- “My Son Ezra” is the directorial debut of actor Tony Goldwyn, known from, among others, the film “Ghost” and the series “Scandal”.
- The main roles were played by Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne. In the film, they played the role of an ex-married couple, while in real life they have been in a relationship since 2012
- Robert De Niro took on the role of Ezra’s grandfather because he himself has a son on the autism spectrum
Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a famous comedy writer who is trying his hand at stand-up comedy. He has a successful agent (Whoopi Goldberg) and a temper that gets him into more and more trouble. In fact, he was even “banned” in the community because he hit Conan O’Brien in… the testicles. “I was aiming for the stomach, but the guy is tall!” – he admits with disarming honesty. However, in his chaotic life there appears a chance to redeem himself. Jimmy Kimmel’s envoy is scheduled to watch one of his performances. The invitation to the program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Max. However, personal problems may get in the way. His beloved son Ezra (William Fitzgerald) is on the autism spectrum, while his father Stan is a grumpy New York teddy bear straight out of a comedy from… Robert De Niro. Oh wait… maybe that’s why Robert De Niro plays him?
Max has a different perspective on his son’s autism than his ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne). They used to have one front, but Jenna now lives with a successful lawyer (Tony Goldwyn, for whom this film is his feature directorial debut) and they share custody of Ezra, who has an exceptionally and surprisingly strong bond with his grandfather Stan. However, subsequent problems at the boy’s school cause the parents’ attitude to change dramatically. At the urging of specialists, she agrees to let Ezra go to a special facility and start taking medications. Max, on the other hand, still believes that his brilliant son, who lives in his own inner universe, will cope in a traditional school. He sees doctors as drug dealers on the leash of pharmaceutical companies.
Due to an argument with an arrogant doctor, Max is imprisoned and has a court ban on approaching his beloved child. So Ezra is dosed with drugs, which Max can’t stand. So at night he kidnaps the boy and rushes to his eccentric friend (Rainn Wilson) in Michigan, which is a stop on the way to Jimmy Kimmel himself. Stan and Jenna, who don’t like each other, chase after them. Both couples will have to undergo a transformation on the way. Well, the road movie formula had to be retained in such a film.
There are a lot of worn-out clichés and predictable solutions in this story, but there is something about this film that makes it impossible to reject it. It is sincerity. In the script, Tony Spiridakis described his own relationship with his son on the autism spectrum, whom, like Max, he wanted to turn into a person without autism at all costs. He realized that this was a road to nowhere. In this thread, “My Son Ezra” is the most moving and has a huge educational value. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean it’s a didactic film. Rather, it is a father’s confession and a love letter to his son. Max learns how to illuminate the path of his son with autism as a father, instead of forcing him to change it, while Ezra overcomes subsequent fears through contact with new surroundings and new people, assimilating to his surroundings more and more boldly. It’s all played delicately and with great sensitivity. Bobby Cannavale creates a full-blooded and very engaging acting role for the audience.
There are a few script jokes here, emphasizing the text (although spoken with the great charm of Wilson, who will always be Dwight from “The Office” to me) that each of us is on some kind of spectrum. Seriously? I did not know! What is irritating is the excessive melodrama and the clumsy, unreliable and infantile plot of the chase for Max, which involves… the FBI. However, the irritation quickly subsides thanks to subsequent acting performances, such as the heartbreaking final conversation between De Niro and Cannavale, when the former, who plays most of the film on his typical “De Niro autopilot” in recent years, reminds why he is one of the greatest actors in the history of the American cinemas.
“My Son Ezra” is a picture of pure father-son love that shows the world of a person on the autism spectrum with respect and tact and helps viewers understand his perception. Could you ask for something more on the upcoming Father’s Day?
7/10
“My Son Ezra” (Ezra), dir. Tony Goldwyn, USA 2024, distribution: Monolith Films, cinema premiere: June 21, 2024.