A really good story of the complexities of family and coming to terms with your past and reconciling that with your present and future. The struggle of loving what you are and who your people are while realizing the deep flaws of humanity.
A really, really good movie.
The film strives for Oscar significance, but it's not as good as it thinks it is. That being said, despite a scathing critical response from some, it's not that bad, and the story reminded me of a portion of my life working within a similar community to that presented in the film.
This is a propaganda movie nothing else. trying to paint that moron as a person. All it shows that he comes from a family of insane people with two digit IQ on a good day which in turn just means he is slightly better at hiding it than they are. Strange that they did not show him diddling a couch.
Well acted but glad it's over
Interesting and hearty story, which helps 'Hillbilly Elegy' overcome the fact it probably isn't that great a film as a whole.
I enjoyed watching the cast. Gabriel Basso gives a good performance in the role of J. D. Vance, though is outshone by Owen Asztalos; who plays the younger version of Vance. Elsewhere, star names Amy Adams and Glenn Close support strongly. Freida Pinto is even involved, albeit in a minor and largely unimportant part.
I don't love the way the story is told, or some of the elements it tries to force through. I did find myself caring for the lead character though, as well as feeling suitably invested in seeing the plot unfold. There's a nice score in there, also.
I'd say it's a good film, nothing more or less.
This movie isn’t as bad as some people would have you believe, however it’s just completely and totally generic, like something from the 90s, cliches and melodrama included. Every single scene felt like I've seen it before. It just moves from one cliched plot point to another. And if you saw the trailer, you don't need to watch the movie.
Even the performances were all pretty standard. Amy Adams and Glenn Close are weak in this, they play almost every moment as an "Oscar clip". Speaking of casting - the younger and older J.D look so alike, but why didn't they choose a teenage actress to play Lindsay in the flashbacks? Haley Bennett looks more like Amy Adams' sister than her daughter.
I guess the target audience for this movie is just Americans. Because Hillbilly Elegy has THE ultimate American message ever. The creators of this poverty porn want you to sympathize with a mediocre American venture capitalist. The main character has to join the Marines and is sent to Iraq (hey! there are way too many people in Iraq, some just have to die). All of this to escape the shitty state that is Ohio. It's the American dream. Live long American Imperialism! USA! USA! To make things even worse – you have to sympathize with a racist, how am I supposed to like “Mamaw” when she talks shits about Poles and Indigenous people? The whole point of this movie is to fight negative stereotypes of “hillbillies” but it’s okay to joke about other cultures. “It’s just jokes bla-bla”.
I think the working title was “Oscar-winning movie about poor people with a happy ending”. This is just a movie that was recycled from other Oscar bait movies, in an attempt to make the ultimate 2020 Oscar bait movie, rather than trying to make a strong narrative. Find some new ideas.
Having family from that eastern Kentucky, the movie was spot on. Glenn Close embodied Mamaw. Very, very good movie!
[Netflix] Without knowing the book on which it's based, this doesn't seem the most successful portrait of white America that, like Amy Adams' character, falls over and over again in the same mistakes. Ron Howard builds a loud, histrionic movie based on a flimsy script, banal dialogue and messy construction. While Amy Adams is contagious of the histrionics of the film, Glenn Close manages to walk in the limit.
Really liked this film by Ron Howard. Great story and brilliant acting by the cast. Also beautiful soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.
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.
It's a mess of a movie. Plain and simple. I'll get the good stuff out of the way: Glenn Close was really good. It's a shame that her performance is wasted in this. The bad: I wish there was more to this story, especially with Amy Adams character. I don't want to shit on a child's performance, but I wasn't a fan of the kid who played Young J.D. I also didn't like the way the film was going back and forth between past and present. Such a disappointment of a film.
Great performance from both Amy and Glenn. It is a raw story with a lot of realism. Totally worth it
A very well acted and directed poignant family story. A reminder of two underrated principles: 1-the struggles of life can affect people of many different skin colors 2-in america you can succeed no matter what background you come from.
Overall a decent watch, albeit a bit mundane.
Really enjoyed this, Amy Adams and Glenn Close are awesome.
Well-acted with some strong scenes and dialogue but ultimate I wasn't super invested in the characters due to the lack of a strong plot; this is true to the memoir which O enjoyed but didn't make for the best film. Could have been better. Would not recommend - it's Just okay - and would not watch again.
SJW critics dislike the movie because they hate regular people in the middle of the country.
This was one of the best movies in 2020. People hated it because it shows that we are all the same. Everyone has a story.
Of course Ron Howard makes a movie about a fascist.
This is not the type of movie I typically watch, but it was really worth my time.
The acting was really outstanding and the story was super engaging.
Shout by DurackBlockedParent2024-07-15T20:32:26Z
I watched this movie way back in December 2020 and remember enjoying its amazing storytelling and acting. Today, it was announced that J. D. Vance is the Vice President pick for Trump 2024 (days after the failed assassination attempt of president Donald J. Trump). While trying to find out who J. D. Vance is, I came to know that he wrote the book this movie is based on to record his childhood and memoirs. With this knowledge, I will watch this again.
"Americanism is a question of spirit, conviction, and purpose, not of creed or birthplace."
Good luck and all the best Middle America! :flag_us::thumbsup_tone2: