Hillbilly Elegy

Another dysfunctional, troubled family with a strange grandmother and a drug-addled mom. And all of them suffering, crying or angry. There is no motif that would in any way make their story interesting in a crowd of other, similar stories. We never find out the reason for their situation; it’s always explained away with “mom has had a hard life”. That the flashbacks show us one of the kids managed to earn a law degree and get his life in order is a cliché that is supposed to be the point of the film. “We must not forget where we come from, but we decide for ourselves who we are going to be.” Really original. The last half hour with more Glenn Close sort of saves the movie, but everything before that is mind-numbing, pointless boredom. Howard’s directorial skill is easily felt in the brisk opening and in the last few minutes, but otherwise there is nothing here. (27.11.2020)

In the end this is classic people movie with a heart, but that was a shitload of crap he had to go through (based on a true story). Worth seeing. Amy Adams makes the most of her role as stoned mom and she steals the most memorable scenes of the movie. And Glen Close as gramma (who sets light to drunken gramps) steals all the rest of them. In Hillbilly Elegy, Ron Howard deals tried and tested cards with the confidence of a hard-bitten cardsharp and skillfully recounts this story about a white trash hero. Oscar nominations are in the bag. The soundtrack is also great, once again from the excellently minimalistic Zimmer. (26.11.2020)

I think this is a perfectly beautiful film and that I've seen very few acting performances this year that would come close to that extra level performed here by Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Both are great, and although the rest of the cast is also good, Hillbilly Elegy is what it is above all thanks to the two of them. Believable, impressive, touching, truthful and with an important message for anyone whose heart they capture. Ron Howard looked on from the director's chair with the certainty of an experienced director who cares about the story he tells, and after some time Hans Zimmer provides another fine soundtrack. (24.11.2020)

I was lured to watch Hillbilly Elegy mainly by the cast and the mixed reviews (Glenn Close being nominated both fo an Oscar and a Golden Raspberry is really weird). My favourites Amy Adams and Glenn Close did not disappoint me and gave very convincing and sober performances, as did Gabriel Basso/Owen Asztalos as Jadee. Story-wise, Ithe film left me with somewhat mixed feelings. On the one hand, it has strong moments (the funeral of the grandfather or the calculator confrontation), but on the other, I felt that the theme of the (real) life of a dysfunctional family experiencing an American nightmare rather than the American dream could have been grasped in a more compelling way. Moreover, at times it was very hard to sympathize with any of the characters. I must, however, commend the excellent music by David Fleming and Hans Zimmer with its distinctive local colour. Better three stars! (16.05.2021)