Nick Clement is back for his first review on Back to the Movies in a while as he brings us his thoughts on the 2020 Netflix drama Hillbilly Elegy directed by Ron Howard.
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a 2016 memoir by J. D. Vance about the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family and their relation to the social problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, where his mother’s parents moved when they were young.
The idea that this film is a critical disaster with a 26% Rottentomatoes score is very bizarre.
It’s not a great movie, but it’s a perfectly fine melodrama, with some lived-in-grubby performances that definitely go the extra mile, and I think that one of the main reasons that people are turned off by this movie is that it makes you feel gross and dirty, and it’s mostly centered on trashy, down-market characters who are constantly self-destructing by their own design, while also leaving much to be desired in the personal hygiene department.
There’s nothing “new” here in terms of narrative material, and yet, the strong performances (Gabriel Basso is a nice new find) carry Ron Howard’s quickly-paced and good-looking movie, which is high on solid craftsmanship, and wisely doesn’t overstay its welcome.
It really must be said how downright foul Amy Adams looks throughout much of this film, and that’s tough to do, because she’s always been hot; Glenn Close was not far behind, and you can tell they both went full immersion, never looking back once.
I can’t compare this movie to the novel that it’s based on (and even if I’d read the book, I still wouldn’t make comparisons, because comparing movies to books is silly and pointless).
But I guess the critics needed a high profile release to destroy this fall movie season, so this was the sacrificial lamb.
Seems like an odd choice, but whatever.
Netflix won’t miss Friday’s payroll and everyone involved is already working on their next gig.
Hillbilly Elegy review by Nick Clement
Our Rating
Summary
A sacrificial lamb for the critics in 2020 as Hillbilly Elegy is really not all that bad!
