Hillbilly Elegy
Starring: Amy Adams, Glenn Close,
Directed By: Ron Howard
Rated: R
“In life, you’re either a good terminator or a bad terminator,” huffs Mamaw (Glenn Close) to her grandson J.D. as she tries to create a metaphor for their complex family life. “Be a good terminator.” she pleads with him. Hillbilly Elegy, based on the novel by J.D. Vance chronicles his tumultuous family life in rural Ohio. Since its premiere last week, the response has been very divisive among critics and audiences. I don’t think this movie is as awful as some of the critics have stated, but I’d call it a mediocre terminator. (Imagine if Arnold Schwarzenegger had a Terminator movie where he wouldn’t stop screaming at his family followed by random scenes of law school interviews. That’s what I’d classify as mediocre Terminator. I’d also call the movie Mediocre Terminator.)
Directed by Ron Howard, Hillbilly Elegy tells the story of one man rising above his poverty-stricken family to defy the odds and make his way to Yale Law School. Generations of violence, drug abuse, and PTSD haunt his journey. Hillbilly Elegy is your typical Oscar Bait premise. However, there are themes in the film that are worth exploring.
Ron Howard jumped at the chance to direct this pretty quickly, considering the book was released in just 2016. I like Ron Howard as much as the next person. He’s made some excellent films. But he certainly made some choices in the directorial department. The movie’s narrative is all over the place, shifting from the present day to flashbacks of J.D.’s childhood frequently. Random moments of familial trauma flood the screen to show the audience how awful this family has it. The movie pretty much wanders around aimlessly from one traumatic event to the next. This is a film that would have benefited from a much more structured timeline. If you’re looking for something to put you in the holiday spirit, this isn’t it.
Although this is the story of J.D. Vance (Gabriel Blasso and Owen Asztalos play the protagonist well enough), it’s Amy Adams and Glenn Close that end up taking on the weight of the story. Say what you will about the direction and script choices, but Glenn Close gives an unforgettable performance as Mamaw. To me, she’s the standout of the film. Close is almost unrecognizable as a tough, take-no-prisoners woman who has lived through awful circumstances. She could have been a better mother, but she’ll do what she can to be a good grandmother. Every scene she’s in is automatically more interesting than the moments she’s not on screen. It makes sense why she’s in early Oscar consideration.
Everyone is ready to see Amy Adams win an Oscar, but I’m sorry to say, Hillbilly Elegy will not be the movie it happens. She gives an emotionally fraught performance as Bev, but it’s not quite at the same level as Glenn Close. I’m a huge Adams fan, so this is not a knock towards her. I’ve just seen her do SUCH incredible work recently in Sharp Objects, American Hustle, and Arrival that this didn’t measure up in the same way. The character’s story arc was deeply repetitive (find a boyfriend, yell at son, do drugs, scream in the street), so it got to a point where I felt like I was watching the same scenes over and over for 2 hours. It’s upsetting to know that J.D. Vance’s mother went through this situation, but I think the screenplay could have conveyed it in a better way.
Since J.D. wrote the book, it’s understandable that so much of the story is told from his perspective. Yet, it’s bizarre that his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) is left out of so much of the story. She stays in Ohio with toxic family members who have caused so much pain, but we don’t get to know much about her. The film could have told more of her story, exploring how life in the town affected her. Instead, she is treated like a background prop to J.D. and Bev’s trauma.
As I said, I don’t think this is the “worst movie of the year,” like many have said. (Trust me, there are many others in the running for that title.) However, I think it’s very messy. Jolting flashbacks and frequent traumatic sequences make for a convoluted narrative structure to manipulate the viewer emotionally. Hillbilly Elegy has an impressive performance from Glenn Close, but it could use a good terminator to come in and make some changes.
My Rating: 5/10