Summary
- Changes in the film adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy aimed at cinematic structure did not save it from negative reviews.
- The film, though mostly true to the characters in J.D. Vance's memoir, featured embellished plot points for dramatic effect.
- Variations between the real story and the film, especially in J.D.'s timeline and his family's struggles, are notable but highlight the conflict in the source material.
Part of every writer's job when adapting stories to the big screen is to make changes that would make for a better movie, and Ron Howard's 2020 adaptation of J.D. Vance's memoir changes certainly failed to rescue Hillbilly Elegy from dismal reviews, it's worth examining what's real and what isn't.
Hillbilly Elegy jumps back and forth between two timelines — J.D. as an adult and as a child in Middletown, Ohio. J.D.'s mother, Beverly, struggles with substance abuse, poverty, and a revolving door of boyfriends/husbands during the future politician's childhood. Her two children — Lindsay and J.D. — then spend much of their adult life in the film reckoning with their mother's relapse, as flashbacks show Beverly's persistent drug addiction. Each of the Hillbilly Elegy's characters remains true to their nature in most respects, but certain elements and plot points differ between the real story and the film.
J.D. Vance Grew Up In Ohio & He Dreamed Of Escaping A Cycle Of Poverty
Vance Is Now An Ohio Senator
As the primary subject and narrator, it's natural that most of Hillbilly Elegy's changes principally affect J.D. Yes, he grew up in Middletown, OH, after his Mamaw and Papaw moved there from Kentucky seeking a better life for their family. J.D. also encountered various instances of elitist prejudice at Yale, including the silverware confusion and dismissive comments about state schools represented in the film. His girlfriend, Usha, is very much real, having clerked for then-Judge Kavanaugh — yes, the same Kavanaugh of SCOTUS confirmation meltdown fame — and helping J.D. acclimate to the upper-class dogma.
Most of the differences come during Hillbilly Elegy's present timeline. While Vance writes about his mother's many relapses in his memoir, nowhere is there mention of him returning home hours ahead of a final interview to put Beverly in a rehab facility. The four credit cards he uses to front the cost of Beverly's stay is also not a true part of the story.
Hillbilly Elegy Cast |
Role |
|---|---|
Amy Adams |
Beverly Vance |
Glenn Close |
Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance |
Gabriel Basso |
J.D. Vance |
Haley Bennett |
Lindsay Vance |
Freida Pinto |
Usha |
Bo Hopkins |
Papaw Vance |
Tierney Smith |
Young Beverly |
Sunny Mabrey |
Young Bonnie |
Owen Asztalos |
Young J.D. |
The conflict between J.D.'s fear of his tumultuous past and Usha's offers of help is also played up to increase dramatic tension. These elements serve to position Vance's character between Mamaw's insistence that family is "the only thing worth a goddamn" and his dreams of escaping the cycle of poverty. Although Hillbilly Elegy drew heavy criticism for its "pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" ethos, the 2020 movie's dramatization helps to clarify this conflict suggested by the source material.
Beverly Vance Struggled With Substance Abuse
Beverly Is Now 10 Years Sober
A character seemingly drowning in the suffering of her own design, it bears questioning the reality of Beverly's portrayal in the controversial movie Hillbilly Elegy. However, the film gets more right than one might think while watching what has been described as "poverty porn." J.D. saw his mother get arrested multiple times in his youth. The movie selects one of those instances to dramatize in a sequence where J.D. runs into a nearby house seeking shelter from a violent Beverly (although Vance's snap-acquittal of his mother is of questionable veracity).
While J.D. Vance's mother Beverly certainly struggled with addiction, Adams' performance implies a deeper mental illness not stated in the text.
Beverly did take a roller-skating trip through the hospital where she worked as a nurse, resulting in her firing. Her slew of boyfriends and marriage to her boss at the dialysis center are accurate. Additionally, J.D.'s subsequent delinquency is fairly faithful to the true story.
Where the film wanders astray from the true story comes mostly in the form of drug problems. While J.D. Vance's mother Beverly certainly struggled with addiction, Adams' performance implies a deeper mental illness not stated in the text. Her turn-on-a-dime mood swings, which Vance attributes to the drugs, suggest a character who was unwell far before falling prey to heroin. This decision reinforces the spirit of the character in Hillbilly Elegy, but it doesn't necessarily ring true to the author's work.
Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance Stepped In To Raise J.D.& Lindsay
Mamaw Died In 2005
Eight-time Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close disappears into the sharp-tongued, chain-smoking matriarch that is Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance in Hillbilly Elegy. Mamaw's cheeky vitriol and hardline determination to set Vance on the right path draw directly from the true story. Mamaw indeed filled the maternal void for J.D. during part of his youth while his mother battled her addiction. In fact, it was Beverly asking J.D. for clean urine that prompted her to take the boy under her roof and set him straight. She did notoriously scare off his ne'er-do-well friends with her trademark hostility.
While J.D. can't reasonably be expected to know the details of her past, the flashbacks of Mamaw's youth and marriage are taken directly from the book. She did set her drunk husband on fire, as promised if he continued coming home in such a state, and their daughters prevented him from suffering any Freddy Krueger-level burns. As Lindsay describes, she did endure violence and hardship in her own youth, as best as Vance understands it to have happened. Mamaw, who sadly died in 2005, might be the most well-preserved major character in Netflix's poorly reviewed 2020 book adaptation.
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Lindsay Vance Experienced The Same Tumultuous Childhood As Her Brother
Lindsay Left Home As Soon As She Could
J.D.'s sister is almost always trying to get out of the house and away from her family in many of the flashbacks of Hillbilly Elegy. This reflects her real-life attempt to escape her unhealthy family situation via her own relationship. By the time J.D. had begun his downturn around age 15, shown in the movie as him smoking, drinking, and engaging in vandalism, Lindsay had moved out and started a successful marriage of her own.
Lindsay did call J.D. to inform him about their mother's overdose while he was at Yale, but she didn't ask him to come home immediately.
As with J.D. and Beverly, Lindsay's character's inaccuracy in the Ron Howard movie stems primarily from the present-day timeline situation. Lindsay did call J.D. to inform him about their mother's overdose while he was at Yale, but she didn't ask him to come home immediately. J.D. returned several weeks later, concerned about the stress his mother's situation was placing on Lindsay and that she had to handle it on her own.
What Happened To J.D. Vance's Papaw
James Lee Vance Died In 1997
J.D.'s grandfather, James Lee "Papaw" Vance, is scarcely seen and referenced in Hillbilly Elegy because he died in 1997. J.D. was around 13 years old at the time of Papaw's death, and he was much closer to his grandmother than he was to his grandfather. The 2020 biopic shows flashbacks to Mamaw's chaotic relationship with her husband, including the time she set him on fire. Mamaw told Papaw that she would kill him if he ever came home drunk again. So, when he did, she set him on fire. Papaw only suffered minor burns, though.
What Happened To J.D. Vance & His Wife After The Events Of Hillbilly Elegy
J.D. & Usha Have 3 Children
One year after J.D. and Usha graduated from Yale Law School in 2013, the couple got married in Kentucky. They later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2018 to be close to his family and to settle down in a place where they could raise their children. J.D. Vance and his wife Usha ultimately had three children — Ewan, born in June 2017, Vivek, in February 2020, and Mirabel, born in December 2021.
As for their careers, Usha worked as a lawyer at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson before reg in 2024. J.D. is now the junior senator for Ohio. However, J.D.'s political career is swiftly accelerating as Donald Trump chose him as his vice presidential running mate in 2024. Therefore, a lot has changed for the Vance family following Hillbilly Elegy.
Hillbilly Elegy
- Release Date
- November 24, 2020
- Runtime
- 116 minutes
- Director
- Ron Howard
Cast
Bo Hopkins-
Freida Pinto
WHERE TO WATCH
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
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
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