Ezra

Sometimes you could laugh and occasionally you might cringe at Ezra — both the movie and the character — which shouldn’t make you feel guilty.

Navigating tricky territory, this drama about an autistic child caught in the middle of a fractured family from director Tony Goldwyn (The Last Kiss) manages to mostly avoid heavy-handed sentimentality. Plus, a first-rate cast helps generate hard-earned sympathy and charm.

Ezra (William Fitzgerald) is an 11-year-old on the spectrum whose erratic outbursts lead to an underlying discomfort for everyone around him, whether at school or at home.

That includes his hot-tempered and fiercely protective father, Max (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian and television writer who uses humor as a coping mechanism. He lives with his irascible father (Robert De Niro), and there are hints that their relationship has been turbulent, perhaps suggesting each of them has undiagnosed autistic tendencies.

Meanwhile, Max is separated from his wife (Rose Byrne), who has a new boyfriend (Goldwyn) and is more willing to listen to doctors and educators when it comes to medication or alternative schools for Ezra. But she’s no pushover, either.

Max’s manager (Whoopi Goldberg) negotiates a potential career breakthrough that could pull him away from Ezra. Dark secrets and pent-up hostilities bubble to the surface as Max hatches an ill-conceived ploy for father-son healing. “I need him,” he claims. “He keeps my feet on the ground.”

An ensuing road trip — featuring cameos from Rainn Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Jimmy Kimmel — backfires in scandalous fashion.

The screenplay by Tony Spiridakis (Queens Logic) is driven by intriguing intergenerational dynamics between its richly textured characters, who remain grounded beneath the quirks and exaggerations.

That makes it easier to stomach the second-half contrivances that undermine some of the poignancy, as the plot mechanics tend to artificially escalate the stakes.

The film benefits from convincing chemistry between expressive yet understated newcomer Fitzgerald and the versatile Cannavale, who modulates Max’s external bravado with internal vulnerability.

Confronting moral questions that might hit close to home for some parents, Ezra emphasizes tenderness and compassion without resorting to pity or cheap catharsis. Just like Max, it’s sincere if a little rough around the edges.

Rated R, 100 minutes.