An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 wins & 33 nominations total
Jono Mitchell
- Kevin
- (as Jonothon Mitchell)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
I enjoyed the movie very much. As a Black American, I know the struggles of my culture, so to see the trials and tribulations of another culture is eye opening.
Ron Howard is an A-list Director and doesn't produce anything that is subpar. The critic reviews and low ratings for this movie are puzzling. Yet I'm seen high ratings for movies to me that weren't so great.
The movie is good, don't believe the critics.
Ron Howard is an A-list Director and doesn't produce anything that is subpar. The critic reviews and low ratings for this movie are puzzling. Yet I'm seen high ratings for movies to me that weren't so great.
The movie is good, don't believe the critics.
Did you know
- TriviaThe huge glasses Glenn Close wears in the movie are "Mamaw's" actual frames. The family loaned them to Close during production.
- GoofsAt the beginning, Bev takes her family back to Ohio from Jackson, Kentucky. A "Welcome to Ohio" sign is visible as they pass over a stone bridge that spans a large creek. The entire border between Kentucky and Ohio is the Ohio River, which averages a half-mile across with steel-span bridges at every crossing.
- SoundtracksDivertimento No. 10 in F Major, K. 247
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Conducted by Petter Sundkvist
Courtesy of Naxos
By arrangement with Source/Q
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Hillbilly, una elegía rural
- Filming locations
- Middletown, Ohio, USA(exterior scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $45,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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