Ezra
There’s a sincerity to what Max (Bobby Cannavale) is trying to do for his son, Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald), that is admirable. The same can also be said for Max’s ex-wife, Jenna (Rose Byrne). Ezra is autistic, and it’s been a struggle for him to be in public school. Max wants him to be kept in public school, and toughened up so he doesn’t have to be ostracized. Jenna sees the reasons for why the school feels Ezra would be better suited in a special needs school. In Tony Goldwyn’s drama, however, it feels like both parents go to extremes, and forget that Ezra is their shared connection, the most important person in each of their lives. In the end, it feels like an equilibrium is reached, but it’s hard to believe they got there so simply as the film makes it seem.
I will admit that there is a part of me that will always connect with films like “Ezra.” I’m someone who appreciates a good tear jerker, and Goldwyn’s is a talented enough storyteller to make me feel for these people. It’s ultimately an underdog story about struggling through life, and trying our best. Even if I don’t agree with all the choices made by Max and Jenna, I understand why they make them in the framework of Tony Spiridakis’s screenplay.
We’ve seen many movies like “Ezra” before. Struggling father trying to do what’s best for their child, makes irrational decisions, and ultimately realizing he needs to do better. There’s two complicated father-son relationships in this one- the other one is between Max and his father, Stan (Robert DeNiro). That one is in line with the one that played out between DeNiro and Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”; if the former was more impactful, it’s because it felt more like a fundamental part of the story- this one feels tacked on and is almost incidental. What keeps us engaged with “Ezra,” however, are the performances. Cannavale is great as a father who is trying to be his best for his son, and himself, and he and Fitzgerald make a believable father and son. As Jenna, Byrne is trying her best, but often finds herself at arm’s length. They make “Ezra” as touching a story as it is predictable.
