Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, violence, drugs in uneven bestseller adaptation.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Hillbilly Elegy
What's the Story?
HILLBILLY ELEGY tells the story of JD Vance, a Yale Law School student from a poor White family that, two generations earlier, migrated from rural Kentucky to a factory town in Ohio in search of a brighter future. Now it's 2011, and JD (Gabriel Basso) can barely afford tuition at Yale. He doesn't quite fit in to the school's elite setting, but he's getting by with multiple part-time jobs, supportive girlfriend Usha (Freida Pinto), and the possibility of a prestigious summer internship at a D.C. law firm. But when his mother overdoses on heroin, JD has to return home, dredging up all the memories of his turbulent teen years. In 1997, his single mother, Bev (Amy Adams), rotated through a series of boyfriends and jobs and became dependent on drugs. His Mamaw (Glenn Close), herself once a teen mother abused by a husband with an alcohol dependency, largely enables her daughter's problems, but she does step in to help set JD straight. It's the first sign of a life beyond his family's seemingly inherited hardships.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of Vance's bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, will appreciate how the film adaptation has brought some scenes and relationships from memorable page to screen. The verdant hill country of an impoverished Kentucky region; a fancy Yale dinner with a confusing array of cutlery; the vicious cycles of poverty, addiction, and abuse that are so difficult to break out of. As the end credits confirm with photos of Vance's actual family, the filmmakers also did a remarkable job styling the actors to look like the real people they're portraying. Close is nearly unrecognizable as Mamaw and fully embodies the character.
But none of this will matter much to newcomers to Vance's tale, and the movie doesn't construct as compelling a life story as the source material did. Rather than telling Vance's tale chronologically, the script aims to draw parallels between turning points and key events in two key moments of his life, intermittently using a voice-over for clarity. The parallels aren't subtle, and chunks of Vance's life between high school and law school are basically skipped over. And a tunnel metaphor that's used whenever characters enter or leave their decaying Ohio town feels a bit obvious. The film's final scenes carry implicit messages about success that may or may not resonate with viewers' own experiences.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which elements were the most important in helping JD get out of Middletown and start a successful career. In Hillbilly Elegy, JD points to two times he "needed to be rescued." Which were they, according to the film?
Mamaw says family is "the only thing that means a goddamn." Where is that value seen in the movie? Does your family believe something similar, and how do family members show that?
What did you think of the scene at the recruiting dinner at Yale? How was JD treated? Why did he feel that he didn't belong?
Have you read the book that this movie is based on? If so, how does the movie compare? If you haven't, do you want to read it now?
What stereotypes does the movie include? Why are stereotypes about where a person comes from harmful?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 11, 2020
- On DVD or streaming : November 24, 2020
- Cast : Gabriel Basso , Amy Adams , Glenn Close
- Director : Ron Howard
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters
- Character Strengths : Perseverance
- Run time : 116 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, drug content and some violence
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate