Max (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian, lives in New Jersey with his father, Stan (Robert De Niro), and shares custody of his autistic 11-year-old son, Ezra (William Fitzgerald), with his ex-wife, Jenna (Rose Byrne). An incident causes Ezra to get expelled from his public school. Max doesn't want to send him to a special needs school, but Jenna disagrees with him. When his agent (Whoopi Goldberg) gets booked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Los Angeles, he decides to kidnap Ezra and embark with him on a cross-country trip to LA.

      The screenplay by Tony Spiridakis finds just the right balance between humor and heartbreak. Max struggles in his stand-up comedy career, hasn't found a new lover after divorcing from his wife, and concurrently struggles to raise his autistic son, Ezra. Even though he takes Max on a road trip without Jenna's permission which is technically kidnapping, he's far from a villain. He's flawed and desperate, but, fundamentally, he loves his son. You also briefly get a glimpse of where Max's relationship issues come from when you learn about how Max's father, Stan, left his mother during his childhood. Stan initially has issues acknowledging his actions and the consequences of his actions, but in one of the film's most moving scenes, he shows that he's actually a decent father after all. So, there are no villains throughout the film---not even a silent villain, like cancer, so kudos to screenwriter Tony Spiridakis for keeping the story focused and engrossing. The humor is often funny and witty while avoiding the kind of lowbrow, gross-out toilet humor found in too many films these days. Fortunately, Spiridakis understands the concept that comedy is often deeply rooted in tragedy because he does an effective job of balancing the different tones without tonal unevenness, going over-the-top, or veering into schmaltz or maudlin territory. It's thoroughly fascinating to watch how Max and Ezra's relationship evolves. Their not only a physical one, but also an emotional and spiritual one because they experience epiphanies along the way which, by the time the end credits roll, will leave you with a smile on your face.

      Bobby Cannavale gives one the best performances of his career. Max is one of his most interesting and memorable roles since playing Joe in The Station Agent because it showcases his ability to tackle comedy and drama convincingly while allowing to exude plenty of warmth and charisma. William Fitzgerald is a revelation as Ezra. He gives a breakthrough performance. Rose Byrne and Robert De Niro are also superb while Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson and Vera Farmiga make the most out of the brief scenes. The film moves at a brisk pace that's not too fast nor too slow without feeling choppily edited either. Ezra ultimate strength, though, is that director Tony Goldwyn and screenwriter Tony Spiridakis manage to find the right balance between Truth and Spectacle while finding the Spectacle within the film's Truth a.k.a. its humanism, a truly special effect. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Ezra is warm, wise and wonderful. It's a captivating, funny and heartfelt journey well worth taking. It would make for a great double feature with Little Miss Sunshine.