Why Bobby Cannavale in Ezra Might Be 2025’s Most Overlooked Performance in Hollywood

In an age where everyone is obsessed with box office and franchise fatigue, it has come to my attention how uncommon it is to find a film that breathes its way into your soul, relentlessly and permanently. Ezra, released in the early part of 2025, became exactly that rare movie. What is even more surprising is how much the powerhouse performance at the heart of Ezra, Bobby Cannavale in Ezra has overwhelmingly slipped under the radar. 

This isn’t a review. This is a spotlight—a sincere honorific to an actor who created one of the most effectively honest performances of the year, and who deserves much more attention than he’s received.

The Quiet Force of Bobby Cannavale in Ezra

We often talk about actors who “transform” themselves for a role, but arguably harder than a physical transformation is the type of emotional transparency seen in Bobby Cannavale in Ezra. Bobby Cannavale in Ezra doesn’t act. Bobby Cannavale in Ezra bleeds. He quakes. He wrestles. He concedes to the emotional experience. He becomes.

As Max Brandel, a stand-up comedian burying the internal and external conflicts associated with raising a neurodiverse child, Bobby Cannavale takes us through his very own experience, complete with apprehension, false-love, uncomfortable silence, and boundaries found in the baggage of mutual experience.

This is not some conventional Oscar-bait performance – it is raw, grounded, and startlingly relatable.

And maybe that is why it is easy to overlook. Ezra does not yell for your attention – it whispers its truths. And Bobby Cannavale? Sounds the voice behind that whisper. Also Check: Raveena to Rasha, but Not Nysa? Kajol Shares Words on Bollywood Legacy and Her Children’s Decisions.

A Rare Depiction of Fatherhood on Screen

There are a lot of films that depict motherhood. There it is very supportable, and a fair amount of films touch on fatherhood too. But historically, father’s are often reduced to tropes – the distant Dad, the busy Dad, the saviour. But, Bobby Cannavale in Ezra offered up a third thing, the Dad who is trying. Failing, and trying. Not always getting it right, but never giving up. 

At a time when Hollywood is finally realising there are benefits to having emotionally available men on screen, what Cannavale is doing here is revolutionary. It’s a representation of fatherhood we rarely see – a man who is confused, vulnerable, and doing the best with what emotional tools he has.

Why Bobby Cannavale deserves more love

Let us be frank, Bobby Cannavale has always been a show-stealer. All the way back to Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, Blue Jasmine – the moments he created are like a magnetic frenzy, always feeling like something explosive is about to happen.

But, unlike many of his contemporaries, he seldom gets top billing or awards. In Ezra, he shows us he doesn’t need explosions or capes to be brilliant. He just needs a well-written heart with a camera that can linger on a moment.

If there were any sense of justice in the Hollywood awards world, “Bobby Cannavale in Ezra” would be trending right now alongside Cillian Murphy and Paul Mescal.

Ezra: A Film That Should Be More

One of the reasons Cannavale’s performance is unnoticed is that Ezra itself barely registered. Its lack of marketing and release date (“could be wrong”) meant it received no attention whatsoever.

Ezra was directed by Tony Goldwyn and starred Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne and a cast. The film tackled autism, co-parenting, and the systems that don’t serve and fail disconnected families. Unlike many socially relevant dramas, Ezra didn’t feel preachy; it felt like lived experience.

Largely because of Bobby Cannavale. Cannavale grounds the film in reality; reality that many parents experience but few films depict.

A Shoutout to Authentic Representation

Additionally, the character Ezra is played by William A. Fitzgerald, a young actor on the autism spectrum. (That’s a huge deal!) Hollywood has a long history of casting neurotypical performers in neurodivergent roles, but in Ezra, the representation feels right—authentic, and informed and deliberate.

And Cannavale did not dominate Fitzgerald—instead, the scenes together feel like a duet. The father-son bond—whatever the messiness, the complication, the silence—feels deeply felt. This is due to the work of both actors together, but also the emotional intelligence that Bobby Cannavale brings to the relationship.

Why This Matters in 2025 (and Beyond)

We exist in a time of overstimulation. Scrolls, swipes, stories. Attention spans have shortened. And in that overstimulation, art like Bobby Cannavale in Ezra can get lost simply because it is “whispering” in a world filled with “yelling.”

But that’s the type of art we need more of in Hollywood. Art that makes us stop. Reflect. Call our parents. Hug our kids. Cry for no reason at all.

Bobby Cannavale did not just act in Ezra. He invited us to see ourselves, our fears, our failures and our chase to become anything else.

Final Thoughts: Let’s Celebrate the Underdogs

Hollywood is a place for spectacle. But, from time to time, a performance (like Bobby Cannavale in Ezra) comes along and reminds you what cinema is really all about—healing, challenging, and connecting.

Look, if you’re in the mood to find a performance worthy of more noise, more credit, and more eyeballs, then start here. Go watch Ezra. Share it. Talk about it. Because stories like this need champions. And, actors like Bobby Cannavale? They deserve the standing ovation.