Hillbilly, una elegía rural

Otra familia problemática, con una abuela rara y una madre drogada. Y todos sufren, lloran o se enfadan. Sin un motivo que haga interesante su historia en una multitud de otras similares. No llegamos a saber la razón de dónde viene, siempre se desvía con «mamá tuvo una vida dura». Que durante los flashbacks uno de los chicos consiga graduarse en la facultad de derecho y poner su vida en orden es un cliché que se supone que es el remate aquí. «No debemos olvidar de dónde venimos, pero nosotros decidimos quiénes seremos»" Muy original. La última media hora con más Glenn Close la salva, pero todo lo anterior es un aburrimiento sin sentido. La destreza de Howard en la dirección se percibe fácilmente en la enérgica apertura y en los últimos minutos, pero por lo demás nada. (27.11.2020)

Parece que nadie se aburre en Kentucky. No soy experto en los estados americanos individuales, pero si me baso en esta imagen, este estado estará entre los más pasados por alto, al menos por los elitistas de la costa este. Una historia fuerte dirigida por el experimentado Ron Howard, basada en eventos reales. Y me ha convencido de dos hechos: Amy Adams y Glenn Close dan shows actores, por lo que en el caso de Glenn Close, podría finalmente convertir su octava nominación al Oscar en una victoria. En cuanto a Amy Adams, en mi opinión, ella y Jessica Chastain son las actrices más subestimadas de su generación. (24.04.2021)

I think this is a perfectly beautiful film and that I've seen very few acting performances this year that would come close to that extra level performed here by Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Both are great, and although the rest of the cast is also good, Hillbilly Elegy is what it is above all thanks to the two of them. Believable, impressive, touching, truthful and with an important message for anyone whose heart they capture. Ron Howard looked on from the director's chair with the certainty of an experienced director who cares about the story he tells, and after some time Hans Zimmer provides another fine soundtrack. (24.11.2020)

In the end this is classic people movie with a heart, but that was a shitload of crap he had to go through (based on a true story). Worth seeing. Amy Adams makes the most of her role as stoned mom and she steals the most memorable scenes of the movie. And Glen Close as gramma (who sets light to drunken gramps) steals all the rest of them. In Hillbilly Elegy, Ron Howard deals tried and tested cards with the confidence of a hard-bitten cardsharp and skillfully recounts this story about a white trash hero. Oscar nominations are in the bag. The soundtrack is also great, once again from the excellently minimalistic Zimmer. (25.11.2020)

I was lured to watch Hillbilly Elegy mainly by the cast and the mixed reviews (Glenn Close being nominated both fo an Oscar and a Golden Raspberry is really weird). My favourites Amy Adams and Glenn Close did not disappoint me and gave very convincing and sober performances, as did Gabriel Basso/Owen Asztalos as Jadee. Story-wise, Ithe film left me with somewhat mixed feelings. On the one hand, it has strong moments (the funeral of the grandfather or the calculator confrontation), but on the other, I felt that the theme of the (real) life of a dysfunctional family experiencing an American nightmare rather than the American dream could have been grasped in a more compelling way. Moreover, at times it was very hard to sympathize with any of the characters. I must, however, commend the excellent music by David Fleming and Hans Zimmer with its distinctive local colour. Better three stars! (15.05.2021)