How to watch the film inspired by JD Vance’s book

On By Littum

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JD Vance will become the third-youngest vice president to be sworn into office Monday, as the 40-year-old will serve alongside President-elect Donald Trump.

The Middletown native is set to become the nation’s 50th vice president just two years after assuming his first public office as an Ohio senator. Vance, who grew up in Jackson, Kentucky and Middletown, Ohio, rose to fame as an author of “Hillbilly Elegy.” The book later became a film of the same name, released in 2020.

Here’s what you need to know about “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Is JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Based on a True Story? What is it about?

Yes. Vance described a childhood consumed by poverty and abuse in “Hillbilly Elegy,” his best-selling 2016 memoir. Vance’s mother struggled with drug addiction, so he spent many of his formative years with his grandmother — known to him as Mamaw. The book, which has 4.4/5 stars out of over 116,000 reviews on Amazon, also touches on his journey to a Yale Law School education that opened doors for him in Silicon Valley.

“Hillbilly Elegy” later became one Netflix feature film of the same name.

What to know about the movie ‘Hillbilly Elegy’

The film inspired by Vance’s book released for Netflix in 2020. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Vance’s character is played by Gabriel Basso. Owen Asztalos also plays the younger version of him.

The IMDB description says: “An urgent phone call draws a Yale law student back to his hometown in Ohio, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.”

The film, which is rated R, received a 6.7/10 IMDB and 24% on Rotten tomatoes.

Where was ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ filmed?

According to Decides“Hillbilly Elegy” was partially filmed in Vance’s hometown of Middletown, Ohio, as well as Atlanta and Clayton, Georgia.

How to watch ‘Hillbilly Elegy’

The film can be streamed on Netflix.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ director ‘surprised and disappointed’ by JD Vance’s politics

A few months before the election, director Ron Howard was asked about Vance’s evolution from a young man to a “polarizing” conservative in a September 2024 interview with Deadline. Howard said Vance didn’t discuss politics and focused more on surviving his upbringing.

He added that Vance showed little interest in politics during the making of the film.

“Well, we didn’t talk politics that much when we were making the movie because I was interested in his upbringing and that survival story. That’s what we focused on the most. But based on the conversations we had during that time, I just have to say that I am very surprised and disappointed by much of the rhetoric I read and hear, and I assume that is the case we were talking around the time I knew him, he was not involved in politics or claimed to be particularly interested,” Howard said.

Trailer for ‘Hillbilly Elegy’