Hillbilly, una elegía rural

Like other reviewers here, I'm puzzled as to why this film received such poor or lukewarm reception in the press. Glenn Close is superb as Mamaw. Those who think she is somehow an exaggerated caricature clearly don't have much first-hand knowledge of this segment of our population. I never knew Mamaw but I certainly knew plenty of people like her, and Close's portrayal is spot-on. Don't be put off by the bad reviews. This is a powerful and moving film.

Well I had a great review written but it was erased when I switched to another site to fact check some other movies. What I wanted to say was this is a hard movie to watch. It's hard bc it's honest. We all have our struggles and this is another depiction of an honest struggle families have. In America we like to place labels. In this case the labels are hillbilly, red neck, or white trash. It's all true, but it doesn't mean that's bad. It means it's honest. It makes me think of other honest movies about American families like Crooklyn, Ordinary People or Kramer vs Kramer. In this year of 2020 the word struggle comes up time and again, but let's not forget another truly American symbolic word .... perseverance. Watch this movie and know that if you're down and feel like the world is against you just keep fighting and persevere. I hope this movie can inspire that feeling. It did for me.

Don't know why there are such low scores and reviews, it was a very engaging movie, and the acting all round was top notch.

This is not an Everyman movie. It is not meant to be entertaining but it is educational, revealing and truthful about what it's like to deal with poverty, addiction and abusive family dynamics. Not everyone can relate because at times, it is uncomfortable to watch. Putting judgment and raw emotions aside, in the end, it is about hope, tough love, determination, resourcefulness and survival.

So glad I ignored the reviews saying it was a "bad" movie because the movie itself is not bad. It's very well-done. I think it's just the cringe-worthy character defects that cause many reviewers pan it because maybe they were not expecting such a giant dose of reality showing up - a reality they want no part of and don't want to understand because it scares them.

It shows the ugly side of the human condition and it highlights moments when we have an opportunity to make decisions that can be life-altering. It's a story about connections, and about learning when and how to either strengthen them or release them in order to keep moving forward in life.

NOTE: This should be required viewing in all addiction recovery programs.

Trying to figure out why the critics' score is so different from the user score and all I can think is because the former is detached from the reality of rural white poverty. Living and teaching in an area similar to where J.D. comes from, I see his struggle of trying to escape poverty through education and the impact of drug abuse on communities on a regular basis. It's easy to dismiss this as "Oscar bait" and it definitely is...but it's also a movie, though really difficult to watch at points, that tells the uncomfortable reality for far too many.