Summary
Bobby Cannavale shows off his unique blend of comedy and drama withEzra. The two-time Primetime Emmy winner first began making a name for himself in the world of comedies, starring in the likes of the Peter Dinklage-co-starringThe Station Agent, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s fan-favorite buddy cop comedyThe Other Guysand Melissa McCarthy’sSpy, among many others. The past decade has seenCannavale find further acclaimfor more specifically dramatic fare, including his Emmy-winning turn inBoardwalk Empire, the short-live HBO dramaVinyland Martin Scorsese’sThe Irishman.
InEzra, Cannavale stars as Max, a stand-up comedian living in New York City who finds himself at a crossroads as he has to move back in with his father amid his divorce, all while trying to figure out the best way to co-parent their eponymous autistic son. When Ezra’s doctor wants to put him on medication and enroll him in a special needs school, Max lashes out, resulting in his arrest and a restraining order filed to prevent him from seeing his son. Feeling as though he has no other options, Max takes Ezra on a cross-country road trip to a gig he’s booked onJimmy Kimmel Live!, which subsequently turns into his ex-wife and father racing after them.
Ezra Review: Bobby Cannavale & Robert De Niro Excel In Well-Meaning Road Trip Dramedy That Needed Nuance
Director Tony Goldwyn delivers a heartfelt, albeit slightly muddled, exploration of autism and parenting, propped up by strong performances in Ezra.
Alongside Cannavale, the ensembleEzracast includesRobert De Niro as his father, Stan, Rose Byrne as his ex-wife, Jenna, William Fitzgerald as the eponymous young boy, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson and Goldwyn as Jenna’s new boyfriend. Helmed by Tony Goldwyn in his first directorial effort in nearly 15 years, the movie has garnered strong reviews from critics following its Toronto International Film Festival premiere.
In honor of the movie’s wide release,Screen Rantinterviewed Bobby Cannavale to discussEzra, the joy that comes from acting opposite his wife, Rose Byrne, how he went about preparing to play a stand-up comic, and why he could never see himself actually getting on stage to perform in that field himself.
Working With Rose Byrne Is “Pretty Old Hat” For Cannavale At This Point
Tucked away in the movie’s various layers is the unique reteaming of Bobby Cannavale andRose Byrne, who previously worked together onSpy, the 2014Annieremake andAdult Beginners, among many others. More unique is that the duo have been married for over a decade, though find themselves in a different position as they play the divorcing Max and Jenna inEzra. For Cannavale, though, he couldn’t have been more thrilled to get to work with Byrne again, praising her as a “really honest, multidimensional actor”, while also humorously noting it made it easier to “know each other’s work schedule” for taking care of their kids:
Bobby Cannavale: Oh, it’s great. Rose and I, I think this is our ninth thing together, so now we’re pretty old hat at it. And it’s great, I’m a great admirer of her work, I think she likes my work okay enough. And that’s always been the case. We were friends before we got together, and fans of each other, and we’ve worked together in plays, on television and movies, and it’s just a thrill to get to work with her. We know each other’s schedule all the time, so we know who’s going to pick up and who’s going to drop off, because we know each other’s work schedule. She’s just a really honest, multidimensional actor, there’s a pathos that she brings to every part that she plays, whether it’s a comedic role, or a dramatic role, there’s a certain sort of levity that she brings to every role, and it’s always surprising to me. So, it’s exciting to work with an actor like Rose, if I could do every job with her, I would.
Stand-Up Is A “Completely Different Art Form” Cannavale Wouldn’t Dare Try (But Pulled From Personal Experience For Max)
Though having plenty of experience in the world of comedy, playing a stand-up comic proved to be a unique new challenge for Cannavale, who described it as a “completely different art form that I wouldn’t do”, particularly just for research. Instead, he looked to his own personal friendships with a variety of comics, particularly those who are more dedicated to “tell a story” rather than “be funny”:
Bobby Cannavale: So I’ve never done stand-up before, and I wouldn’t. That’s just a completely different art form that I wouldn’t do. I couldn’t just go up there and do that, I couldn’t go to a club and do that for research. What I have done is, I’m a huge fan of stand-up comedy, I always have been, and I have a lot of friends who are stand-ups, like, a lot of friends. So, I have a lot of resources that I could go to, and I did go to the clubs, but I was going to the clubs, anyway. I’m the kind of guy that a friend of mine will call me and be like, “Hey, you want to go down to The Cellar, eat some wings? I’m gonna go up and do a set, I want to try some new stuff out.”
I have a lot of friends like that, so I’ve read the notes on the yellow legal pad, I’ve sat in the car while they’ve tried things out with me. I’ve sat there when a comic’s said to me, “Now, I’m not trying to be funny with this, I just want to see if that world is interesting to a crowd.” So, I’ve seen the different stages of what stand-up can be, and what I really liked about this part was that it was about a guy who does that for a living at a moment where there’s nothing funny going on. Where he’s in, like, high dudgeon and turmoil, and how he manages to work through his issues and somehow put an act together.
There’s a scene in the movie where the other comics are sitting around, and they’re like, “Comedy is supposed to be funny,” and he’s like, “I’m not trying to be funny, I’m trying to tell a story here.” I found that to be a very interesting thing, and potentially compelling thing if we’re interested. I find that there’s certain comics — all comics are different, right? But there are some comics, who the object of their act isn’t to be funny, so much as it is to put you through something. I think those comics are exciting and on the edge, and there’s a rich history of those kinds of comics. Of course, there’s all kinds of different comics, but I saw him more in that vein.
AboutEzra
EZRA follows Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) with his soon-to-be ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Directed by Tony Goldwyn, who also appears in the film alongside additional cast members Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg, EZRA is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart.
Ezra
Cast
Stand-up comic Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale) and his 11-year-old autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) set off on a road trip in this vivid portrait of a family figuring out how to understand one another. Having recently blown up his career and his marriage, Max is living with his father Stan (Robert De Niro) and is profoundly at odds with his soon-to-be ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne) about how to address their son’s special needs. When Ezra is expelled from yet another school, Max makes a rash decision to pack up the car and take his son on a cross-country odyssey to LA, where he has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform on Jimmy Kimmel.
