Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy is one of those films. It’s rich material from an acting standpoint, as stars Amy Adams and Glenn Close play wild and flawed Appalachian women who try to please their families and both sink their teeth into the meaty roles. Unfortunately, this is where the real substance ends. It has no real story to tell based on a memoir but hopes to distract you from that fact with its nonlinear construction and elevated circumstances. Aside from its best accomplishments, it’s just another red story about basic family drama and accepting one’s roots and cannot have any real emotional impact.
