Ezra (2024) on Netflix
Stand-up comic Max Bernal clashes with his ex-wife Jenna over their autistic son Ezra. With a court order barring him from the boy, Max takes Ezra on the road.
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- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.5/105,964 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes70%
Trailer
Plot summary
Max Bernal, a former comedy writer who now performs stand-up, shares a home with his father Stan. He and his ex-wife Jenna argue over their autistic son Ezra, and Jenna dislikes Max's habit of taking the boy to comedy clubs with him. Jenna's boyfriend Bruce makes a joking threat to hit Max, and Ezra takes the words seriously, trying to warn his father before a dog frightens him in front of a taxi. Ezra will not explain, and his doctor, weighing earlier outbursts at school, moves him to a special-needs school with medication. Max protests and punches the doctor, and a three-month restraining order keeps him from his son.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Ezra (2024)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Tony Spiridakis wrote the screenplay years before the film, drawing on his relationship with his own autistic son and the break-up of his marriage during his son's teenage years; he said the script came from realizing he did not need to "fix" his son's autism.
- Casting began with the creators set on an autistic actor for the lead. William Fitzgerald, 15, sent in a tape hoping it would help him start a YouTube channel, and landed the title role.
- Multiple autistic crew members worked on set to ensure authenticity, some cast members have a family member with autism, and the creators screened versions of the film for the autism community for feedback.
- Robert De Niro accepted a part in the film after it resonated with him, saying that one of his seven children is autistic.
- Whoopi Goldberg was asked directly to join the film by its director, Tony Goldwyn, and she accepted the part even before she had read the script.
