unanticipated directions, dodging an Amber Alert by making a pit stop at a camp run by an old comedy buddy (Rainn Wilson) and another at the farm belonging to a nurturing woman from Max’s past (Vera Farmiga). Although the ultimate destination turns out to be Hollywood, where Max has nabbed a spot on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, it’s the journey that proves the most rewarding.

Cannavale knows he’s landed a great role and really runs with it; he’s entirely credible as both a stand-up comic in the Mort Sahl vein and as a fiercely protective dad whose desire for Ezra to live a “normal” life occasionally blinds him to what best serves his son. His interplay with young Fitzgerald, remarkable in his first professional outing, never feels less than authentic, as does his heated bantering with De Niro, who brings a weighty but tender conviction here that isn’t always evident in his supporting roles.

Although the upbeat coda seems to give the impression that the trek has somehow succeeded in altering some of Ezra’s behavior for the better — which, of course, is more the stuff of Hollywood endings — that hope is nevertheless understandable.

“I don’t want him in his own world,” Max protests. “I want him in this world!” For families affected by autism, Ezra convincingly taps into those all-too-relatable sentiments.