Underrated film


I had zero knowledge of J.D. Vance and hadn't read the book the film was based on, but I checked this out because Ron Howard is usually a proficient director of solidly entertaining flicks that graze over history and culture.

I got what I asked for - a satisfying family drama. However, judging by the reviews, it seems like the release date of the film couldn't have been more poorly timed.

--------------------------------------------
You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

reply

I agree. I thought it was pretty good, much better than the reviews made it out to be.

reply

Yes, I think releasing this film just after Trump lost his re-election bid contributed to a lot of the harsh criticism it received.

--------------------------------------------
You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

reply

Please explain that because I don’t understand why.

reply

In the run-up to Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, J.D. Vance published 'Hillbilly Elegy', a book exploring the Appalachian values of his Kentucky-based family. As the subtitle indicates - “A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” - Vance had set out to describe the roots and consequences of a breakdown. At a time when many observers were puzzling over why downtrodden working-class whites would have embraced a candidate whose conduct and origins seemed so alien to their professed values, it provided some easy answers.

The book became a sensation and that sensation in turn generated a deep, slow-burning backlash. There was no way Ron Howard’s project wasn’t going to be greeted with fusillades of rhetorical buckshot from one side or the other, particularly while everyone's emotions were still churning after Trump's loss to Biden during a catastrophic year for Americans.

--------------------------------------------
You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

reply

Thank you for shedding some light on this issue for me. I’ll have to do some reading on the subject now.

reply

No problem! As a non-American, I’m fascinated by how pop culture and politics are so heavily intertwined over there at the moment.

--------------------------------------------
You can read all of my latest film reviews here: https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/about/Jake

reply

Dude you can write...well done, well stated. Wow.

reply

Not a great film but not a disaster the critics made it out to be. This was clearly politics. I'm not a democratic or republican. I just call it like I see it.

reply

Same here. I had no idea who JD Vance is or the book, but checked it out because of Amy Adams. It was a well acted film and a good family drama. I thought it was a bit anti-climatic, but overall really good performances and a quality movie. Not sure why it gets so much hate.

reply