Howard’s new film, in select theaters and available on Netflix, follows J.D. at different stages of his journey, though he’s always bookended by the mother (Amy Adams) who held him back, thanks to her own addictions.
Movie audiences seeking an escape from their own dysfunctional families this Thanksgiving had the option to turn to Ron Howard’s Hillbilly Elegy, an adaptation of the memoirs of J.D. Vance, a Kentucky boy who fought against personal and cultural obstacles in order to achieve success as an attorney.