In viaggio con mio figlio

He's read the New York Times since he was 5 and can eat only with plastic silverware. That's Ezra, the film is Ezra, and Ezra is autistic. This new melodrama from Hollywood, directed by Tony Goldwyn, is a tearjerker in its best form: so likeable is dad, Max (Bobby Cannavale in his career high), so fetchingly gruff his grandpa (Robert De Niro), so loveable Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald) that you root for them from the first frame to the last.

Max doesn't want Ezra to be put in a special school, so in his usually off-kilter way, he kidnaps Ezra to take him to California away from the cold-hearted child services and to appear as a comedian on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Despite the challenge of an Amber Alert, the fugitives manage to make the odyssey with grandpa's help and that of the endearing mother (Rose Byrne), divorced from Max but loving both Ezra and him. That she accepts the authorities' decision to drug Ezra and place him in a special school stretches credibility given the questionable authorities.

Although some of these situations seem like setups for pulling at the heart, the film peppers each with a reality that proclaims how we could easily be in the same situation. Max often acts like a child, while the child acts like an adult. When Max attacks the principal, the script seems unreal.

However, the film successfully shows not only the rough side, but also the charming side of autism, much as Rainman did. In other words, humanity outweighs film formula.

Life constantly gives Max chances while he tends to blow the opportunities. While being a stand-up comedian who earns a gig on Kimmel, he has some of the worst jokes ever, such as finding his inner child who happens to have a gun.

One of the memorable segments is De Niro showing his considerable chops when he apologizes to Max for being an emotionally distant father. It's the old Travis first-rate acting even when it feels like writer Tony Spiridakis is forcing the moment and its emotion.

The movie Ezra is a stellar summer outing with excellent acting and caution about being a parent and bringing up an autistic child. The imperfections are negligible when you consider its strengths.

I'm a fan of sweet, simple stories with memorable characters and I found all of that in Ezra. Bobby Cannavale turns in a magnificent performance in the role of Max, a struggling standup comic co-parenting his autistic 11-year-old son Ezra with his ex-wife Jenna played by the always fabulous Rose Byrne. When Ezra's outbursts spin out of control at school, a doctor suggests putting him on a special medication. Jenna is receptive to the idea, but Max is having none of it and flees with Ezra, taking him on a cross-country road trip with hopes of appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It's a trip that proves life-changing for both Max and Ezra.

I had the feeling that somewhere, in the process of the movie, I am seeing another version of Rain Man. It has some plot lines and a one of the main characters has autism, but this movie only can be flattered for being compared in any way to the timeless masterpiece and exciting movie with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

Ezra is a kid that has autism and while he is trying to live his life as a regular kid, his divorced parents are investing a lot of work to make everything tick well for their son. They try to keep him in a regular school but Ezra and his environment are having troubles to mash-up with each other.

His father - Max is a stand-up comedy dude, who live with his father. They both have unsolved issues between themselves and their past, but this subject is touched microscopely, in order to give some background for both of their statuses. The mother is dating another guy and Ezra is living with her, but someday the plot thickens, due to a McGuffin, within one of the scenes and throws away Max and Ezra to a strange and short road trip.

During this trip Max is learning a lot of his son and on himself, while other characters evolves a little bit more, in an instant plot catalysator moves. This is too short of a movie to get the characters to get arced well, but surprisingly they manage to stay interesting, compelling and very emotional and heartwarming.

Underrated Bobby Cannavale is making one of his best performances, while running around and getting crazy, like his character should react to all plot scenarios. Rose Byrne is great, as usual, but not very noticeable and Bobby De-Niro is fabulous as he is being expected of. Great chemistry between all the characters and also from young William A. Fitzgerald, that plays Ezra.

Tony Goldwyn is making a great work for not loosing his audience to over drama, by taking a large part for the comedy in this movie - letting his viewers to feel authentic and still get excited from the small and captivating moments, that the audience should get excited from. A small, heartwarming and uplifting movie.

Well done, well scripted movie that tugs at the heart strings. The IMDB current synopsis (09/09) is totally off. In a cast of heavy hitters, the novice kid playing Ezra steals the show. The script is inspired by a true story, sometimes poignant, sometimes heavy handed, with well timed and well delivered levity. Casting was great with a few surprises, including Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who played smaller but important roles to the story. Tony Goldwyn directed and was in the movie, which was written by his life long friend. It's the story of an autistic child, family struggle, divorced parents, understanding the past, vulnerability and a bit of redemption along the way.

I don't understand the ones that hated this to me it's one of the most heartwarming, quite relatable, and wonderful tearjerker; I'm probably one of few that cried a couple times during this. I have had stomach pain most the day but I love crying to movies I sympathize with and felt sad I don't have a great dad like Bobby Cannavale's character even Robert De Niro was magnificent in this!

I'm fine with being in the minority that loved this a lot to me anything about someone on the spectrum hits the spot and this is one of the best ones I've seen. I quote movies often, I've had meltdowns, I have sensory to certain foods, and I was forced into special needs classes at a young age. I genuinely hope Ezra gets appreciated truly deserves it.