Ezra review: A kind if cloying dramedy about autism

Ezra isn’t your average kid, and Ezra isn’t your average movie to throw on when you need a good cry. The Tony Goldwyn-directed film, which follows a neurodivergent 11-year-old who gets caught in the middle over and over as his parents spar over how to raise him, spins off in a number of directions one might not expect from a relatively small-time heartstring-tugger. Does it offer enough to transcend the “your mom watched this on a plane once and told you it was great” sensibility that hangs around its core? Not really, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy and forward-thinking addition to this particular canon.

In many ways, Ezra was long overdue. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has never been more mainstream—even “trendy,” as an increasing number of adults self-diagnose (and in turn at least begin to destigmatize the disorder) based on information gleaned from TikTok and other social media platforms. Real diagnoses are also on the rise. According to CDC data, approximately one in every 36 children were estimated to have ASD in 2020, as opposed to one in 150 in 2000—an increase largely attributable to advances in diagnostic capability and general understanding of the nuances of the disorder.

Still, we have one-note and often parodic savant stereotypes like Freddie Highmore screaming “I am a surgeon” in The Good Doctor. We have infantilizations like the Netflix dating show Love On The Spectrum. We have whatever the hell Music was. And, of course, we have all those anti-vaxxer freaks we can’t seem to get rid of.

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.