TIFF 2023: Ezra Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Ezra is a feel-good dramedy that beautifully navigates the tightrope created by its subject matter. While it doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of the genre, where it thrives is its execution of its familiar themes and story beats. A road trip film that handles a story that could have easily been problematic, it hits enough of the right emotional notes to not only entertain audiences but create a resounding impact. As funny as it is touching, it finds the right balance for the most part between drama and comedy. Though the story, subject matter aside, takes a familiar path, it is still entertaining to watch while not wearing out its welcome. That being said, the film’s balancing of drama and comedy wasn’t necessarily seamless though in the hands of an impressive cast, they make it work. Led by Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro, and a scene-stealing debut from William A. Fitzgerald, it’s wholesome, full of heart, and a little rough around the edges and that latter aspect is something that may rub some the wrong way.

Ezra is centered around a young boy named Ezra (Fitzgerald) whose autism diagnosis was a challenge for his parents Max (Cannavale) and Jenna (Byrne). Now separated, the challenge of his care became that much more complicated. A mind and a quick wit that were ahead of his years, his issue ultimately lied with his impulsive behavior that often got him and those surrounding him in trouble. As Ezra’s behavior became too much for Max and Jenna to handle, the pressing question was what to do with him and of course they did not agree on what that was. An up-and-coming standup comedian, one night, Max took Ezra on a cross-country trip to Los Angeles to Jimmy Kimmel Live where he was set to appear, unbeknownst to Jenna and his father Stan (De Niro). At its core, the story is about flawed people making wrong decisions but out of love for one another and that is easy to connect with. At the end of the day, lessons were learned and characters evolved in the straightforward way most have come to known. Though the story perhaps loses itself in the middle, the laughs and the emotion over those ups and down were earned.

The best part of Ezra was its performances. Despite the fact that the film is familiar and predictable, it was compelling to watch thanks to the stellar chemistry of Cannavale, Byrne, De Niro, and Fitzgerald. Cannavale and Fitzgerald, in particular, were a delight to watch as Max and Ezra as Fitzgerald’s Ezra brought just the right scene-stealing energy alongside Cannavale’s spiraling Max. Focusing on their relationship, Byrne and De Niro were relegated to supporting roles where they both shined as Jenna and Stan.

In the end, Ezra may not reinvent the wheel but this road trip dramedy succeeds on execution with plenty of heart, wholesomeness, and strong performances.

*still courtesy of TIFF*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.