Hillbilly Elegy rises in Netflix rankings amid Vance's political bid

"Hillbilly Elegy" premiered on Netflix in November 2020. It had long been "buried" by newer films, and suddenly, on July 16th, it jumped to the 6th spot among the most popular titles on the platform in the United States. Why? "Hillbilly Elegy" is based on the autobiographical book by J.D. Vance, a candidate for Vice President of the United States.

Before the experienced Hollywood director Ron Howard made "Hillbilly Elegy", J.D. Vance’s novel appeared on the publishing market and achieved gigantic and completely unexpected success. "The New York Times" included it among the most important books explaining the electoral success of Donald Trump in 2016. The rights to its screen adaptation quickly landed in Netflix's hands, which wanted to make it an Oscar-winning production.

However, the film divided critics. It received exceptionally polarized reviews. Ron Howard's drama relied on the performances of two great actresses, Glenn Close and Amy Adams, diluting the other storylines in the novel. The screenplay became chaotic, and the characters' relationships were torn from their social context. Ultimately, "Hillbilly Elegy" was only distinguished with two Oscar nominations: Supporting Actress (Glenn Close) and Makeup & Hairstyling.

The appearance of the author of "Hillbilly Elegy" in big politics made viewers in the United States revisit the forgotten 2020 production. The film's viewership increased from about 9,000 viewers to 164,000, allowing it to take 6th place on Netflix's trending list.

In Canada, "Hillbilly Elegy" was also a topic of discussion, partly because of a "joke" about Poles that even American journalists called "atrocious". Mamaw (Glenn Close) comes back with groceries. Her grandson J.D. is waiting in front of the house with his friends. They don't rush to help. Grandma is angry and wants to know who her grandson is hanging out with. When she asks one of the boys about it, he says his name is Louis Zablocki.

– That's a Polish name – comments Mamaw. And she says: – Fun fact about Poles: They bury their dead face down so they have a place to park their bikes.

Many American critics considered the film harmful, portraying an untrue image of poor, white Americans. Joe Berkowitz called the "joke" about Poles "disgusting". "It’s presented as a playful and eccentric remark, but it’s really out of place. Disgusting" – he wrote.