Hillbilly Elegy Parent Guide

Growing up in Kentucky and Ohio, young J.D. Vance (Owen Asztalos) struggles to fit in. His mother, Bev (Amy Adams) has never been stable so J.D. winds up bouncing between his mother’s jobs, boyfriends, and homes. Although they live near his grandmother, Mamaw (Glenn Close) can only do so much to rein in her daughter. But despite his turbulent upbringing, J.D. has made it all the way to Yale Law School, where he is now interviewing for summer internships with some prestigious law firms.

At the cusp of success, J.D. receives bad news: a heroin overdose has put Bev in the hospital. Now J.D. is forced to balance making his way out of crushing poverty with contributing to the wellbeing of his family.

This is one of those slow, ponderous movies that feels significantly longer than it is. Although it clocks in under two hours, the leisurely pacing makes the film feel closer to three. Hillbilly Elegy likes to take its time introducing backstory, so meaning and significance builds up over time – with the downside that some of the early scenes can feel a little chaotic.

The “R” rating is well earned for profanity alone, which is certainly present in almost impressive quantities – Mamaw in particular is partial to cussing, but she is not the only culprit. More worrying for most parents will be the drug use in the film. Although drug use is portrayed very negatively, there are still depictions of teen drug use and drinking, along with more serious use in adults. This is based on a true story, and the hard drug use and criminal behavior have serious consequences, both for the individuals involved and for the people who care about them.

Hillbilly Elegy offers an interesting story but it certainly takes its sweet time getting to the point. I’m struggling to pin down specifically what isn’t working in this movie – the script is perfectly reasonable, the acting is impressive, and the casting is remarkable – but something isn’t quite clicking. As a result, the entire movie feels a little hollow. As someone who theoretically watches movies professionally, I’ll admit it’s frustrating not being able to isolate the problem. My diagnostic failures aside, there are solid aspects to this film. At its core, it’s an exploration of the American Dream – and what happens when that dream sours.