Yes No Maybe So: Hillbilly Elegy
Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 8:30AM Can the movie world please slow down? After months of nothing much happening, everything is happening at once. Three more festivals start today and the trailers keep hitting. It's as if we're in a typical year's mid October even though Oscar nomination battles are not two months away (as they'd usually be) but four months away. Early buzz on Hillbilly Elegy has been a bit hard to read. Is it going to be bad? Is it going to be good? Is it going to be so bad it's good camp classic. Is it going to wow and compete for all the Oscars or none after face-planting?
Glenn Close and Amy Adams Arguing About Who is Going to Win the Oscar First: The Movie (2020) pic.twitter.com/VDZgSVjQze
— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) October 15, 2020
We'd argue that the trailer does not answer these questions although there is a lot of capital A acting (which is always hard to judge out of context though lord knows everyone does when they see trailers) So we invite you to contribute your own Yes No and Maybe So in the comments as we're at a loss.
P.S. We've adjusted the Best Actress (Amy) and Best Supporting Actress (Glenn) charts to reflect the confirmed campaigns.
Reader Comments (93)
YES.
Give Amy and Glenn their Oscars.
I will still watch it even if it is bad.
The son casting is really good though on the resemblance.
This is what happens when a thousand people wish for Close to win an Oscar on a thousand monkey paws.
I think Glenn Close is going to win her Oscar for this movie regardless of quality.
They could both win, but I am smelling the film is going to be a mess...
Oh, I'm so into this, even if I haven't loved a Ron Howard film since PARENTHOOD.
I am a YES with some reservation and I am really outraged at all the people attacking it with such vitriol and pleasure. I don't know why Glenn and Amy are ALWAYS the targets of the bullying of Snooty Gay Film Twitter. I already got a message about someone who said "he cannot wait to see Glenn lose to Amanda Seyfried).
If they are subtle "it's not Oscary enough", if they go for it "it's obvious Oscar baiting". In principle, everybody admits they deserve an Oscar "somewhere in the air", but once they have the chance and the opportunity, they shit on it and make fun of it. What was SO bad about Albert Nobbs? The Master may not have been Amy's best, but certainly not a performance to be ashamed of. And as for Glenn, last time the slogan was "it's about THE PERFORMANCE". Who are you to decide what's the BEST ACTING objectively? As Nathaniel also recognized that year, Glenn gave a masterclass in The Wife, but OK, not everyone has to agree. But to state someone's superiority over the other? ARROGANCE.
I see an arrogance and elitism in Gay Film Twitter, acting as if they invented the wheel when it comes to movie criticsm and act like the gatekeepers of "high cinema". Now I am not a huge fan of Bohemian Rhapsody. The hard reality is, it captured about 90% of the people that saw it, it won 4 Oscars, people were passionate about it. Same goes for Joker, another movie, I am not fond of - but people went crazy for it. Or Jojo Rabbit, which I loved, was well-loved by the industry and the audiences. I am sure Hillbilly Elegy will do very well (closer to the reception of Jojo), with families getting together for a nice movie on Thanksgiving, they will appreciate the great actresses and will root for them to win FINALLY. And I think Glenn actually will. And the thing is, just look at the approval rating of the trailer on youtube: 5800 likes, 219 dislikes, with multiple comments wishing the best for Glenn and Amy or kindly mocking their ridiculous overdue status. The movie will do very well, with multiple nominations across the board. And I feel that more seasoned critics like Janet Maslin (who's an early champion of this movie) will be kinder to it. I predict a 50-60ish metacritit score. Good enough.
But some are already writing their thinkpieces about a "problematic film" that seems to be 200% apolitical, 90s nostalgia with some great actresses chewing the scenery. Not to mention that this movie made a point of hiring women 50% in the crew? We get another female DP etc, just look at it. I bet nobody counted the percentage of women in Regina King's (whom I adore) new feautre after "her pledge" at the Globes...
And just food for thought and sorry to bring an actresses (I apologize in advance, Nathaniel) into this that I adore: has anyone mocked Michelle Pfeiffer's MULTIPLE failed Oscar bait projects? Did anyone bat an eye when Laura Dern won for basically four Oscar clips? Why is it always Glenn and Amy that have to be mocked...
And this concludes my "LEAVE GLENN ALONE" speech. Thank you for not listening to my rant. And sorry to Michelle, Regina and Laura - I adore all of you.
The feeling I get when it so deliberately says Academy Award **NOMINEE** before each of their names is so 2020.
Absolutely not - and not because Ms. Close's overacting in the trailer is brutally unappealing (I liked Sean Burns' line that he may have to take oxy just to sit through this).
I don't know that Oscar voters will care, but there's nothing that's united Appalachia in the last few years like their seething hatred for the book this is based on. A Peter Thiel hedgefund guy who's desperate to become a "personal responsibility" Republican politician in Ohio writes a scathing and demeaning memoir that Appalachians are to blame for their problems (and as many people point out, Vance isn't even from Appalachia, which makes it worse in the eyes of many), makes a lot of money off their suffering, Netlfix then adapts this condescending claptrap, and Oscars campaigns are on the horizon. For insulting stereotypes of millions of Americans, and a depressingly childish take on the addiction problems gripping the country. Gross.
Again, I don't know that Oscar voters will care that the people being represented in this movie feel personally attacked and demeaned by this Oscar play. But boy oh boy do many, many people in in Oh, WV, PA, NC etc. feel that way. At least a whole set of region-promoting works have come out of this nightmare (books like Appalachian Reckoning). But if Close or Adams gets Hollywood's biggest prize for leaning into gross stereotypes - I've liked them both for a very long time, but the idea of anything connected to this winning awards is repulsive.
Ah, I did wonder if they'd campaign in different categories when I saw the trailer... Looks like so!
The culmination of all our nightmares. Looks absolutely horrendous therefore is totally going to win.
Truly WTF is that "Terminator" dialogue. I know that it's in-character and not necessarily meant to hold up as an actual philosophy, but also - what?
The title alone is anathema to me.
The Heartland International Film Festival is up. If you're not watching the right movies via zoom you're an idiot and probably a Republican. Save the Oscars! Cheers!
ScottC, how fascinating. I didn't know how this played in Appalachia but for someone reading it in rural California, it felt like a political campaign parading as an "honest" summation of everything wrong with America. It certainly didn't feel academic or really even well thought out. I don't remember much more than that. Looking at my notes I gave it three stars out of five. Perhaps I was too generous?
Dinasztie, what exactly are Michelle Pfeiffer's multiple failed Oscar bait projects?
In my opinion, the reason her last nomination was more than 25 years ago is because she never chooses the types of films, roles, directors, screenwriters, or producers who make Oscar bait projects. She never works with anyone recently won or nominated.
The closest she got to Oscar worthy collaborators was mother!, and that wasn't Oscar bait either because she told the Los Angeles Times round table that she, her costars, and Darren Aronofsky all knew before filming that mother! was an in-you-face film and would be loved or hated.
Dinasztie, what exactly are Michelle Pfeiffer's multiple failed Oscar bait projects?
In my opinion, the reason her last nomination was more than 25 years ago is because she never chooses the types of films, roles, directors, screenwriters, or producers who make Oscar bait projects. She never works with anyone recently won or nominated.
The closest she got to Oscar worthy collaborators was mother!, and that wasn't Oscar bait either because she told the Los Angeles Times round table that she, her costars, and Darren Aronofsky all knew before filming that mother! was an in-you-face film and would be loved or hated.
The whole idea of writing an "elegy" to an entire region of the country is unappealing to me and always seemed exploitative, like a way of appealing to folks from the coasts by marketing Middle America as a tragedy.
This trailer is TOO MUCH. Glenn Close looks ridiculous, though there may be a warm-hearted performance under that wig and makeup. Whoever cast Amy Adams as a drugged out Appalachian mother clearly has never met one. Adams proved she can do Southern in Junebug, but this looks like one-- nay, a few-- steps too far.
I feel secure in the nomination and believe she's competitive for the win. But there are Close deniers at every voter bloc on the way to Oscar.
Ugh. Well, this kind of performance got Renée Zellweger her first Oscar. I'd hate to see Close finally win for such a scenery chewing performance. (WTF. Go for it. I want her to have an Oscar, damnit.) I tend to not judge a movie by it's trailer, but this looks really embarrassing. For the record, Adam's performance looks more nuanced.
How many great performers have won Oscars for work that's among their worst performances? Well, there's Pacino... Sorvino....
Already made my opinions on this one known in response to a previous blog post.
Nope, nada, no way.
There's been criticism of Hillbilly Elegy that it's stereotypical and unflattering of this region of the country. There's also criticism of Hillbilly Elegy that it's overly sympathetic to this region of the country.
Both of these seem unbelievably silly to me—it's a memoir. Does everyone know how to tell the story of J.D. Vance's life better than he does? If you have something to say, write your own damn book about your own damn life.
If this were fiction or history I guess you could give it the Three Billboards/Green Book punishment but, it's not.
Glenn and Amy are wonderful actors who should surely have an Oscar by now. But come on, this trailer makes the movie look SO BAD. The framing and the acting appear ham-fisted and awkward, and it certainly doesn't ring of authenticity in the moments we see. And Ron Howard is not a director known for subtlety or style. Maybe the actual movie itself works in full context, but if we're just talking about the trailer: yikes, it looks, as Nathaniel notes, like a potential face-plant.
Considering the dross that passes as Oscar-winning calibre turns these days (I am looking at you Rami Malek, Allison Janney, Jared Leto, Laura Dern, Jennifer Lawrence, Alicia Vikander), I am MORE than OK with Glenn winning this year for this glorious slice of ham.
The trailer made this feel like the Walk On of Oscarbait poverty porn/overdue Oscar projects. I'm a YES for the laughs alone (at the movie, the memes, and the comments).
If this will make Glenn Close win, I'll accept it regardless of the film's merits. As for Adams, my god, I hope the Academy won't just nominate her and have her lose in the end. It's an embarrassment. Academy should nominate her if she have serious chances to win!
My gut feeling after watching tells me that this movie would not be well-received with lesser actors in the parts. Hard to know for sure, but given Ron Howard's record in the past 15 years or so, I'm not sure this looks like any kind of comeback with the Academy for him. That doesn't mean Glenn and/or Amy can't win anyway. It's such a fucked up year, who knows what could happen anyway. I will also say that a) Some may consider what Glenn is doing here overacting, but I doubt Academy members for the most part would. This will be much more in their wheelhouse than The Wife. Go big or go home with them, mainly. b) The Academy won't care if this offends Appalachia. Hell, I don't. c) Stronger performances in other films will definitely beat both players in question with the right amount of publicity. The Academy just doesn't see them as winners.
Everyone stop. It is horrible. When this comes out with a thud you will all be embarrassed we even gave it this much attention. It is a terrible film.
This looks like a parody, a satire of an awards bait movie.
I'll watch it strictly for its place in the nomination guessing game, but when a trailer is already this ripe for parody, it doesn't leave me hopeful. If it turns out to be merely mediocre, I won't be mad at any nominations. But for Glenn's sake, I really hope it isn't straight-up ham. Nathaniel, I think you have it right on in the index re: Nomadland and comparison possiblities with themes, etc.
I'm getting Renee Zellweger COLD MOUNTAIN vibes from Close - and that's not a compliment.
I agree this does not look good, especially with Ron Howard as the director (he has made so many forgettable and cloying films). It makes me think of Boyhood, Forrest Gump, Mama's Family and Breaking Bad all thrown into a blender. And this is just my advice, but maybe Amy Adams needs a new agent? She seems to be playing the same damaged characters now over and over again.
Did no one think to put Still before Academy Award Nominee.
I don't think Pfeiffer has too many Oscar bait projects bar The Age of Innocence A Thousand Acres and at a stretch White Oleander.
If it wasn't for the presence of Amy Adams and Glenn Close, this trailer makes the movie look like any of the Christian-themed movies that perform decently at the box office but are indistinguishable from each other with titles like "I Can Only Imagine" or "I Still Believe." If it was in theaters I would probably be a "No" but since it's on Netflix I'll check it out.
@dinasztie When I see people saying, roughly, what you accuse them of saying (though you're obviously exaggerating), it doesn't seem clear to me that they're all or even majority gay, so what's with the homophobia? I think you need to work something out with your therapist.
YES! Glenn Close for the muthafuckin' winnn!!! But please dress up in a fancy gown on your Zoom call. :-/ (And wear gold again, just to rub it Academy voters' useless faces.)
Yes:
Source material is brilliant.
No:
Ron Howard has not made a movie I liked since "Ransom" over 20 years ago.
Maybe:
Amy Adams and Glenn Close are two of the greatest living actresses. Close in particular has been robbed on more than one occasion. But the trailer doesn't do either actress any favors.
I don't think the trailer looks that bad. But, clearly, it will be the film that everyone hates on this year. That could embolden Oscar voters (ala Greenbook) or shame them into ignoring it. I suspect the later will happen, because voters easily dismiss stories that are marketed as having women in important roles (even if it's about the boy).
Honestly, I think Glenn and Amy look solid here. It's hard to know - it's a trailer. But, if the bigger moments here are fleshed out with smaller moments that help to define the characters, it could be interesting.
However, I think the biggest problem with this film will be the politics. All the "anti-Hillbilly Elegy/JD Vance" sentiment that was around the book - but never truly made it into the mainstream about it - will come out now and could lead to a political backlash. I also just don't think Ron Howard is in the Academy's taste anymore. He's a great director, but his films don't have the moral complexity that is in vogue with the academy now.
Joe G - Yeah, I've seen a number of people make the Green Book comparison, but Green Book resonated with the Academy because it was a film that reinforced the way a lot of elderly white liberals would like to view the world and their youths. I really do not think this will appeal to the same types of people because of the problematic politics.
I am YES for every project that could make Glenn an Oscar winner at last, even if this is going to be The Iron Lady level. I get the controversy surrounding the film but I am also old enough to remember when Academy loved Ron Howard’s films
Mike : did you see a rough cut? When?
No I saw the film. It will not be part of anyone’s conversation.
I will watch it because I love them but WHAT THE F*CK THIS LOOKS AWFUL!!!!!!!!!
It's interesting that 'Oscar Bait' is a pejorative. It seems as though that term is placed on films that are character based, emotionally complex dramas, which I crave. For some reason, film twitter and 'critics' have become jaded. I think most people & Academy members (myself included) tune out film twitter for this reason.
YES!!!
Live for all the actressing and deglam. And the accents and voices are great!
Give Glenn her overdue win. After losing for The Wife for not 'doing more' she won't lose again for 'doing too much'.
Also, this will be a real hit with regular viewers as view numbers of the trailer on the different media already show compared to others. You can read Hillbilly Elegy the book as a political statement but Hillbilly Elegy the movie will be a family movie focusing a lot on the mother/daughter dynamic. Getting strong Terms of Endearment vibes actually.
I want to say Maybe but it looks painful.
The most 2020 thing ever would be Amy Adams and Glenn Close winning mother-daughter, lead-supporting Oscars for a Netflix film at a virtual stay-at-home telecast.
So I guess I'm here for it. 😅
You can tell this movie will succeed not because of the script or direction, but their acting.
This looks bad. I love Amy Adams but man, this looks like shit. It's so Oscar-baity bullshit. Of course, Opie directed this and I'm sure it doesn't feature Clint Howard.
You know a Ron Howard movie is going to suck (unless it's Rush) if it doesn't feature Clint Howard.
Glenn Close needs to stop. This is pathetic. Stop with these performances that are trying to get Oscar's attention and accept defeat where she'll get a honorary Oscar.
The thing is, thevoid99, THE WIFE wasn't really an Oscar Bait film. No accent, not based on a real person, no disability. It was a subtle character drama. That's the kind of performance that should win. As someone suggested, this is gonna be her IRON LADY, and as with that film, it could win the gold.
I love Glenn and Amy, so i’m gonna watch this.
And i really want to see them winning competitive Oscars, because they are great actresses.