Hillbilly Elegy is a 2020 American biographical drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Vanessa Taylor, based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by JD Vance.

In 2019, Netflix acquired the distribution rights in January, much of the cast joined in April and filming took place from June through August in Georgia and Ohio.

JD Vance looks back on his childhood in Middletown, Ohio, where he was raised by his mother Beverly "Bev" and her parents from Jackson, Kentucky.

She is later fired for her erratic behavior and for stealing pills during work hours, causing her to have a violent breakdown in front of the entire neighborhood.

Realizing how much Mamaw is struggling to support them both, JD finds a job and begins to excel in school, later joining the United States Marine Corps.

He hopes to secure a summer internship in Washington, D.C., with his girlfriend Usha, but Lindsay calls him with the news that Bev has overdosed on heroin.

Driving home to Middletown, JD struggles to find a rehab facility for his mother, and is offered a last chance for a job interview the following morning.

[6] In March 2018, Ron Howard was spotted at the Buckingham Coal Mine near Corning, Ohio, scouting possible locations in Perry County.

The website's critics consensus reads, "With the form of an awards-season hopeful but the soul of a bland melodrama, Hillbilly Elegy strands some very fine actors in the not-so-deep South.

"[31] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "As long as Close is acting up an award-worthy storm (her performance is actually quite meticulous), Hillbilly Elegy is never less than alive.

"[32] For IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a "C−" and wrote "Hillbilly Elegy hinges on Mamaw's hope that she'll leave her family better off than she found them, and it's clear that Vance's story has fulfilled that wish almost as soon as this movie starts.

"[33] Peter Travers of Good Morning America thought Close's performance was "sensational", but concluded, "With greater emphasis on simplicity instead of Hollywood showboating, Hillbilly Elegy might have been more than a missed opportunity.

"[34] In her positive review, Sandra Hall from The Sydney Morning Herald praised Howard's "high-end brand of commercial movie-making" and opined that he's "to be applauded just for inviting Close, with her wealth of imagination and technique, to give us everything she has.

"[52][53] Following Donald Trump's announcement that JD Vance would be his running mate, viewership of Hillbilly Elegy surged by 1,179% compared to the previous day.