Ezra
Short description
Max Bernal is a struggling stand-up comedian living with his father, Stan. Max shares the responsibility of raising their son, Ezra, who is autistic, with his ex-wife, Jenna. Following disagreements regarding Ezra's education and future, Max takes the boy on a road trip across the United States. This journey serves as a way for the father and son to build a deeper understanding of one another.
The film was directed by Tony Goldwyn, following his previous work on A Walk on the Moon, Someone Like You..., The Last Kiss, and Conviction. The movie stars Bobby Cannavale, William A. Fitzgerald, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Produced by Wayfarer Studios and Closer Media, the project had a budget of 5 million USD and earned the same amount at the worldwide box office. Audience reception is moderately positive, with a rating of 6.4/10 on IMDb based on 5,700 votes and 6.9/10 on TMDB from 124 votes. These scores are slightly higher than the 6.2/10 rating provided by film critics.
What's left behind the scenes
- Writer and producer Tony Spiridakis began working on the script many years before filming began. He himself has a son with autism, and his wife left when their son was still a teenager. Spiridakis is very close friends with Tony Goldwyn, and he repeatedly asked his friend to read the script during its development, until one day Goldwyn asked if he could film it.
- There were other people with autism on the film's creative team, and the rest had family members who suffered from autism. During the making of the film, its authors showed the footage to viewers with autism to get their opinion.
- The filmmakers were looking for an autistic actor to play the lead role. William A. Fitzgerald offered his candidacy, deciding that the experience would be useful to him, as he intended to launch his own YouTube channel. As a result, the 15-year-old was cast in the title role of Ezra (the film's original title – Ezra).
- Robert De Niro agreed to the role of Stan, stating that the topic was also close to his heart, as one of his seven children has autism. Director Tony Goldwyn directly approached Whoopi Goldberg with an offer to play in his film, and she agreed to play Jane without even reading the script.
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