Coming into this year’s awards season, Ron Howard’s Netflix drama, “Hillbilly Elegy” seemed poised to be a major contender with two powerful performances from Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Well, when the critics got ahold of the film and the reviews circulated, “Hillbilly Elegy” was eviscerated and the hopes of major awards contention began to dissipate. (Though, to be fair, people still believe Adams and Close could land noms.) And now, the two actresses are responding to the negative reviews and why critics should leave the politics at home when they talk about the film.
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Speaking to NME, Adams and Close were asked about the flood of bad reviews for Ron Howard’s film. With a current Rotten Tomatoes rating of 26%, it’s clear the critical consensus of the film was pretty terrible, with many (like our own review) pointing out the questionable politics of the feature.
“I think the themes of this movie are very universal,” Adams said. “Whether it be generational trauma, whether it be just examining where we come from to understand where we’re going and who we are. I think the universality of the themes of the movie far transcend politics.”
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“It wasn’t made with politics in mind,” Close added. “Ron’s intent, I think he succeeded magnificently, is to tell the story of a very specific family.”
Adams was then asked about whether or not critics should put politics aside, she agreed but also understands that writers aren’t always going to do that.
“I never would presume to say what critics should or shouldn’t do,” Adams said. “Everybody has a voice and can use it how they choose to use it. So, would it be nice if politics could be set aside? [Nods] But I understand at the same time, people have a voice and choose to use it in that way.”
“Hillbilly Elegy” is available now on Netflix.