Hillbilly Elegy

Netflix | Release Date: November 11, 2020

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 220 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Watch Now

Stream On

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

Dan_BDec 14, 2020

Horrrible melodramón donde el pobre J.D. niño lidia con una madre violenta y luego adicta, cuya desgracia lo persigue aún en su vida adulta y una abuela más sosegada pero con un pasado también turbulento y enfrentada con su hija.Horrrible melodramón donde el pobre J.D. niño lidia con una madre violenta y luego adicta, cuya desgracia lo persigue aún en su vida adulta y una abuela más sosegada pero con un pasado también turbulento y enfrentada con su hija.
Hillbilly... es una grotesca sucesión de gritos, golpes y chantajes emocionales, sobreactuados y al borde de la caricatura. Más que elegía, un exceso de miserabilismo white trash y rural de la "América profunda" y un elogio de la meritocracia. Padres y abuelos ausentes (y violentos), madre bruja y abuela ex bruja pero salvadora.
Lamentablemente, algunos (pocos) verán a este engendro superficial con pretensiones de Oscar como "un profundo drama como la vida misma" con "actuaciones intensas y arriesgadas".
Una pena que actrices de la talla de Glenn Close y Amy Adams se hayan prestado a meterse en la piel de estos personajes grotescos pero "oscarizables".

Horrible melodrama where poor J.D. The child deals with a violent mother and later addicted, whose misfortune haunts him even in his adult life, and a calmer grandmother but with a turbulent past that is also in conflict with her daughter.
Hillbilly ... is a grotesque succession of emotional yelling, punching and blackmail, over-acting and bordering on caricature. More than elegy, an excess of white trash and rural miserabilism of "deep America" and a praise of meritocracy. Absent (and violent) parents and grandparents, witch mother and ex-witch but savior grandmother.
Sadly, some (few) will see this superficial monstrosity with Oscar pretensions as "a deep drama like life itself" with "intense and risky performances".
A pity that actresses of the stature of Glenn Close and Amy Adams have lent themselves to get into the skin of these grotesque but "Oscar-winning" characters.

J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso) es un estudiante derecho en Yale a punto de tener una elegante cena para acceder a un importante trabajo. Pero recibe un urgente llamado de su hermana pidiéndole que regrese al pueblo de Ohio donde acaban de internar a su madre Bev (Amy Adams). Esto da pie a una serie de improtantes flashbacks sobre la infancia de J.D. (Owen Asztalos) con su madre y con su abuela Mamaw (Glenn Close).
Ojalá el único problema de esta película de Ron Howard fuera esa permanente alternancia temporal que no deja consolidar ninguna de las dos tramas.

Hillbilly, una elegía rural es un horrrible melodramón donde el pobre J.D. niño lidia con una madre violenta y luego adicta, cuya desgracia lo persigue aún en su vida adulta y una abuela más sosegada pero con un pasado también turbulento y enfrentada con su hija. Lo quieren presentar como un drama fuerte pero es una grotesca sucesión de gritos, golpes y chantajes emocionales, sobreactuados y al borde de la caricatura. Más que elegía, un exceso de miserabilismo white trash y rural de la "América profunda". Padres y abuelos ausentes (y violentos), madre bruja y abuela ex (¿?) bruja pero salvadora. Sólo se salvan la hermana Lindsay (Haley Bennett) y... él, por supuesto. En espíritu Hillbilly... se asemeja a El diablo a todas horas (The Devil All The Time), sólo que ésta última es más pretenciosa y con más personajes.

Obviamente, esta película tenía que estar basada en hechos reales (para Hollywood esto siempre es un mérito) para realzar su "valor testimonial": una memoir del propio Vance ya abogado exitoso, un best seller donde parece que se venga de su familia retratándola sin piedad y de paso nos pasa el mensaje meritocrático de "yo triunfé aún con una familia de mierda pero a su manera amorosa". No se trata precisamente de Regreso a Reims...

No podían faltar los títulos finales con fotos los J.D., Bev y Mamaw reales para que veamos lo bien que disfrazaron a los actores y actrices. Para Hollywood, la transformación física y la caracterización son méritos absolutos.¡Cómo engordó Amy Adams para hacer su papel!

Lamentablemente, algunos verán a este engendro con pretensiones de Oscar como "un profundo drama como la vida misma" con "actuaciones intensas y arriesgadas".

Una pena que actrices de la talla de Glenn Close y Amy Adams se hayan prestado a meterse en la píel de estos personajes grotescos y "oscarizables".

[link omitted per site rules]… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

TheWaffleNov 27, 2020

It's not "the worst movie ever" as some critics have claimed. But I think this story deserved a better film. The book is an excellent memoir of life amidst poverty, drug abuse, and self-destructive behavior. I find the book and film'sIt's not "the worst movie ever" as some critics have claimed. But I think this story deserved a better film. The book is an excellent memoir of life amidst poverty, drug abuse, and self-destructive behavior. I find the book and film's moralizing pretty repugnant, since both glorify plenty of violence in service of "protecting the family name," but it is interesting to read that perspective.

Unfortunately, while the book is chronological, the film skips back and forth without any real cohesive structure. Instead of sequential chapters in JD's life, the film just skips around to different terrible moments in his life: his grandfather's death, his mom's suicide attempt, overdose, his mom yelling at him for no reason, etc. Instead of telling JD's story (he seems to have been fully grown up at the age of 12), the film just revels in his mother's most awful moments. Instead of jump-cutting around, I would have preferred to see why she behaved so terribly, what led her to pain and drugs and overdosing.

It's not bad, but it's not very good.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

All this user's reviews

Stream2BigScreeDec 5, 2020

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,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.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

All this user's reviews

jzermenoNov 24, 2020

This is a very poignant depiction of middle America that is not usually portrayed on the big screen. At a time when there is so much division in this country, this film reminds us that the struggle to survive and thrive is something that weThis is a very poignant depiction of middle America that is not usually portrayed on the big screen. At a time when there is so much division in this country, this film reminds us that the struggle to survive and thrive is something that we can all relate to. This isn’t just JD Vance’s story. This is the story of so many Americans (in every class, culture or religion) who have had to endure the hardships of growing up in poor America. It’s a reality that is shared by so many. Amy Adam’s breaks my heart with her portrayal of Bev. I love Mamaw. I never knew a woman like this in my life; but I wish I had. Glenn Close gives us an Oscar worthy performance.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

All this user's reviews

JLuis_001Dec 4, 2020

It would be truly sad and miserable if both Amy Adams and Glenn Close get the Oscar nomination and the award for this film, because I'm not gonna say they have done a bad job, but this is the typical kind of exploitative and manipulative filmIt would be truly sad and miserable if both Amy Adams and Glenn Close get the Oscar nomination and the award for this film, because I'm not gonna say they have done a bad job, but this is the typical kind of exploitative and manipulative film who specifically seeks for that, and neither actress deserves it. On Ron Howard's part, this film is as uneven as it has been his entire career.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

All this user's reviews

tropicAcesNov 11, 2020

Well-acted, but thats about it. It screams Oscar-bait, and is just simply way too disjointed

1 of 9 users found this helpful18

All this user's reviews

KrizmorJan 27, 2021

With fine performances in the hands of Close and Adams, Hillbilly Elegy, is a soulless story, that uses extreme drama to try to make you connect with it, however it fails miserably to achive it. Besides that shows that apparently apalachiaWith fine performances in the hands of Close and Adams, Hillbilly Elegy, is a soulless story, that uses extreme drama to try to make you connect with it, however it fails miserably to achive it. Besides that shows that apparently apalachia culture has chosen to be poor, and feeds that stereotype. A script that was all over the place, Howard and Taylor fail to tell an inspirational story, and make a total awards bait. A tremendous mistake.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews