Hillbilly Elegy
Official release poster
Directed byRon Howard
Screenplay byVanessa Taylor
Based onHillbilly Elegy
by J. D. Vance
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMaryse Alberti
Edited byJames D. Wilcox
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • November 11, 2020 (2020-11-11) (United States)
  • November 24, 2020 (2020-11-24) (Netflix)
Running time
115 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[3]
Box office$38,852[4]

Hillbilly Elegy is a 2020 American drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Vanessa Taylor, It is based on the 2016 memoir of the same name, by J. D. Vance. The film stars Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins (in his final film appearance), and Owen Asztalos.

The title, Hillbilly Elegy, suggests a serious and somewhat reverent treatment of an otherwise looked-down-upon population. After buying the rights to Vance's book in 2017, Imagine Entertainment announced Howard as the film's director. Netflix acquired the distribution rights in January 2019, and much of the cast joined that April. Filming took place from June through August in Georgia and Ohio.

Hillbilly Elegy was released in select cinemas on November 11, 2020, before its streaming release on November 24, 2020, by Netflix. The film was recognized for its performances, with Close receiving Supporting Actress nominations at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Adams's performance was also recognized by the Screen Actors Guild, with a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress. However, the film was also criticized, particularly for its screenplay and direction,[5] receiving three nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Director for Howard, Worst Screenplay for Taylor, and Worst Supporting Actress for Close.

Plot

J. D. Vance looks back on his childhood in Middletown, Ohio, raised by his mother Beverly and her parents from Jackson, Kentucky. In 1997, young J. D. and his older sister Lindsay struggle with their mother's drug addiction and unstable behavior.

After an argument while driving, Bev threatens to crash the car before attacking J. D., causing him to flee to a nearby house. Bev is nearly arrested after breaking through the door to drag J. D. away; he lies to protect her. Soon afterwards, Bev's father Papaw dies. She is later fired for her erratic behavior as well as stealing pills during work hours, causing her to have a violent breakdown in front of the entire neighborhood. After a string of boyfriends, Bev marries her new boss but is unable to detox.

J. D. often spends time with his grandmother, Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance, who struggles to keep her daughter in line. She reluctantly convinces J. D. to give his mother clean urine for a drug test to keep her job. Mamaw is later hospitalized with pneumonia while J. D.’s grades start to slip as he begins acting out with his new stepbrother and their friends. J. D. joins them in drinking, drugs, and vandalism, before they crash Mamaw's car. Lindsay informs Mamaw, who discharges herself from the hospital and takes in J. D. to live with her.

Stern but well-meaning, Mamaw attempts to curb J. D.'s outbursts after he is caught shoplifting a graphing calculator for school, warning J. D. that someone will need to care for the family when she is gone, and that he has the choice to make something of himself. Realizing how much Mamaw is struggling to support them both, J. D. finds a job and begins to excel in school, later joining the United States Marine Corps. He returns home when Mamaw dies, before he serves in Iraq. After his tour, J. D. uses the G.I. Bill to attend college.

In 2011, an adult J. D. works three jobs to put himself through Yale Law School. He hopes to secure a summer internship in Washington D.C., with his girlfriend Usha, but Lindsay calls him with the news that Bev has overdosed on heroin. Driving home to Middletown, J. D. struggles to find a rehab facility for his mother, and is offered a last chance for a job interview the following morning. Overwhelmed, J. D. refuses Usha's offer to come help.

Bev refuses to return to rehab, causing her most recent boyfriend to throw Bev out of his apartment. With Lindsay raising her own family, J. D. takes Bev to a motel, but discovers her using heroin in the bathroom. Wrestling the needle away from Bev, J. D. urges her not to give up, and leaves his mother with Lindsay as he departs for New Haven. He calls Usha, who keeps him company on the phone as he drives through the night. Surprising her in the morning, J. D. arrives in time for his interview.

An epilogue reveals that J. D. graduated from Yale and published his memoir. He and Usha married and had children, moving to Ohio to be near his family, including Lindsay and Bev, who has been sober for 6 years.

Cast

Production

Imagine Entertainment won the rights to the memoir in an April 2017 auction, for Ron Howard to direct.[6] In February 2018, Vanessa Taylor was set to adapt the memoir into a screenplay.[7] In March 2018, Ron Howard was spotted at the Buckingham Coal Mine near Corning, Ohio, scouting possible locations in Perry County.[8] In October 2018 and March 2019, Howard was spotted in Middletown, Ohio, again scouting filming locations.[9][10]

In January 2019, Netflix won the rights to the film after bidding $45 million on the project.[11] Glenn Close, Amy Adams, Gabriel Basso and Haley Bennett joined the cast in April.[12][13][14][15] In June 2019, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins and Owen Asztalos were added.[16]

Principal photography began on June 12, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia,[17] and wrapped on August 8, 2019, in Middletown, Ohio, after a 43-day shooting schedule. Several days of filming took place in the book's setting of Middletown, Ohio,[18] though much of the filming was done in Atlanta, Clayton, and Macon, Georgia, using the production code-name "IVAN."[19][20] Hans Zimmer and David Fleming composed the film's music.[21]

By January 2020, the film was in post-production.[22]

Release

Hillbilly Elegy began a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 11, 2020, then streamed on Netflix starting November 24.[23]

It was the most-watched film on the site in its first day of release, before finishing third in its debut weekend.[24] Over its second weekend the film fell to eighth place.[25]

Reception

Critical response

Critical response to Hillbilly Elegy was "fairly negative", but the performances of its cast received some praise.[5][26] On Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 251 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With the form of an awards-season hopeful but the soul of a bland melodrama, Hillbilly Elegy strands some very fine actors in the not-so-deep South."[27] According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average score of 38 out of 100 based on 43 critics, the film received "generally unfavorable reviews".[28]

The Independent reported that the film was widely criticized for "perpetuating stereotypes about the poor".[29] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club called it "bootstrapping poverty porn" and said that it "reinforces the stereotypes it's meant to be illuminating."[30]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote "As long as Close is acting up an award-worthy storm (her performance is actually quite meticulous), Hillbilly Elegy is never less than alive. Amy Adams does some showpiece acting of her own, but as skillful as her performance is, she never gets us to look at Bev with pity and terror."[31] For IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a "C−" and wrote "Hillbilly Elegy hinges on Mamaw's hope that she'll leave her family better off than she found them, and it's clear that Vance's story has fulfilled that wish almost as soon as this movie starts. But the process of watching him cut his losses and recommit to his own success is rendered in a way that it isn't just dramatically unsatisfying in the extreme, but also on the verge of sociopathic."[32]

Peter Travers from Good Morning America thought the film was a "missed opportunity" but Close's performance was "sensational". He concluded "With greater emphasis on simplicity instead of Hollywood showboating, Hillbilly Elegy might have been more than a missed opportunity."[33] In her positive review, Sandra Hall from The Sydney Morning Herald praised Howard's "high-end brand of commercial movie-making" and opined that he's "to be applauded just for inviting Close, with her wealth of imagination and technique, to give us everything she has."[34] Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a perfect 4 out of 4 star rating, praising Adams' and Close's "exceptional work", describing Adams as a "tour de force" and Close as "masterful, screen-commanding, pitch-perfect."[35]

Accolades

Glenn Close became the third performer in history to be nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Raspberry Award for the same performance.[36]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2020
 San Francisco International Film Festival Award for Acting Glenn Close Won [37]
2021
 AARP Movies for Grownup Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [38]
Best Intergenerational Film Hillbilly Elegy Nominated
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Glenn Close Nominated [39]
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney and Matthew W. Mungle Nominated
Artios Awards Feature Big Budget – Drama Carmen Cuba, Tara Feldstein Bennett, Chase Paris, D. Lynn Meyers and
Judith Sunga		 Nominated [40]
British Academy Film Awards Best Makeup and Hair Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney and Matthew Mungle Nominated [41]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Supporting Actress Glenn Close Nominated [42]
Best Hair & Makeup Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney and Matthew Mungle Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards Best Supporting Actress Glenn Close Nominated [43]
Gold Derby Awards Supporting Actress Nominated [44]
Makeup/Hair Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney and Matthew Mungle Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Glenn Close Nominated [45]
Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Director Ron Howard Nominated [46]
[47]
Worst Supporting Actress Glenn Close Nominated
Worst Screenplay Vanessa Taylor; Based on the novel by J. D. Vance Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Glenn Close Nominated [48]
Best Hair & Makeup Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney and Matthew Mungle Nominated
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Eryn Krueger Mekash, Jamie Hess, Devin Morales and Jessica Gambardella Nominated [49]
Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Patricia Dehaney, Tony Ward, Martial Corneville and Stacey Butterworth Nominated
Best Special Make-Up Effects in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Jamie Hess Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Amy Adams Nominated [50]
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Glenn Close Nominated
Set Decorators Society of America Awards Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film Merissa Lombardo and Molly Hughes Nominated [51]

References

  1. ↑ "Hans Zimmer to Reteam with Ron Howard on 'Hillbilly Elegy' | Film Music Reporter". Film Music Reporter. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Hillbilly Elegy - Netflix". Netflix. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Ed Richter (November 7, 2020). "J.D. Vance on watching Middletown filming of his 'Hillbilly Elegy' book: 'It's pretty surreal'". Journal-News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Hillbilly Elegy (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Bui, Hoai-Tran (November 10, 2020). "'Hillbilly Elegy' Review Round-Up: Ron Howard's Shameless Oscar Bait Drama is Very, Very Bad". Slash Film. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  6. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 10, 2017). "Imagine Lands J.D. Vance's Rust Belt Memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy;' Ron Howard To Direct Film". Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 28, 2018). "Oscar-Nominated 'Shape Of Water' Co-Writer Vanessa Taylor Set To Adapt 'Hillbilly Elegy'". Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Opie sighting in Perry County". March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ Kiesewetter, John (October 3, 2018). "Ron Howard Scouts Middletown For 'Hillbilly Elegy' Movie". www.wvxu.org. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Ron Howard is back in Middletown, the setting of upcoming 'Hillbilly Elegy' adaptation". WCPO. March 25, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (January 25, 2019). "Netflix Swoops On Ron Howard's Film Version Of 'Hillbilly Elegy' in Whopping $45M Deal". Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 4, 2019). "Amy Adams to Star in Ron Howard's 'Hillbilly Elegy' at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Glenn Close Joins Amy Adams in Ron Howard's 'Hillbilly Elegy'". The Hollywood Reporter. April 11, 2019. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  14. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 12, 2019). "Gabriel Basso Set As Lead Of 'Hillbilly Elegy' Opposite Amy Adams, Glenn Close". Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  15. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 26, 2019). "Haley Bennett in Talks to Join Amy Adams in Ron Howard's 'Hillbilly Elegy' (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  16. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 14, 2019). "Freida Pinto Rounds Out Cast of Ron Howard and Netflix's 'Hillbilly Elegy' (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Netflix Drama 'Hillbilly Elegy' Starring Amy Adams and Directed By 'Solo's Ron Howard Adds 'New Mu". May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
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  19. ↑ Walljasper, Matt (June 27, 2019). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Lovecraft Country, The Conjuring 3, Waldo, Hillbilly Elegy, and more". Atlanta Magazine. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  20. ↑ Chandler, Tom (July 3, 2019). "Netflix to begin filming movie 'Ivan' in Macon". The Georgia Sun. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Hans Zimmer to Reteam with Ron Howard on Hillbilly Elegy". FilmMusicReporter. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  22. ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (January 30, 2020). "Ron Howard Teases What to Expect from His "Powerful" Netflix Movie 'Hillbilly Elegy'". Collider. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
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  24. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (November 30, 2020). "'Let Him Go' Thrives as Early PVOD Release While 'New Mutants' Still Strong". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  25. ↑ Brueggemann, Tom (December 7, 2020). "'Freaky' Debuts Well in Holiday Home Viewing, but 'Mank' Falls Short on Netflix". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  26. ↑ Rawat, Kshitij (November 12, 2020). "Hillbilly Elegy review roundup: Critics pan Glenn Close and Amy Adams-starrer". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
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  29. ↑ Harrison, Ellie (November 30, 2020). "Hillbilly Elegy: Amy Adams responds to bad reviews of 'sickeningly irresponsible' film". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  30. ↑ Rife, Katie (September 10, 2020). ""May Hillbilly Elegy mark the end of Trump-era myth-making about the white working class"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  31. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (November 10, 2020). "'Hillbilly Elegy' Review: Amy Adams and Glenn Close Act with Down-Home Flamboyance in Ron Howard's Otherwise Overly Safe Adaptation". Variety. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  32. ↑ Ehrlich, David (November 10, 2020). "'Hillbilly Elegy' Review: Ron Howard Adapts J.D. Vance's Controversial Memoir into a Forgettable Netflix Biopic". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Review: 'Hillbilly Elegy' is a 'missed opportunity'; Glenn Close is 'sensational'". Good Morning America. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  34. ↑ Hall, Sandra (November 18, 2020). "Is Hillbilly Elegy poverty porn or a masterclass by Ron Howard?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Review: 'Hillbilly Elegy' a sure bet for Oscar love, and deservedly so". Chicago Sun-Times. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Glenn Close bags Oscar and Razzie nods for her Hillbilly Elegy performance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  37. ↑ Feinberg, Scott (November 20, 2020). "SFFILM Awards Night to Honor Glenn Close and Stars of 'One Night in Miami' (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  38. ↑ Appelo, Tim (February 8, 2021). "2020 Movies for Grownups Awards Nominations". AARP. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  39. ↑ Menzel, Scott (March 15, 2021). "Oscar Nominations 2021 List: Nominees by Category". Academy Awards. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  40. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (February 19, 2021). "Artios Awards Film Nominations: 'Borat', 'Da 5 Bloods', 'Chicago 7', 'One Night In Miami' & More Up For Casting Society Prizes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
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  44. ↑ Menzel, Scott (March 10, 2021). "2021 Gold Derby Film Awards nominations list: 'Mank' leads with 10, followed by 'Ma Rainey' and 'Minari' with 8, 'Nomadland,' 'Promising Young Woman,' 'Soul,' 'Tenet' with 6". Gold Derby. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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  49. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 18, 2021). "'Bill & Ted Face the Music' Leads Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Nominations Announced for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. February 4, 2021. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  51. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (March 11, 2021). "'Promising Young Woman' and 'News of the World' Among Inaugural Set Decorators Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
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