Ezra
review by Bobby Blakey
Actor Tony Goldwyn is one of those actors that is in everything including films like Ghost, The Last Samurai, Oppenheimer and so many more. He has also dipped his hat into the world of directing tons of TV series and films. His latest film, Ezra features a great cast including Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert DeNiro and introducing William A. Fitzgerald. Could this film shine a spotlight on the story it is trying to tell or will it get booed off stage before it has a chance to speak?
Ezra follows Max Bernal, a stand-up comedian living with his father, while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife, Jenna. When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son's future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives.
Movies dealing with special needs people always have a big job ahead of them. First you must make sure it is handled correctly and delicately so not to feel disrespectful or just like you are pulling the heartstrings for no reason. Thankfully this film not only delves into this realm to perfection, but also brings a journey of all these characters in different ways to simple story that is very complex.
For a film like this to work you must have a performance from the person in focus to capture the essence and Goldwyn made the perfect decision to cast someone with actual Autism in Fitzgerald. Obviously, we know the rest of the cast are on point, but it’s Fitzgerald who has the biggest burden to bear as the film is wrapped around him at the center of it all. He is a joy to watch and brings all the necessary emotions and innocence to the role in a story that is pretty heavy.
On the other side of the coin is Cannavale who is always great, but here brings a multilevel performance that is not only a man trying to care and do what’s best for his son that he doesn’t fully understand, but someone who needs help finding his own path in life. Both shines together, bringing some truly great moments to life with one of the final acts of the film perfectly pushing it home.
To no surprise DeNiro is great bringing yet another grumpy old man to the screen, but this time around seems to relish in the layers he actual has. He seems to be this one generic type of character initially but begins to show his own fragility and brokenness as he looks to try to find his own healing while trying to help both his sone and grandson. There are some sweet moments with DeNiro and Fitzgerald that help you grasp their connection and while short serve as a major injection of love into the story’s dynamic.
The story has some frustrating elements in that most of this could have been avoided had people just communicated but is also kind of the point of it all with the young boy unable to communicate properly and the rest just not doing so. The frustration comes from it being so real and close to home for a lot of people and the drama they find themselves in. There is an element that I think was never resolved, but decided it was being implied handled off screen so doesn’t really hurt the rest of the film despite it being the main reason for it all.
The film is capped off by a funny final scene that is there just for laughs and brings some joy to the heaviness of the rest of the film before it. Decide for yourself and check out Ezra available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD.