Netflix’s Hillbilly Elegy – A Melodramatic Misfire (Early Review)

The constant narrative that has followed Hillbilly Elegy is how it will finally deliver perennial Oscar bridesmaids Amy Adams and Glenn Close their much-deserved wins above all else. In a crazy year like this one, the film finds itself in a great situation with the power of Netflix behind it, releasing it in a year without the boost from movie theatres. The casting and the film’s promotional material, including its trailer, set it up like an Oscar contender with many claiming it to be another example of Oscarbait. Again, in a year like this one, the film may very well have the chance at some success seeing that it does feature elements worthy of consideration but for the most part, that designation is an accurate one. That being said, the film is a well-intentioned though overly-melodramatic, tonal mess of a narrative won’t be for everyone and is likely to appeal more to fans of both aforementioned actresses if only to see what all the buzz is about.

Based on the memoir of the same name by J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy tells the story of J.D. Vance (Basso), a Yale Law student who was forced to return to his hometown to tend to his addict, single-mother Beverly (Adams) who suffered from yet another relapse but over the course of the film, it was clear that it wasn’t all this way though the signs were there. Jumping between the past and the present, J.D., a third generation Appalachian, tells the story of his rough, lower-class, dysfunctional suburban upbringing and the two women who helped raise him, Beverly and his grandmother Mamaw (Close). From the Appalachian region of Kentucky, the family moved to Ohio in the search for a better life. However, life proved to be difficult as J.D. and his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) lived at the mercy of Beverly and the pressure to support her family as a single parent as well as her own personal demons stemming from a rough upbringing of her own. Meanwhile, Mamaw, Beverly’s mother and an imperfect person in her own right, was the closest thing to a calming presence that did her best to care for her family despite her ailing condition.

In the time since, in a show of perseverance, J.D. pulled himself out from his environment in order to try and make something from his life while still remembering where he came from, a chance that his mother and grandmother never had. He wasn’t blessed financially so he had to get there through had work and determination though that could only take him so far. Maybe there was never that much story to tell when it came to J.D. as his rise was told through the lens of his relationship with his mother and grandmother for better or worse. J.D.’s relationship with Beverly was a contentious one as her tragic fall featured plenty of heartwarming and terrifying moments with J.D. appeared experiencing the worst of them. While that relationship was a complicated one, he clearly still loved her, choosing to hold on to her good side. Whenever times were bad, Mamaw was there. She cared for her grandchildren but she also cared for her daughter thus she had a fine line to navigate which was not easy considering her condition.

In the end, Hillbilly Elegy was the Beverly and Mamaw show which makes sense. The further J.D. may get from his family, they still found a way to bring him back. keeping him in the middle of the life he had and the life he wanted to have. Nevertheless, despite plenty of reason not to, he still loved his mother and wanted to help her and Lindsay who had commitments of her own in the form of her own family. That inner conflict was a somewhat compelling one but any goodwill was lessened by Beverly and Mamaw essentially sucking up all the air while the timeline jumping only muddied and hurt the momentum of the narrative. Also, the film’s overuse of derivative tropes and Lifetime-film-level melodrama to reinforce the emotion made it worse. Though the strongest subplot was that relationship between J.D., Beverly, and Mamaw, the messy way the film got there made it difficult to ever connect with it on a deeper emotional level.

Ultimately, the best part of Hillbilly Elegy was its performances. Some may be surprised by the fact that Adams as Beverly was not one of them. Though saddled with a mediocre script and direction, her overacting often made her hard to watch to the point that it felt like she was in a different film. The best part of the film, in fact, was Close’s entertaining performance as Mamaw. Definitely aided by some great makeup work and some hilarious line deliveries, she creates a damaged soul beneath the surface and one that consistently suffered from the emotional weight of taking care of her family. Meanwhile, Basso was solid as J.D. with decent chemistry with Adams and Close despite the character seemingly being swallowed by the rest of the narrative around him.

At the end of the day, Hillbilly Elegy may not be the film that it was made out to be but with a year like this, anything could happen.

still courtesy of Netflix

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.