Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix) Movie Review & Comments

[Kumari Tilakawardane]

Based on a controversial best-seller by J.D. Vance, Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy is ostensibly a true story, though the film goes out of its way to make it seem like pure cinematic fiction.
Read the review.

Write your own review for Hillbilly Elegy

 

[richp007]

I just happened to watch Kermode giving this a pasting earlier. He wasn't impressed. Some will no doubt say that means it's a masterpiece

But thanks for the review Kumari. Just because of Amy Adams and Glenn Close I will give this a look. My expectations aren't much however.

 

[dion 6]

Thanks for the review I've seen a couple of interviews with the stars of the movie and movie clips thanks for confirming my initial opinion I'll definitely give it a miss. I've just finished watching another TV series you reviewed the queen's gambit and that was excellent just because you wheel out a couple of Oscar winners doesn't make it a good movie but it'll probably win an Oscar

 

[Tom Davies]

Can't decide whether it's more or less offensive to sanitise JD Vance of his "political" "opinions".
Take away the objectivist polemic and all you're left with is folksy bullsh*t and a movie that pretends he wouldn't stab a hundred people for an extra five bucks.
Leave it in and you have a film which justifies being an objectivist duckhead and condemns poor people for being poor.

Yeah, this movie can get bent.
Thanks for taking it, Kumari.
I hate being right all the time (I don't, I actually love it.)

 

[richp007]

Be interesting to see if it gets put forward for awards. I mean perhaps not any other year by the sounds of it, but this is an odd year with not much to offer.

Something tells me Adams will get a nod.

 

[Drax1]

I've yet to see anything positive about this. Shame as Amy Adams rarely picks a turkey. Won't be bothering.

 

[Zombie Twin]

This seems like Ron Howard making a 70s-era John Waters movie, minus excreted fluids.

 

[Coulson]

One of those where one gets tempted to watch just to see how bad it is lol.

The very nature of Vance’s story is that it’s a common one; he was just an ordinary man who came from a poor background and who – through sheer force of will and hard work – made it out.

That's not very common at all and because of that it is the foundation of many great stories. But it sounds like the film turns this well worn premise into a poor mans pastiche of better stories.

 

[Stepneydragon]

Your review of the film aligned closely with my response. But then, I thought the text over-simplified a larger issue. An OK first pass, but I’m not sympathetic to the entire enterprise. Now, had Oliver Stone been on-board, we’d have had a much different product. JMHO.

 

[gigga]

Just watched it, throughly enjoyed it! and would recommend.

 

[upallnight]

Not sure what all the reviewers have been watching to be honest
Me and the wife really enjoyed it and the acting was top notch
I’d definitely recommend watching this

 

[encaser]

Ron Howard made a film and watered the story to ease waters, surely not.

 

[clydebest]

Fell asleep watching this Amy Adams is a great actress but even her greatness can not cover for a film whose characters you had no interest in and whose outcome you had no wish to find out... Thumbs up for insomniacs .. a cure.

 

[SOUNDVISION]

Watched Hillbilly Elegy thought it was pretty good story, well acted

 

[Sunshinewelly]

What a dreadful dreadful review. Its a thoroughly enjoyable film. Don't listen to the reviewer. Watch it and make your own mind up.

 

[lucasisking]

Gave it 15 minutes then abandoned it. Poverty porn oscar bait trash.

 

[richp007]

What a dreadful dreadful review. Its a thoroughly enjoyable film. Don't listen to the reviewer. Watch it and make your own mind up.

Yes we can all do that, but that still doesn't make it a dreadful x2 review.

Why you don't tell us why you thought it was good and therefore disagree?

 

[Tom Davies]

Gave it 15 minutes then abandoned it. Poverty porn oscar bait trash.

One of the rare occasions where I correctly called it in advance.
Vance is a bad human and Ron Howard keeps making these weaksauce movies.

 

[encaser]

Just ordered my MOGA cap in advance of viewing...I have to trust there's no voter fraud stopping this from winning.

 

[lucasisking]

One of the rare occasions where I correctly called it in advance.
Vance is a bad human and Ron Howard keeps making these weaksauce movies.

Don't know anything about the writer. What's his deal?

 

[Tom Davies]

Don't know anything about the writer. What's his deal?

Venture capitalist neo-con libertarian who works for the nuts and possibly evil Peter Thiel.
Every now and then he makes noises about how poor white America has been badly served by the government but obviously tax cuts or handouts for the poor are bad and wrong.

He's also been disowned by the community he grew up in for misrepresenting them swinging from 'just look at these poor simple hicks... I used to be one, you know.' to 'if only they weren't so societally degraded they might be able to be a millionaire just like me.' He was criticised for speaking "as one of them" when his ideals don't support them at all.