Summary

  • Hillbilly Elegy rises to the Netflix Top 10 for the week of July 15 to July 21.
  • The film was extremely controversial when it was first released.
  • The original book's author, J.D. Vance, was recently selected as Donald Trump's running mate for the 2024 election.

The 2020 movie directed by Ron Howard and features a leading cast including Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Frida Pinto, and Bo Hopkins.

Owen Asztalos as young J. D. Vance and Amy Adams as Beverly Vance in Hillbilly Elegy.
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Four years after its release, Hillbilly Elegy has made it to the Netflix Global Top 10. Hillbilly Elegy came in at no. 8 on the chart for the week of July 15 to July 21, with 4.8 million views. Topping the chart this week were Find Me Falling at no. 1 (14.4 million views), Trolls Band Together at no. 2 (10.3 million views), and Land of Bad at no. 3 (8.7 million views).

J.D. Vance Was Announced As Trump's VP Pick

The rise of Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix is concurrent with a milestone for the book's author and subject, J.D. Vance. On July 15, presidential candidate Donald Trump announced Vance as his VP running mate for the 2024 election. This news story naturally led to an increasing interest in Vance and his life, which is partially chronicled by the film. The increase in streaming numbers was first reported in the week following Vance's VP selection and has continued to be shown through the film's Netflix charting.

Hillbilly Elegy saw a 1,180% surge in viewership the day after J.D. Vance's VP selection.

Because of Vance's active relevancy to United States politics, it makes sense, then, why the film was not only popular globally, but even more so on the domestic charts. For Netflix's US Top 10, Hillbilly Elegy came in at no. 4, behind only Trolls Band Together, Find Me Falling, and Land of Bad. As the election nears, it will be interesting to see whether the film's Netflix domination continues on the platform in the coming weeks.

Hillbilly Elegy's Reviews Limited Its Initial Success

This Is The First Time The Film Has Made The Top 10

Lindsay crying in Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy's Netflix Top 10 victory marks the first time that the title has ever made it onto the chart. This statistic is likely because Hillbilly Elegy received poor reviews at the time of its release. At the time of writing, the film holds a 25% on Rotten Tomatoes with 260 reviews. A lot of the criticism came from dislike of Hillbilly Elegy's lead performances, accusing the otherwise revered actors of over-acting and presenting caricatured versions of the people that they represent. The Atlantic called it "one of the worst movies of the year," while Mashable said that the movie "conveyed nothing."

Even with the negative reviews, however, there has always been a disconnect between critical and audience opinions of Hillbilly Elegy. While the film had a rotten Tomatometer, the audience approval score for the movie was an 81%, indicating a fairly positive reception from viewers. The first time around, this was not enough to propel Hillbilly Elegy to the top 10, but with a second shot, the film has come around to be successful among audiences.

As more people watch Hillbilly Elegy, it will be interesting to see whether the audience score for Hillbilly Elegy fluctuates. As millions more views are racked up for the movie, it is more likely that fans will voice their opinions on Rotten Tomatoes. While some of this will likely be praise from those who watch the film to get excited about Trump's running mate, those who do not Trump and Vance might lean into the film's criticism, reflecting their distaste for Vance himself.

Why Hillbilly Elegy Was So Controversial

Some Criticized The Book & Film's Portrayal Of Appalachia

Amy Adams as Beverly Vance looking thoughtfully out a car window in Hillbilly Elegy (2020) 

One major factor in Hillbilly Elegy's reviews was the vehement debates the film caused. As is the case with the memoir on which it was based, Hillbilly Elegy was highly controversial upon its release. While some liked the film, others found its portrayal of those in the Rust Belt to be oversimplified and at times offensive. People felt that the people in the Hillbilly Elegy movie were similarly distilled to hapless and lazy people rather than those undergoing the hardships of systemic economic barriers that prevent their growth.

Because of the growing discourse about Vance himself, the rhetoric about Hillbilly Elegy is likely to be even more vitriolic over the coming weeks. While the VP candidate is now a senator as well, so he has a growing political history, Vance has the rare quality of having the bulk of his story already portrayed in the media. As a result, Hillbilly Elegy, even if problematic, will be a film to turn to for all sides of the political spectrum to learn more about the United States' potential future Vice President.

Source: Netflix

Hillbilly Elegy

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Hillbilly Elegy
R
Drama
3/10
1.0/10
Release Date
November 24, 2020
Runtime
116 minutes
Director
Ron Howard

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Bo Hopkins
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Freida Pinto

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Directed by Ron Howard for release on Netflix, Hillbilly Elegy is a Drama film released in 2020 and stars Amy Adams and Glenn Close. The plot is based on author J.D. Vance's memoir of the same name and follows a family as they attempt to deal with their mother's unstable lifestyle.

Writers
Vanessa Taylor, J.D. Vance
Studio(s)
Netflix
Distributor(s)
Netflix
Budget
$45million