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Hillbilly Elegy

  • 2020
  • R
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
60K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,610
448
Glenn Close and Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso), a former Marine from southern Ohio and current Yale Law student, is on the verge of landing his dream job when a family crisis forces him to return to the home he's tried to forget. J.D. must navigate the complex dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his volatile relationship with his mother Bev (Amy Adams), who's struggling with addiction. Fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw (Glenn Close), the resilient and whip-smart woman who raised him, J.D. comes to embrace his family's indelible imprint on his own personal journey.
Play trailer2:17
14 Videos
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgePsychological DramaBiographyDrama

An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.

  • Director
    • Ron Howard
  • Writers
    • JD Vance
    • Vanessa Taylor
  • Stars
    • Amy Adams
    • Glenn Close
    • Gabriel Basso
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    60K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,610
    448
    • Director
      • Ron Howard
    • Writers
      • JD Vance
      • Vanessa Taylor
    • Stars
      • Amy Adams
      • Glenn Close
      • Gabriel Basso
    • 857User reviews
    • 167Critic reviews
    • 38Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 33 nominations total

    Videos14

    A Ron Howard Film
    Trailer 2:17
    A Ron Howard Film
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Trailer 2:17
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Trailer 2:17
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Art of the Crew | Makeup and Hairstyling
    Clip 1:01
    Art of the Crew | Makeup and Hairstyling
    Ron Howard - The Power of True Stories
    Clip 2:45
    Ron Howard - The Power of True Stories
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Clip 1:08
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Hillbilly Elegy
    Clip 0:50
    Hillbilly Elegy

    Photos152

    View Poster
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    + 145
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    Top Cast99+

    Edit
    Amy Adams
    Amy Adams
    • Bev
    Glenn Close
    Glenn Close
    • Mamaw
    Gabriel Basso
    Gabriel Basso
    • J.D. Vance
    Haley Bennett
    Haley Bennett
    • Lindsay
    Freida Pinto
    Freida Pinto
    • Usha
    Bo Hopkins
    Bo Hopkins
    • Papaw
    Asztalos Gyula Owen
    Asztalos Gyula Owen
    • Young J.D. Vance
    • (as Owen Asztalos)
    Jesse C. Boyd
    Jesse C. Boyd
    • Matt
    Stephen Kunken
    Stephen Kunken
    • Phillip Roseman
    Keong Sim
    • Ken
    Morgan Gao
    • Travis
    Ethan Suess
    Ethan Suess
    • Chris
    Jono Mitchell
    • Kevin
    • (as Jonothon Mitchell)
    Bill Kelly
    Bill Kelly
    • Uncle Pet
    David Dwyer
    David Dwyer
    • Uncle Arch
    Sarah Hudson
    Sarah Hudson
    • Lori
    Ted Huckabee
    Ted Huckabee
    • Jimmy (Bev's Brother)
    Nathan Hesse
    Nathan Hesse
    • Bill (Nurse)
    • Director
      • Ron Howard
    • Writers
      • JD Vance
      • Vanessa Taylor
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews857

    6.759.9K
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    Featured reviews

    8splotsmom

    Well I enjoyed it.

    Don't know why there are such low scores and reviews, it was a very engaging movie, and the acting all round was top notch.
    7epcamillo

    Glenn Close e Amy Adams: superb!

    Excellent, magnificent, the performances of Glenn Close (10) and Amy Adams (9).
    8barob-51973

    Why all the hate?

    Well I had a great review written but it was erased when I switched to another site to fact check some other movies. What I wanted to say was this is a hard movie to watch. It's hard bc it's honest. We all have our struggles and this is another depiction of an honest struggle families have. In America we like to place labels. In this case the labels are hillbilly, red neck, or white trash. It's all true, but it doesn't mean that's bad. It means it's honest. It makes me think of other honest movies about American families like Crooklyn, Ordinary People or Kramer vs Kramer. In this year of 2020 the word struggle comes up time and again, but let's not forget another truly American symbolic word .... perseverance. Watch this movie and know that if you're down and feel like the world is against you just keep fighting and persevere. I hope this movie can inspire that feeling. It did for me.
    8msjarob

    Kept My Attention

    I enjoyed the movie very much. As a Black American, I know the struggles of my culture, so to see the trials and tribulations of another culture is eye opening.

    Ron Howard is an A-list Director and doesn't produce anything that is subpar. The critic reviews and low ratings for this movie are puzzling. Yet I'm seen high ratings for movies to me that weren't so great.

    The movie is good, don't believe the critics.
    garyhammerma

    Absolutely Worth Watching

    Like other reviewers here, I'm puzzled as to why this film received such poor or lukewarm reception in the press. Glenn Close is superb as Mamaw. Those who think she is somehow an exaggerated caricature clearly don't have much first-hand knowledge of this segment of our population. I never knew Mamaw but I certainly knew plenty of people like her, and Close's portrayal is spot-on. Don't be put off by the bad reviews. This is a powerful and moving film.

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    Related interests

    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Psychological Drama
    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The huge glasses Glenn Close wears in the movie are "Mamaw's" actual frames. The family loaned them to Close during production.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning, Bev takes her family back to Ohio from Jackson, Kentucky. A "Welcome to Ohio" sign is visible as they pass over a stone bridge that spans a large creek. The entire border between Kentucky and Ohio is the Ohio River, which averages a half-mile across with steel-span bridges at every crossing.
    • Quotes

      Mamaw: I don't care you hate me. I ain't in it for popularity. You gotta take care of business, go to school, get good grades to even have a chance.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Hugh Grant/Tina Fey/Amy Adams/Nigella Lawson/Romesh Ranganathan/Dua Lipa (2020)
    • Soundtracks
      Divertimento No. 10 in F Major, K. 247
      Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Performed by Swedish Chamber Orchestra

      Conducted by Petter Sundkvist

      Courtesy of Naxos

      By arrangement with Source/Q

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Hillbilly Elegy?Powered by Alexa
    • How did he get from Yale to Middletown and back in the time period shown. It's over 700 miles.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 24, 2020 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hillbilly, una elegía rural
    • Filming locations
      • Middletown, Ohio, USA(exterior scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Imagine Entertainment
      • Netflix
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $45,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 56m(116 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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