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)
Mike, do you believe that even the performances don't stand a chance? It's that bad? Why are they doing such a strong campaign, they are betting everything on the actresses? Thank you in advance!
@Daniella, exactly! And to keep it supporting category wise, it will be very similar to Melissa Leo/ Allison Janney wins just this decade. Is the kind of role/performance the Academy always loved to reward in supporting and that Close hasn't done in many years.
I think the dramatic music over the trailer adds to the cringe-worthy effect. Otherwise, this doesn't look as awful as some of these comments suggest. That said, I'm hoping the actual film relies more on the actors to dramatize this story rather than leaning on corny music and other tropes
Hans Zimmer is scoring this. Not sure if the trailer music is his/from the actual movie though.
That Terminator dialogue? Sigh. It's not trashy ENOUGH of a choice to clearly be satire, but it's also not classy enough to be actual apologia for those voters. (For the former? Rambo First Blood Part II or Cobra. Something like that. For the latter? Thelma & Louise.) It's a nothing choice kind of implying a nothing movie. CHOOSE ONE!
This looks fucking TERRIBLE and I'm here for it! lol
Am I watching the same trailer as some of you? I think it looks pretty good. It's a movie. All the political crap being thrown around is silly to me. Movies are entertainment. This isn't about a world war or some other atrocity that needs to be handled delicately. It's a f****** memoir, a personal experience about family and community!
Plus, Ron Howard mentioned right off the bat in an interview in January that Glenn Close kills it in this film. He then mentioned Adams doing a great job. Yeah, he's going to support his actors/actresses, but there was a definite level of sincerity and optimism in his tone when he spoke of them. Close was hired onto this project immediately following her loss at the Oscars, so I'm sure Howard is campaigning for Close for a nomination and win (they worked together on The Paper (1993).
With that being said, why do people judge a movie before it's out unless it's blatantly obvious it's going to stink, like Cats? Now THAT trailer was abominable. Hillbilly Elegy does not have a horrible trailer. It's mediocre at its worst. Hans Zimmer wrote the score. So let's not judge the movie yet. I think Close in particular looks like she disappears into this role.
I just wish some people could be less subjective and overly opinionated and give things a chance. F*** the pandemic and all the negativity. We still have to live our lives. If people can't handle a little adversity like COVID-19, then we're doomed as a species down the road. Get a grip!
It lost me at “Ron Howard”... but at this point I know I’m still gonna watch it out a lack of any other available content. Advantage Netflix.
The acting is good almost across the board, and of course both Close and Adams are great, but the writing and directing are so bad they are only given one thing to do. Close is not in the movie much and while she inhabits the character like she always does, there isn't much meat to the character. The writing focuses completely on the wrong aspect, of the outside world that we all live in. It should have kept the focus on the "hillbillies" and let us understand them, and in turn America, more. It feels like a bad 80's or 90's movie.
Absolutely no. Had no desire to see this movie anyways, and this trailer only cemented that. Yikes.
And yeah, this is going to be unfavorably compared to Nomadland, which appears to be more cerebral and nuanced in examining poverty and a forgotten segment of the population. This trailer is just way too hammy. I didn’t buy Adams for one second as a destitute, drug-addicted mother.
Glenn loses herself in the role? How many grandmas do you know that scream at warp level 12? Smells like ham.
Can people stop saying this is Close's Iron Lady ? Meryl's older scenes in the film are tremendous, this looks like capital B acting.
Can't wait to see this! Close and Adams both look fantastic! The kid seems like a dud tho, which is unfortunate.
People do not understand what trailers are supposed to do. Like, they're mostly used to get people interested in the movie. If the trailer looks like shit, you're probably not gonna see the movie!
I told you all that Glenn Close was in the group I dubbed ‘The Inevitables’. You’re welcome. All is forgiven Colman, enjoy your well deserved Oscar.
Congratulations Glenn.
We have some fortune tellers in this comment section I tell ya. The movie isn't even out yet and there are already comments on how bad the directing and acting are out of a 2minutes trailer. Pretty amazing. These people should email me the lottery numbers.
I'm not American, have no idea what Appalachia is and couldn't care less. But I do care that Close looks really good in the trailer and I'm looking forward to see the entire thing.
Micaela -- haha. it's true. Everyone is a profit when a trailer comes out. We'll see. But my prophecy (which might be totally wrong!) is that the movie only gets one nomination: Glenn Close.
This looks hilariously bad. Like an SNL skit. Glenn is giving me Cloris Leachman Beverly Hillbillies realness. And Ron Howard? Ugh.
@NATHANIEL: If Glenn is the only nom, she'll lose again. Being the only nom from The Wife really hurt her as it made it look like he was only nommed because of the overdue campaign. Which may have been true, actually, but it shouldn't have been the only reason. In Hillbilly Elegy's case, the jury's out.
Speaking of prophets and trailers, I have to apologize to Glenn Dunks and Guy Lodge for dunking on them with their disdain of the REBECCA trailer (Me: wait until the film comes out; Them: It looks like shite). According to recent reviews, they were dead right.
So having read the book and now seeing the trailer for this film, it looks like shite, and I'm still a "no". Time will tell.
Grandmas can scream, people. It's insulting to say they don't. There are millions of grandmothers out there, and they're not all the same. I can't believe this has to be pointed out.
"Oscar-bait"-type projects are excused for the likes of Dench/Mirren/Streep/Blanchett/Ronan/Winslet, but the knives are ALWAYS out for Glenn Close... It's really tiresome.
Prediction (I know, I know....): if Trump wins, this movie gets shut out. If Trump loses, it will be more warmly embraced in a reconciliatory gesture by Hollywood and the coastal critical community, as if to say, "we fly over MAGA country on our way to or from New York, but we do love you." There will, of course, be no love to convey if Trump somehow wins.
It's prophet Nathaniel, and I've seen the film not just the trailer. Enjoy this shit show when it comes out!
YES
Adams and Close-two of our finest actresses. They have done awesome subtle work. Sometimes parts require you to go big, and they shouldn't be penalized for that.
I found Amy's line deliveries for "I always try" and "Oh I tried. Plenty." pretty heartbreaking.
The casting of the boy, young and grown, is uncanny.
A new movie we can all watch on Netflix? Thank you, yes!
NO
I too thought of Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain while watching.
MAYBE SO
Ron Howard-not consistent, but all the people saying "he hasn't had a film I've enjoyed in 20 years", you sound so snobby. Rush and Frost/Nixon may not be masterpieces, but they are not unenjoyable.
Will it be condescending or glorifying of rural appalacia? We'll see. I can say the main characters immediately reminded me of people from my rural hometown.
I'll be watching it "opening" weekend. The Marriage Story memes were great last year, and these will be fantastic. I hope they both get nominated and Close wins. The Wife was fantastic.
Close needs this film to be a widely seen BP contender to really be in the supporting actress race. That's what tripped her up for "The Wife."
Gary, I thought the same thing about Meryl in The Iron Lady, and we all see how that turned out unfortunately.
I don't think this looks nearly as bad as so many commenters assume, though with Howard at the helm...But even if it turns out to be trash, I can name quite a few people who've won very recently for films and performances just as bad (or bland or low degree of difficulty). If this is what gets Close her Oscar, then let it be. She's a legend who should have a competitive award.
To the point about Glenn losing herself in the role—
It's funny how when she yells "STEP IN" she enunciates those words like a pissed off, patrician New Englander and any trace of Appalachia leaves her voice. She's Glenn. She's never been a character actress, it's why Damages suited her so well.
@ Troy H.: Streep plays by an entirely different handbook than anyone else. She didn't need to be in a BP nominee to win an Oscar TWICE! Close doesn't have that same luxury.
@Daniella Isaacs-The Wife was shit. It was dull as fuck and how she got nominated is just bullshit.
I thought The Wife was exceptional. Its snubbing hurt, especially as it was a portent of the snub to come.
I don´t understand these coments. 90 % of the actresses who win oscars win for performances like this (but a better looking movie can protect you like with Olivia or Lupita, who also just screamed and cried a lot) but Glenn is the only one who can´t go big? If her movie is oscar bait, she gets mocked,If her movie is too independent or cerebral, she gets mocked. If the performance is nuanced, she gets mocked. If its hammy, she gets mocked.
Amy has been eviscerated here for being too nuanced, bland, for not taking risks, for not going big enough. If you don´t like the, just say ¨I don´t like them ¨. It´s easier and more honest
I feel they are being punished for being oscarless twice. Once by not having the award and another time by seeing everything they do as desperate or mocking them because they donpt have any chance. The movie is probably bad, and so what? The academy has different taste than the internet. I just hope it also has quieter moments and less music.Worst case scenario: nobody gets nominated. It´s not the end of the world.
Oh well. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and only a few should be shared. I'm guessing Close can never do right for some people. This hater culture is getting so tiring.
By the way, grandmas do scream (and swear!). You should've met mine. She got arrested for doing just that. Twice.
Excited to see the trailer as I like both Amy Adams and Glenn Close. I didn't see major issue with it. The music is alright if a bit anodyne -- I've heard that riff used in a lot of trailers for tv and films. Yes, the montage utilised big emotional scenes punctuated by an inclusion of a Terminator reference to illustrate the 'bad', 'good', and 'neutral' Terminators in our world. Except for a few years in my graduate studies where I lived close to the Appalachian region, I don't think I know anything about the people's lifeworlds so I can't comment whether Close and Adams were playing idiomatic characters of that region.
I have seen sub-par films from Close and Adams and if Hillbilly Elegy is one of them I will still be there for it. For Adams and Close.
Oh, brother...
Even just from this trailer, Inevitable Member Glenn Close can parlay it into portraying Norma Desmond on the big screen. When productions are back full force somebody will be hungry for a passion project with such obvious awards potential. One of the best losers of Best Picture is back to claim the prize, c'mon.
Especially with this year, this is more The Fighter than Georgia Rule for Close and we can all be excited about that.
Just from the reactions, it seems like they have already bungled the marketing for this film. Maybe Mike is right and it's not very good. And this talk about Glenn should win no matter what ... I hope there is more to recognizing an actual great performance rather than that kind of lazy thinking (just give it to her ... wtf).
Ah, yes. Now I remember why I stopped reading the comments on this site. Some of you are really just awful.
@ William G Jr Carey – I agree. So much negativity and pessimism. It's disappointing and sad.
I know no one will read this, but I just came across an interview. If the author of the book says it about his own grandmother, hell, there must be something to Close's performance:
"Whatever doubt Vance may have had seemed to vanish once he saw the cast in action, particularly Close’s transformation into his Mamaw. Howard said when the family came to visit the set they were blown away, particularly Vance. “Glenn has done everything in her power to create a character based on home movies and photos and conversations and what not, but she didn’t have a chance to meet Mamaw, and I looked over and they were stunned, and I didn’t know quite what to make of it, and then I realized oh, they’re crying, and JD said, ‘I will call every member of the Academy and just tell them, if it means anything, that she has somehow captured the absolute essence of my grandmother and I can’t believe it’. I think they all have sort of mixed emotions about their lives first, you know, being sort of scrutinized through a book and now a movie, but they also all share this tremendous appreciation that this woman who they adore, who otherwise just would’ve sort of drifted off into obscurity, but was so remarkable in their lives, is present on screen.”
Mike ---ooh, that's a great anecdote. I'm sure the awards publicisits will do their best to use it!