Review: Hillbilly Elegy
In her review of the film, Vox’s film critic, Alissa Wilkinson had this to say about Hillbilly Elegy, “Its writing feels vague and hazy, unacquainted with the world it’s portraying, a collection of clichés stuffed into a two-hour slog.” I don’t think there’s a better single sentence that sums up the Netflix produced adaptation of the 2016 book of the same book.
There’s been incessant conversation about this movie. Everything from its Oscar-bait performances from Glen Close and Amy Adams to the political commentary surrounding the working class family it’s based on. The film, which follows J.D. Vance, a Yale Law student with humble beginnings, is a mess of contradictions. In what seems like a weak attempt to provide an empathetic perspective on the white, poor, Trump-flag waving conservative, Ron Howard inadvertently demonizes them. It feels like a curveball for the director whose career has taken a sharp turn the last few years. It might be tempting to tune in just to see what all of the fuss is about, but even in a global pandemic, I’d venture to guess there are way better uses of your time.