Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy arrived on Netflix today, and despite the presence of powerhouse actresses Glenn Close and Amy Adams, let’s just say that not everyone’s feeling adaptation of author J.D. Vance’s best-selling book. As Uproxx’s Mike Ryan notes in his review, the movie arrives just a little too close to the presidential election when tensions between red states and blue states are through the roof. In a nutshell, it’s probably not the best time to rollout this story.
Plus, what movie can possibly compete with real life right now? Case in point:
Who needs Hillbilly Elegy when The president of the United States is tweeting and praising Randy Quaid?
— Kimberley Johnson (@AuthorKimberley) November 24, 2020
With Hillbilly Elegy out in the wild, Twitter users are roasting the movie with jokes on what should have been, and they definitely have some thoughts:
Hillbilly Elegy stills look good pic.twitter.com/MHA0o62w2L
— The Trillbillies (@thetrillbillies) November 23, 2020
Ok Ron Howard’s choice for the opening of Hillbilly Elegy was a bit on the nose… pic.twitter.com/Cd0LKBziod
— Big Tater (@isell_Pro_Payne) November 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed_Chris/status/1331236005068718086
HILLBILLY ELEGY in my Netflix queue like pic.twitter.com/MkNXN2dye0
— Sam Herbst (@smhrbst) November 24, 2020
I'm going to tell my kids this was Hillbilly Elegy. https://t.co/q44AOUvCii
— Meghan O’Keefe (@megsokay) November 24, 2020
But it wasn’t all red-hot dunks. One user managed to find something positive to say about the Ron Howard film:
Hillbilly Elegy is being labeled worse movie of the year during a pandemic when people are watching almost anything to be entertained during this crazy event … pic.twitter.com/4XfFw8b5BU
— teatime75 (@teatime75) November 24, 2020
Here’s the official synopsis:
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.
Hillbilly Elegy is now streaming on Netflix.