Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

As a born and raised Kentucky girl, I could relate to this story. I was disgusted by the negative reviews from the media and Hollywood folks. It's obvious they know very little about poverty, family and all the trials of being poor white people. We hear so much about race and how every white person is privileged, well this story proves that poor folks suffer and have suffered just as much as anyone.

Fmovies: As someone who loved the book, the movie was underneath it rating wise but the movie still captures the story and the lessons well. Starting off with the negatives, it focuses too much on the "current day" of the movie setting. Vance in his book talked very briefly about his visit home to Ohio to take care of his mother. The movie needed to focus more on his time in the Marines, how before moving in with Mamaw Lindsey pretty much raised him, JD reuniting with his biological father after he thought he abandoned him, and how Papaw was the only real father figure he had. Including more flashbacks that included these key moments in JD's life would have made the movie much better. Now why the critics didn't get it. The movie might have been too smart with the implications it gave the audience. JD is a conservative that provides a different perspective on why the ills of a culture exist. For social constructionists, the movie doesn't make any sense because it doesn't line up with their worldview. JD believes that people get stuck in a cycle of poverty because the culture they grow up in is inherently negative. If JDs mother grew up in a better house and neighborhood and given the proper guidance, she would have been incredibly successful. The book focuses on this much more where the movie hints at it. At what point can you blame her for being a terrible mother? The only way you can get better, to JD, is if you take responsibility for yourself and slowly get better. JD is an exception. The only reason he didn't end up like his mother was because he got lucky in his youth. Of course he worked hard to improve himself, but he happened to have a good enough social network (early on being Lindsey and Mamaw and later Usha) to nudge him in the right direction. The story is not about JD. It's about his mother, who is in the majority, and about how taking personal responsibility is the only way out. The scene that showed when his grandparents moved to Middletown vs it current day is shown when the factories shut down and the jobs left. This is also the area of the country that helped Donald Trump win in 2016. These people are desperate to escape and JD is writing them a letter on how. The government won't save you so the only way is to do it yourself. The movie and book will resonate more with people who understand that struggle and I feel like the critics who don't understand how Trump won will not understand the point of this story either.

Don't really understand about all the hates or jealousy here. I am a very picky individual when it comes to watching a movie too. However, I find this one very entertaining and outstanding among all those stupid CGI films that were released during the year. Couldn't be happier because this one just quench my thirst.

Hillbilly Elegy fmovies. This movie makes me want to be a better man, period. Thank you for all the actor and actresses that made this happen and gave it their all. I quess i will be seeing glenn close at the oscars again. It just made me feel. Thank you!

50 year old Asian male here. I've had a charmed life, so I can't relate to the crazy hardships. Not sure why, but I was tearing up a lot though. Kind of embarrassing cause I'm watching it here at work.

I thought this film was a great drama that uses flashbacks of the past to explain what's running through J.D.'s mind as he tries to navigate university and his moms constant drug addiction. The acting was powerful all the way through. It has gripping emotions from start to finish that shows how bad you have to work, and to want something, to succeed when all the cards are stacked against you. Some may find this to be a "woe is me" kind of story, but I think it showed the never quitting spirit that Southerners have. Honestly, it's better than the professional critic reviews that I've read.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film and the story behind it. That to say, I can't figure out why this film is getting low ratings, but I think it's worth the watch. Currently it's in select theatres until 24 November when it releases onto Netflix in Canada.