X
- 2020
- R
- Netflix
- 1 h 56 m
- 2020
- R
- Netflix
- 1 h 56 m
Summary J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy A...
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: J.D. Vance, Vanessa Taylor
- 2020
- R
- Netflix
- 1 h 56 m
- 2020
- R
- Netflix
- 1 h 56 m
Hillbilly Elegy
38
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he’s tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy A...
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: J.D. Vance, Vanessa Taylor
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
38
14% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
51% Mixed
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
35% Negative
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
38
14% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
51% Mixed
22 Reviews
22 Reviews
35% Negative
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
Hillbilly Elegy is a beautifully constructed, unforgiving, heart-tugging family epic about three generations of the Vance family.
Glenn Close and Amy Adams shine in Ron Howard's new, rather unfocused film about abuse, poverty, and addiction.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 225 User Ratings
7.4
71% Positive
160 Ratings
160 Ratings
14% Mixed
31 Ratings
31 Ratings
15% Negative
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 225 User Ratings
7.4
71% Positive
160 Ratings
160 Ratings
14% Mixed
31 Ratings
31 Ratings
15% Negative
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
As long as Close is acting up an award-worthy storm (her performance is actually quite meticulous), Hillbilly Elegy is never less than alive. Adams does some showpiece acting of her own, but as skillful as her performance is, she never gets us to look at Bev with pity and terror.
The performances create anthropological distance, not human empathy.
Howard doesn’t make awful films, and as somebody who spent much of my earlier life in Appalachia, I’m not inclined to write this problematic portrayal off entirely. But self-satisfied people on both ends of the political spectrum will see what they want to in this story, and that’s not a compliment.
Hillbilly Elegy does not bring out the best in its cast, and Howard fails to bring the intensity or depth that might make something meaningful. His approach is all after-school special, all the time.
Hillbilly Elegy is two movies, one laughably bad and one boringly bad.
I don't understand why it's underrated - decent work, even if it's not a new topic, but it's definitely a good autobiographical work, the actresses and actors play quite well. HUN: Nem értem miért leértékelt - rendes munka ha nem is olyan új téma de mindenképpen egy jó önéletrajzi mű és a színészek egész jól alakítanak.
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In a non-pandemic year, late-November/early December would be the sweet spot for releasing films with their eyes on that prize, the Academy Awards. Although theaters are generally still closed, Netflix’s prestige picks are coming out weekly, even though the “awards season” has been extended into April. Last week, Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy premiered with mixed advance buzz and the Oscar hopes of a duo of “overdue,” multi-nominated actresses, Amy Adams and Glenn Close, in tow. Award worthiness is subjective – here’s how I see it.
Based on the memoir by J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy tells the story of J.D., a Yale law student, who is in the middle of interviews for summer associate positions, when he receives word that his mother has overdosed on heroin. J.D. has to go home to his family in Ohio in order to take care of his mother. Through flashbacks on his journey home, we see how J.D. got from his meager beginnings, enduring abuse and his mother’s drug addiction to Yale with the fierce, no nonsense support of his grandmother. The perspective of people in Appalachia is not a typical one depicted in films, but family drama can be universal as many people in urban, suburban and rural areas endure hardships, lack of opportunity, addiction and abuse. There is also love, sacrifice and support that fill families across the board. While this story is specific to a people in a specific place and time in America, it feels pretty generic – disappointingly so.
Ron Howard does not do anything particularly interesting in directing this film. The only exceptions are the two sequences where we see how this Appalachian area has changed and decayed over the decades. Otherwise, Howard lets the emotions of the story drive the action. And, the emotions are very high.
Amy Adams plays J.D.’s mother, Bev. She’s mired in drug addiction. She’s abusive. She’s impulsive with men and clearly has trauma and mental health issues. Adams chews all of the scenery. She plays every angle to the hilt, which becomes a bit much to take.
The other pillar in J.D.’s life is Mamaw as played by Glenn Close. Close has the wig and make-up to transform her into the chain-smoking, Terminator loving matriarch. Close moves and speaks in a way that helps her embody the character and attempt to make the “hillwoman” more than a caricature. Close is more successful in her portrayal than Adams as she strikes the right tones and gets the inspiring, emotional touches needed to ground the movie. Unfortunately for both Adams and Close, their scene partners who play the teenage and adult J.D. are flat and uninspired, which drags down each of their scenes.
In fact, the J.D. character just solidifies how blandly generic Hillbilly Elegy feels. J.D. should not be the main character of the film since he is the least interesting aspect of the story. I can’t tell if it is the poor writing of the character or the lackluster performances by Gabriel Basso and Owen Asztalos, as adult and young J.D., respectively, that make him so blah. It’s probably failures on both ends – on top of the fact that his arc is in no way compelling.
While there is merit to this story, the focus of Hillbilly Elegy is misplaced. Glenn Close makes her scenes emotional and engaging, but the rest of the movie is either over-the-top or bland. It is a worthy experience, but other than Close, I wouldn’t say award-worthy. Grab a handful of kettle corn and judge for yourself.
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Man, Amy Adams and Glenn Close really want that Oscar that they will star in something like 'Hillbilly Elegy'.
A shallow, predicable, and the most obvious "Oscar bait" movie ever made. However, it's not the worst thing ever despite what some people have said. Nothing captures the human struggle of lower-class people than rich celebrities, who think they have a gasp on reality, but after filming has finished, they go back to their rich lives until the next million-dollar role comes to them. If you're going to make a movie around this type of topic, you better get it right.
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Amy Adams and Glen Close star in director Ron Howard's adaptation of J.D. Vance's 2016 memoir. Netflix released to the theatre's for a couple of weeks before moving to their platform this week. Glad I waited.
"Hillbilly Elegy" explores J.D. Vance's relationship with his troubled mother (Adams) and her ongoing addiction to heroin and the care of his supportive grandmother (Close). Close is very good in this film (and could be remembered during awards season), but Adams felt "off" in her role. I just didn't feel any empathy for her downward (and overacted) spiral. J.D. (Gabriel Basso) also flatlined here. In a film that's supposed to challenge us on provocative social issues such as welfare, social rot, and the "hillbilly culture", Howard (who I normally love) was probably the wrong director to explore this world. Messages are largely lost and the film is simply a series of vignette's whereby J.D. (now finishing Yale Law School) remembers his troubled childhood. Netflix has a miss here.
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Production Company
Imagine Entertainment,
Netflix
Release Date Nov 11, 2020
Duration 1 h 56 m
Rating R
Genres
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Sunset Film Circle Awards
• 3 Nominations
