Ezra’s Tony Goldwyn on Returning to Director’s Chair, Authentic Autism Storytelling & Channing Tatum’s Ghost Remake

After working with Ezra for fourteen years, Tony Goldwyn takes the helm once more. Over the course of more than 40 years, Goldwyn has received widespread praise for his work both in front of and behind the camera. He has starred in a variety of films, including the Patrick Swayze-led Ghost, voiced Tarzan in Disney’s 1999 animated classic, and portrayed President Fitzgerald Grant III on ABC’s Scandal. Over the years, Goldwyn has also directed a few films, including the critically praised A Walk on the Moon, Zach Braff-starring The Last Kiss, and the 2010 biographical legal drama Conviction.

In his most recent film, Ezra, he plays stand-up comedian Max, who is dealing with a few challenges in his life, such as a protracted divorce and co-parenting their 12-year-old autistic son. Max takes Ezra on a cross-country road trip in the hopes of coming up with a better plan after his worries about his son’s wellbeing become volatile and he is told to avoid him. This leads to an eye-opening experience for everyone involved, including his father and ex-wife.

OVERVIEW

After a 14-year hiatus, Tony Goldwyn returns to filmmaking with the stirring family drama Ezra, which draws inspiration from writer Tony Spiridakou’s personal experience of raising his autistic son.
The emotional journey of Max and his autistic son Ezra is brought to life by the talented ensemble, which is led by Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro.

Goldwyn talks about the casting process and the anticipation surrounding Channing Tatum’s upcoming Ghost remake.

Ezra Review: Bobby Cannavale & Robert De Niro Excel in Well-Meaning Road Trip Dramedy That Needed Nuance

The central message of Tony Goldwyn’s well-intentioned but disorganized tale of a parent standing by his autistic 11-year-old son, Ezra, is significant. With a stellar ensemble that includes Robert De Niro as his hot-headed, demanding father Stan and Bobby Cannavale as struggling stand-up comedian Max Brandel, who recently got divorced, there are clues that Ezra’s trouble acting appropriately in social circumstances might run in the family. Ezra never quite achieves the depth it aims for as a road trip film dealing with delicate subjects, but its heart more than makes up for it.

OVERVIEW

The moving road trip film highlights the challenges and triumphs of a father and son team while addressing autism with a profound emotional depth.
With a stellar cast that includes Robert De Niro and Bobby Cannavale, the film deftly and honestly examines the nuanced dynamics between parent and son.

Even with its touching moments, Ezra lacks the depth necessary for a larger impact when it comes to discussing moral perspectives on autistic difficulties.

Ezra (2023)

Helmer Tony Goldwyn
Date of Release
First of October, 2023
Authors Tony Spiridakou and Cast
Whoopi Goldberg, Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Matilda Lawler
100 minutes of runtime
Comedy is the main genre.

Amidst a gifted and remarkable ensemble that included Whoopi Goldberg as Max’s manager, Jayne, and Rose Byrne as his mother, Jenna, newcomer William Fitzgerald holds his own as Ezra. Even though Ezra has autism, he can nevertheless operate well as a young child who interprets the world through movie quotes, dislikes touching or being held, cannot eat with a metal spoon, and gets anxious at the sight of bananas.

But when his problems worsen, his physicians want to treat him and put him in a special education program. Max kidnaps Ezra in the middle of the night to shield him from what he believes to be an attempt to ruin his son’s chance at a normal existence. The two then travel across the nation together to perform 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

Ezra has a lot of emotional beauty, and despite Max’s stand-up act being a little rough in the few moments we see of it, the whole thing is energetic and largely humorous. Goldwyn is acting with the correct intentions, as evidenced by the genuine inspiration of Tony Spiridakou’ script, which he created after realizing he did not need to “fix” his teenage son with autism (via Disability Scoop.) Cannavale gives a riveting and sincere portrayal of a parent who is making things up as he goes along, and Ezra does not claim to have all the answers.

The ties between fathers and sons, Max and Erza, and Max and Stan are all significant themes in Ezra. As an emotionally restrained father who never quite learned out how to express his feelings to his child, De Niro provides a heartfelt performance. Stan is conflicted about whether to encourage or support Max in his efforts to return Ezra to his mother and put an end to the mayhem, as he is both impressed and frustrated by his dedication to Ezra. The interactions between the individuals are intricate and captivating since no one is sure what is morally correct.

This emotionally charged and well-balanced dramedy offers a poignant look at the difficulties faced by parents raising a child with a disability and the links that bind families.

De Niro’s portrayal of Ezra is intriguing because the film’s themes resonate deeply with his experiences as a father of an autistic son. According to De Niro, he accepted the character partly because he can relate to it. According to NBC New York, De Niro remarked, “It’s something I understand as far as having a child in Ezra’s situation.” As he thoroughly accepts the subject, De Niro’s excellent performance gains gravitas thanks to this personal connection.

Ezra Never Quite Manages to Answer the Questions Its Story Poses

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

Given all of this, Ezra functions admirably as a road trip film about dads and sons coming to terms with their past transgressions, coming to terms with each other’s authenticity, and drawing strength from each other’s hardships and triumphs. However, that misses the confused messaging surrounding autistic issues as Ezra adopts ambiguous moralistic positions about the medication of neurodivergent children, special needs education, and parenting styles. These problems are never fully resolved, and Max’s foolishness is occasionally portrayed in an almost heroic light.

Theaters are presently showing Ezra.

Though a more nuanced and successful telling of this tale could be achieved than in Ezra, this is a passionate and emotionally charged dramedy that offers a well-balanced look at the difficulties faced by disabled people, their parents, and their relationships. Cannavale gives a powerful portrayal as a wayward father who balances between being a socially acceptable and a genuine and loving person. Though humorous and endearing, Ezra never quite achieves the depth of understanding that its plot seems to be aiming for.

Comedian stand-up in this striking portrayal of a family coming to terms with one another, Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale) and his 11-year-old autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) embark on a road trip.

Positive Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro both give outstanding performances in Ezra.

Cons: The story does a wonderful job of balancing the requirements of a child with autism with those of the parents.
For the movie to work, it needed more subtlety.
It is dubious that Cannavale’s character’s actions are portrayed almost heroically.

Goldwyn Loved the Opportunity To “Tell My Best Friend’s Story” In Ezra

Since it had been so long since his last feature film, Goldwyn remembers not “looking that hard” for his next project that would allow him to return to the director’s chair. However, Goldwyn was motivated to “tell my best friend’s story” with the drama after collaborating on several draughts of the script with writer Tony Spiridakou, his “oldest and dearest friend”:

Tony Goldwyn: Indeed, as you mentioned, I believe Conviction was my final film. I then directed Scandal for seven years, so I could not relate. I was, therefore, looking, but not very hard. My best friend Tony Spiridakou, whom I have known since he was a toddler, wrote this script based on his personal experience with his autistic son Dimitri. Over the years, I had read a lot of drafts as a friend, and a few years ago, Tony sent me a revised draft that he was working on to obtain my opinion. I was so struck by the work he had done on the script that I felt compelled to act on my own and with the help of others. I simply felt it was like a lightning bolt to share my closest friend’s tale in this film. I only needed to do the task, and together, we rolled up our sleeves and finished it.

Casting Ezra Came Down to A Very Late (But Perfect) Choice for Goldwyn

In assembling his ensemble cast, Goldwyn started by looking for an actor who could best portray Max. He believed that Bobby Cannavale would be the ideal choice to convey Max’s “very objectionable” behavior while still making viewers “care about him.” Though the director laughs that it took them until “about three weeks before we started shooting” to discover William Fitzgerald as Ezra’s actor, Fitzgerald was the ideal choice for the part for a personal reason:

Tony Goldwyn: Obviously, Max had to go. After much deliberation, we decided on Bobby Cannavale, whom I had known for a very long time and always found to be quite admirable. We required a guy like Max who could frequently exhibit highly objectionable behavior and do things that make you wonder, “What are you doing?” However, even though Bobby is such a kind person, you still care about him. He also has a live-wire, unpredictable quality to his acting, and I think he might succeed in stand-up comedy since he is so intelligent.

When I consider that no one has ever seen this actor in a role like this, I also become excited.