Parents' Guide to Ezra

Director Tony Goldwyn's dramedy is likely to spark viewers' empathy, educate and entrance them, and then leave them reeling when they realize exactly who they're rooting for. Ezra's opening scene is an attention grabber—Max is on stage, cracking jokes about the reality of having an autistic child—and, thanks to a solid script and strong cast, it never lets go. We're in it, on the journey with Max and Ezra, law enforcement hot on their tail, and just as unsure as they are about how their cross-country trip will end.

With one in every 36 children diagnosed with autism, it's pretty shocking how few films include autistic characters (especially non-White ones, a disparity that Ezra doesn't correct). It's disappointing that Ezra treads a lot of the same path that Rain Man did way back in 1988, with both stories involving abducting and driving an autistic family member across the country for a self-serving purpose. But the destination is different in Ezra. Both Max and Ezra are learning when and how to use self-control—and that loving someone can mean ceding control, even if it hurts a little. Additional positive representation of autistic characters is needed in entertainment, and the well-made, well-acted, and well-informed Ezra is a worthy addition.