Ezra review: A kind if cloying dramedy about autism

So, yes, there is still room for a film like Ezra. The screenplay—written by Tony Spiridakis and inspired by the experience of raising his own autistic son—is often on-the-nose and could be accused in certain moments of wrongfully using its namesake as a vehicle to center the struggles of its neurotypical characters. In general, though, the film is a tender and touching ode to the Ezras of the world, and the people who love them.

If people do find this film, it will likely be for the cast: Rose Byrne, who plays the loving if slightly over-protective mom Jenna, or her real-life partner Bobby Cannavale, who shines here as Max, Jenna’s estranged husband and an impulsive stand-up comedian, who fiercely loves but doesn’t quite know how to properly parent his son. (We learn throughout Ezra that he may be on the spectrum himself). Then, of course, there’s Robert De Niro as Max’s challenging father and post-divorce roommate, doing a slimmed-down version of his regular schtick to pretty satisfying effect.

This constellation of starry adults spends almost the entire movie arguing about what to do with Ezra, a loyal and truthful kid who communicates largely through movie quotes, isn’t too keen on metal forks, and can’t stand to be touched even by his own parents. After Ezra suffers a minor accident and gets kicked out of yet another school by teachers who don’t know how to handle him, his doctors recommend that he be placed in a special needs school and begin taking an antipsychotic. Jenna approves of this idea, but it’s unconscionable to Max, who abducts his own son and takes him on a road trip to avoid treatment that even Ezra knows is a terrible idea.

But while all of the grown-ups turn in admirable performances, the heart of the movie lies in a staggering debut from newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, a preteen diagnosed with autism and ADHD himself. In an April talkback attended by this writer, Fitzgerald did not hesitate to roast his co-star, Robert De Niro. And that was after he revealed to the assembled crowd that he originally only wanted to be a part of the film because he thought it would help his YouTube career. It’s this bold-beyond-his-years quality—not the love for online video creation, although that certainly helps—that makes Fitzgerald such a captivating find, and his Ezra so alive and authentic. Without him, this whole project would sink back into the recesses of plane fare.

Ezra isn’t going to make any top 10 lists this year and, like any film that deals with deeply personal and often challenging subject matter, it will have its justified detractors. But, as Ezra reminds his dad somewhere along their journey, the film doesn’t have to be everyone’s superhero. If it makes just one person feel seen—even if all it does is launch Fitzgerald’s YouTube (and hopefully Hollywood) career—that can be enough.