Autism on screen is a tricky subject. A rich and vocal autistic community online will tear a movie to shreds if it doesn’t tread very carefully across the ground they have lived on for their entire lives. Of course, autism isn’t monolithic, even if an autistic person’s interests tend to be, so representations can face scrutiny regardless of how delicately they are written.
Standing Up attempts to be one of these respectful stories, and for the most part, it manages it. Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald) is familiar to many parents who will recognise their own children in him.
Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a struggling stand-up comedian who is co-parenting his son Ezra with his ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne) and her partner Bruce (Tony Goldwyn). Living uncomfortably with his father Stan (Robert DeNiro), his stand-up alienates as much as it appeals, and he makes regular references to the difficulties of parenting his son, who he refers to as his muse and inspiration. If this sounds uncomfortable, it’s because it is. Thankfully act one Max is quite different to act three Max.
Ezra’s continuous issues in school lead a doctor to recommend a specialist school and anti-psychotic medication. Max disagrees and after an altercation resulting in a restraining order, kidnaps Ezra and drives him across the country to Los Angeles where he has a planned appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.
If this sounds exceedingly self-involved on Max’s part, it is. Standing Up suggests that the autism gene probably came from him and there are moments throughout the story that drive that home. Max and Ezra meet a selection of characters on their journey, as Stan and Jenna follow behind, hoping they can avoid Max ending up in prison and bring the boy home safely.
Despite the issues with Max’s choices, it is abundantly clear throughout that he adores his son, and the central relationship between the two of them brings real warmth to even the more problematic moments. These moments, where he mishandles more difficult situations will feel familiar to many who have similar children, and it’s easy to sympathise with Max’s instinct to just grab his child from a place he sees as unsafe and run away.
There are criticisms around the film’s approach to medication, but it’s important to note that Ezra is not being given ADHD medication, they are anti-psychotics. Anyone dealing with children with additional needs knows this is not the right approach. Ezra just needs a supportive environment that is equipped for his needs, the journey taken here is allowing Max to learn that.
The performances throughout are excellent, Cannavale’s Max is sympathetic even when he’s inherently unlikeable, and DeNiro as grandfather Stan does his best to pull your heartstrings with his own emotional arc. Newcomer Fitzgerald is thankfully and brilliantly an autistic child playing Ezra. You can absolutely tell that he is genuinely autistic and that positive representation is a joy to see and adds such a quality to his performance. His chemistry with Cannavale is also reassuringly believable.
Standing Up is a warm and believable representation of what it can be like to parent this type of autistic child. The hardships and joys wrapped up in a son who doesn’t like hugs but shows his sharp wit by communicating in movie quotes.
Standing Up is on Prime Video now.
