Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale) is a stand-up comedian who has had better days. He’s playing the second-class circuit and living with his father (Robert De Niro). He’s in the middle of a divorce from Jenna (Rose Byrne), and they disagree about how they should be raising their autistic son Ezra (William Fitzgerald).
Ezra has some quirks – he often speaks in movie lines, is afraid of silverware, and won’t look people in the eye. He goes to a mainstream school where he is bullied and often acts out. The school thinks he should be transferred to a special ed school, and his doctor is recommending putting him on drugs.
Max objects and argues that Ezra is “not dangerous,” just “a challenge.” Whereas Jenna thinks he should be with kids like him, Max says he needs to be with all kinds of kids. The word “autism,” he notes, is from the Greek “in your own world.” He wants Ezra to be in the normal world. What he really wants, we realize as the family disagreement turns into Max taking Eza on a cross-country trip, is that this father wants Ezra to be in his world.
There are plenty of touching and humorous moments in this story. There are no villains, just a loving family trying to figure things out. And, as a result, the film creates empathy, not just for neurodivergent people like Ezra, but also for their family and friends.