Meu Filho, Nosso Mundo

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.

He's read the New York Times since he was 5 and can eat only with plastic silverware. That's Ezra, the film is Ezra, and Ezra is autistic. This new melodrama from Hollywood, directed by Tony Goldwyn, is a tearjerker in its best form: so likeable is dad, Max (Bobby Cannavale in his career high), so fetchingly gruff his grandpa (Robert De Niro), so loveable Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald) that you root for them from the first frame to the last.

Max doesn't want Ezra to be put in a special school, so in his usually off-kilter way, he kidnaps Ezra to take him to California away from the cold-hearted child services and to appear as a comedian on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Despite the challenge of an Amber Alert, the fugitives manage to make the odyssey with grandpa's help and that of the endearing mother (Rose Byrne), divorced from Max but loving both Ezra and him. That she accepts the authorities' decision to drug Ezra and place him in a special school stretches credibility given the questionable authorities.

Although some of these situations seem like setups for pulling at the heart, the film peppers each with a reality that proclaims how we could easily be in the same situation. Max often acts like a child, while the child acts like an adult. When Max attacks the principal, the script seems unreal.

However, the film successfully shows not only the rough side, but also the charming side of autism, much as Rainman did. In other words, humanity outweighs film formula.

Life constantly gives Max chances while he tends to blow the opportunities. While being a stand-up comedian who earns a gig on Kimmel, he has some of the worst jokes ever, such as finding his inner child who happens to have a gun.

One of the memorable segments is De Niro showing his considerable chops when he apologizes to Max for being an emotionally distant father. It's the old Travis first-rate acting even when it feels like writer Tony Spiridakis is forcing the moment and its emotion.

The movie Ezra is a stellar summer outing with excellent acting and caution about being a parent and bringing up an autistic child. The imperfections are negligible when you consider its strengths.

It must be challenging to tell a fictional story about a boy with autism and make it authentic. Director Tony Goldwyn and writer Tony Spiridakis (who drew on his own experience as a parent of a child with autism) have done that with Ezra. Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a standup comedian who struggles to raise his autistic son, Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald). Max has very different views with his ex-wife, Jenna (Rose Byrne), on parenting Ezra. Additionally, Max and his father (played by Robert De Niro) have a tense relationship. And when Ezra is placed in a "special" school, Max illegally takes Ezra on a road trip on his way to an audition for a comedy gig. And, of course, a great deal of drama ensues.

The family dynamics, the challenge of parenting a child with autism, and the demands of personal growth are explored with sensitivity and compassion. Many people have praised Ezra as an accurate portrayal of autism. The performance by the young Fitzgerald in his acting debut is stunningly good. Cannavale and De Niro are also excellent in their roles. It's great to see De Niro in one of his best performances for some time. And Rose Byrne does a good job as Ezra's mother, although her character does seem to be underutilised.

Goldwyn's direction balances emotional depth with personal story telling, but sometimes, some of the plot seems to be a bit extraneous to the central story. And the narrative occasionally ventures into cliche. But, overall, it's a warm and heartfelt story that moves along at a good pace, although the final act of the film does feel a bit drawn out.

There have been other movies similar to Ezra, such as The Peanut Butter Falcon. But what makes this one stand out is its feeling of authenticity. If you're interested in family dramas, and particularly if you are interested in neurodiversity, you will find this a compelling watch. Despite some of its narrative flaws, its sincerity and depth make this one worth checking out.

Well done, well scripted movie that tugs at the heart strings. The IMDB current synopsis (09/09) is totally off. In a cast of heavy hitters, the novice kid playing Ezra steals the show. The script is inspired by a true story, sometimes poignant, sometimes heavy handed, with well timed and well delivered levity. Casting was great with a few surprises, including Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who played smaller but important roles to the story. Tony Goldwyn directed and was in the movie, which was written by his life long friend. It's the story of an autistic child, family struggle, divorced parents, understanding the past, vulnerability and a bit of redemption along the way.

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.