HILLBILLY ELEGY Trailer

The bright lights of Hollywood turn on Appalachia in Hillbilly Elegy, the latest from director Ron Howard.

J.D. Vance is one of the few people that got out. Out of his hometown, out of the vacuum of poverty, out of the living generations of his family led. Now a law student with the world opening up before him, he must briefly return to that small town in Appalachia, leading to an exploration of the people who raised him, including his forceful grandma and his lost mother.

HILLBILLY ELEGY Trailer
source: Netflix

Based on the memoir of the same name, this film comes out of the gate with tons of pushback. Ostensibly a story of one man’s rise from poverty, the book drew strong criticism for its apparent sweeping generalizations about white working-class America, and the trailer doesn’t make it seem like the most original take. There are big-name actresses like Glenn Close and Amy Adams de-glamming, a hell of a lot of poverty to wallow in, and there’s that overbearing score.

Could Hillbilly Elegy come out of nowhere to be a complex look at white, rural America? Maybe. I mean, there is Close and Adams along with plenty of other strong cast members like Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, and Gabriel Basso, and Howard is hardly a director to sniff at. But this is carrying a lot of baggage. Luckily, it’ll be dropping worldwide on Netflix, so it won’t cost you much to take a chance on it.

Hillbilly Elegy is directed by Ron Howard and stars Glenn CloseAmy Adams, and Gabriel Basso. It will be released on Netflix worldwide on November 24th, 2020.

Will you check this one out? Let us know in the comments!

Does content like this matter to you?


Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema – get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.

Join now!

Similar Posts

  • Watch: ‘What Gordon Parks Saw’ Short Doc About His Photography

    “I pointed my camera at people mostly who needed someone to say something for them… They couldn’t speak for themselves.” I love a good short film that makes me audibly gasp “wow” when watching – and this one did. What Gordon Parks Saw is a fascinating look at the photography of legendary artist / novelist…

  • THE RECKONING Trailer

    Horror comes in clusters in The Reckoning, the latest from co-writer and director Neil Marshall. Grace was never going to have it easy. Life in 1665 was a constant scramble against death, what with limited resources and the plague going around. Then her husband died and she was accused of being a witch, both of which…

  • How Soviet Children’s Books Became Collectors’ Items in India

    When he was about nine or 10 years old, Devadatta Rajadhyaksha read the book The Adventures of Dennis, by Victor Dragunsky. Rajadhyaksha was mesmerized by naughty little Dennis, who kept grass snakes, lizards, and frogs in his pockets, made funny faces in front of the mirror, and liked to hop and skip. The book was…

  • Celebrating the Best of the Chattanooga Film Festival 2020

    It’s not news to anyone that we’re living in a whole new world these days (and for the immediate future, at least), and it’s forced both people and businesses to adapt at a fairly quick pace. With tightly packed gatherings not currently allowed, film festivals have had to re-think the way they go about presenting…

  • Can ‘Banana Buffers’ Save California From Wildfires?

    California’s deadly, damaging wildfires worsen by the year. The state’s naturally dry landscapes, parched by a changing climate, have turned into tinderboxes. A stray match or lightning strike has the capacity to incinerate forests, fields, and neighborhoods. Last year saw a summer and fall of choking smoke and blood-red skies over huge portions of the…