Ezra

I was pleasantly surprised to find actual comedians here. I actually watch Emma Willmann's stuff, and it seems like she even wrote her own material here. The movie convincingly portrays its themes, highlighting the struggles of parenting, especially in the context of divorce and a child with mental health issues. We also see the valid reasons behind the parents' disagreements. They both wanted what was best.

The film exceeded my expectations. The conflicts felt realistic, and the acting was good, particularly from William A. Fitzgerald in his first movie role. He was so good that I hope he doesn't get typecast like the dude from The Good Doctor. Overall, the cast did well. Robert De Niro's introduction was funny, and he had some great moments. He's excellent at playing father roles, as I noticed in Silver Linings Playbook.

The humor was well-balanced, with the best laughs coming from moments outside the stand-up comedy bits. I'm glad the movie didn't overdo the jokes, even though one of the main characters is a comedian. It balances out with the dramatic moments without overshadowing them.

While the movie didn't leave a lasting impact, I still think it's worth watching. It was a pleasant surprise since I expected it to be overly sentimental, but it turned out much better. One of the cool things about mystery movie screenings is discovering unexpectedly good films, even if they're not ones I was eagerly anticipating. I'm a bit conflicted about giving it 3 or 3½ stars.

I had the feeling that somewhere, in the process of the movie, I am seeing another version of Rain Man. It has some plot lines and a one of the main characters has autism, but this movie only can be flattered for being compared in any way to the timeless masterpiece and exciting movie with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

Ezra is a kid that has autism and while he is trying to live his life as a regular kid, his divorced parents are investing a lot of work to make everything tick well for their son. They try to keep him in a regular school but Ezra and his environment are having troubles to mash-up with each other.

His father - Max is a stand-up comedy dude, who live with his father. They both have unsolved issues between themselves and their past, but this subject is touched microscopely, in order to give some background for both of their statuses. The mother is dating another guy and Ezra is living with her, but someday the plot thickens, due to a McGuffin, within one of the scenes and throws away Max and Ezra to a strange and short road trip.

During this trip Max is learning a lot of his son and on himself, while other characters evolves a little bit more, in an instant plot catalysator moves. This is too short of a movie to get the characters to get arced well, but surprisingly they manage to stay interesting, compelling and very emotional and heartwarming.

Underrated Bobby Cannavale is making one of his best performances, while running around and getting crazy, like his character should react to all plot scenarios. Rose Byrne is great, as usual, but not very noticeable and Bobby De-Niro is fabulous as he is being expected of. Great chemistry between all the characters and also from young William A. Fitzgerald, that plays Ezra.

Tony Goldwyn is making a great work for not loosing his audience to over drama, by taking a large part for the comedy in this movie - letting his viewers to feel authentic and still get excited from the small and captivating moments, that the audience should get excited from. A small, heartwarming and uplifting movie.

Everything starts escalating with the autistic kid having troubles at school.

Well-drawn characters on all sides of the boy's personal realities are certain that they must impose their own way of assisting him, leaving him as a subject without any freedom of choice..

• The authorities, deciding based on their professional experience and tutoring, responsible to observe rules and regulations, and placing little empathy on human considerations, illegitimately and abusively use their authority to undermine the rights and obligations of parents.

• the dad, a one man show comedian, who reacts emotionally against authorities, doctors, specialists, knowing rationally that he has to act irrationally to remove the kid from a subordinate law-abiding care system.

• The mother, conformist, yielding to the authorities to some extent, fighting her own emotions and hysteria to avoid escalating the situation.

• The grandfather, torn between his son and his wife, worried about the parents and the child, plagued by his own demons as a result of his own failings.

This results in an entertaining 90-minute combination of typical atypical personalities portrayed with reason, passion and humour, as well as the personality of the kid attempting to navigate like a fish away from the centre of this unwanted attention.

I am sceptical of movies concerning children's psychological issues, mostly because psychology is not an accurate science, like physics, chemistry or mathematics, but it is elevated to the same level of undisputable authority. Those harmed are frequently over-victimized and emotionally manipulated.

This was spot on; the director and actors' outstanding performances entirely changed my biased perception.

The film, in a beautiful crescendo with no wasted moments and a lot of scenery changes, moves from interesting to capturing my attention to retaining it until the very end.

Ezra, directed by Tony Goldwyn, stars Bobby Cannavale as Max Bernal, with Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, and William Fitzgerald in key roles, and has a runtime of 105 minutes. The film tells the story of a father navigating the challenges of co-parenting his autistic son, Ezra, through a heartfelt cross-country road trip.

Initially, the movie threw me off with a somewhat cliché start. The plot was set into motion by decisions that felt irrational and not entirely believable, making it difficult to get fully immersed right away. However, as the story unfolded, Ezra managed to win me over. The narrative gradually moved away from the typical setup and developed into a more nuanced exploration of family, connection, and personal struggles.

One of the film's biggest strengths is the performances from the entire cast. Bobby Cannavale and William Fitzgerald lead the charge with compelling portrayals, and you can feel every emotion emanating from their characters. Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne add depth to the supporting cast, and all the actors bring a sincerity to their roles that makes the story engaging. Each scene is given room to breathe, allowing the characters' emotions to resonate without feeling rushed.

The film's pacing is another highlight, as it never felt hurried or forced. This careful approach allowed Ezra to evoke some truly heartfelt emotions, making the viewer feel invested in the journey of Max and his son. It's clear that Tony Goldwyn's direction and Tony Spiridakis's writing aimed to capture the raw and tender moments of parenting, and for the most part, they succeeded.

In conclusion, despite a rocky start, Ezra finds its footing and delivers a touching, emotional journey. The strong performances and well-paced storytelling make it a movie worth watching. I give it a 7 out of 10.

I'm a fan of sweet, simple stories with memorable characters and I found all of that in Ezra. Bobby Cannavale turns in a magnificent performance in the role of Max, a struggling standup comic co-parenting his autistic 11-year-old son Ezra with his ex-wife Jenna played by the always fabulous Rose Byrne. When Ezra's outbursts spin out of control at school, a doctor suggests putting him on a special medication. Jenna is receptive to the idea, but Max is having none of it and flees with Ezra, taking him on a cross-country road trip with hopes of appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It's a trip that proves life-changing for both Max and Ezra.