There’s some important messaging at the center of Ezra, Tony Goldwyn’s well-meaning but muddled story about a man doing what he believes is right by his autistic 11-year-old son. With a star-studded cast — including Bobby Cannavale as Max Brandel, a struggling stand-up comedian and recently divorced father, and Robert De Niro as his hot-headed, difficult dad Stan — there are hints that Ezra’s difficulty in appropriately traversing social situations may go back generations. As a road trip movie addressing sensitive issues, Ezra never manages to be as insightful as it wants, although its heart makes up for that.

Newcomer William Fitzgerald holds his own as Ezra around a talented and impressive cast, including Rose Byrne as his mother, Jenna, and Whoopi Goldberg as Max’s manager, Jayne. As a young boy who understands the world through movie quotes, does not like to be touched or hugged, can’t eat from a metal spoon, and panics at the mere thought of bananas, Ezra’s autism has its difficulties, but he can still function well.

However, as his issues intensify, doctors wish to medicate him and send him to a special school. Wanting to protect his son from what he perceives as an attempt to throw away his chance at a normal life, Max abducts Ezra in the night, and the two go on a cross-country road trip together on the way to performing stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Ezra Tackles The Subject Of Autism With Heartfelt Compassion

William Fitzgerald gives a strong performance in his acting debut

There’s a lot of poignant beauty in Ezra, and things remain lively and mostly funny throughout, even if Max’s stand-up act could use a bit of work from the brief glimpses we get of it. Goldwyn has his heart in the right place as the real inspiration of Tony Spiridakis’ script shines through, which he wrote following his realization that he did not need “to fix” his autistic teenage son (via Disability Scoop.) Ezra doesn’t purport to have all the answers, and Cannavale’s earnest performance as a father making it up as he goes along is compelling and genuine.

Ezra is about the relationships between fathers and sons, between Max and Erza, but also between Max and Stan. De Niro gives a committed performance as an emotionally repressed dad who never quite figured out how to communicate his feelings to his child. Stan is impressed and frustrated by Max’s commitment to Ezra and struggles to know whether to support him or encourage him to bring Ezra back to his mother and put an end to all the chaos. The characters’ relationships are complex and interesting, as nobody quite knows what the right thing to do is.

It’s interesting to see De Niro in this role, as the themes of Ezra have a significant connection to his experiences as a father to an autistic son. De Niro states that he took the role, in part, because he relates to it. “It’s something I understand as far as having a child in Ezra’s situation,” De Niro said (via NBC New York.) This personal connection adds gravitas to De Niro’s strong performance as he fully embraces its concept.

Ezra Never Quite Manages To Answer The Questions Its Story Poses

Like in real life, there are no easy solutions to questions about disabilities

With all this in mind, Ezra works well as a road trip movie about fathers and sons fixing the mistakes of the past, learning to accept one another as they are, and taking inspiration from each other’s struggles and achievements. But that ignores the muddled messaging around issues of autism as Ezra takes uncertain moralistic stances on medicating neurodivergent children, special needs education, and parental philosophies. These issues are never quite worked out, and the stupidity of Max’s actions is sometimes given almost heroic portrayals.

A version of this story could be done with far more nuance and effectiveness than what is seen in Ezra, but as a heartfelt look at the familial bonds, struggling parents, and the challenges of disabilities, this is a well-balanced and emotional dramedy. The performances are strong, and Cannavale truly excels in this kind of wayward, fatherly role that walks a fine line between social acceptability and loving authenticity. Ezra is heartwarming and funny, but it just never quite manages to reach the level of profound insight that its story seems to strive for.