Hillbilly Elegy starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close coming to Netflix tonight

Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix promises to divide audiences, but it’s not in the way one might think. 

Nearly two years after the movie’s rights were purchased by Netflix, Hillbilly Elegy has finally made its way to the streaming network.

The film scored a limited theatrical release on November 11, but its big debut will take place on Netflix tonight. The movie has a hard-hitting premise and several stellar performances, but at the moment, its success is questionable.

Hillbilly Elegy coming to Netflix tonight

Hillbilly Elegy is coming to Netflix on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. You can watch the movie at 12:01 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET on Netflix.

After its release in 2016, the memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis shot to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. The reviews of the book were mixed. While many people saw the memoir as provocative and eye-opening, others thought it ignored serious issues related to poverty, racism and other social woes.

The Hillbilly Elegy release on Netflix was met with similarly contrasting reviews, but not for the same reasons. If you’re seeking out the best Netflix documentaries in 2020, this isn’t one of them. First off, it’s not really a documentary. The film is a dramatic adaptation of a memoir. Even when you consider the movie for what it is, though, many critics don’t see it as award-worthy.

If you look at the film’s ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, its critical score is a dismal 27 percent. The audience score is much higher, though, and sat at 83 percent just days before the Netflix release. The film will undoubtedly receive as many conflicting reviews as the book it’s based upon after its release tonight. Only time will tell if this conflict – like the book’s opposing reviews – will ensure its success.

Is Hillbilly Elegy good?

Unlike most movies we review, whether the  Hillbilly Elegy release on Netflix is really a toss-up. Some folks are going to find a compelling tale that never falls below the level of greatness thanks to performances by Glenn Close and Amy Adams. Others will land more in line with reviews that call it “poverty porn” and a “meek, sanitized drama.”

The best advice I can provide is to simply watch the movie. With a runtime of nearly two hours, there’s no doubt a serious time commitment involved. And while you’d get more of a rush from the best psychological thrillers on Netflix, Hillbilly Elegy isn’t meant to get your heart racing. In reality, the film tries to provoke thought through the story of Appalachia and the American Dream.

Whether it succeeds in this goal is currently a point of contention.

Watch Hillbilly Elegy tonight on Netflix

The major takeaway from this film’s current reviews is that audiences enjoyed it a bit more than critics. As Netflix Top 10 lists have consistently proven, though, critically panned movies very frequently become popular on the streaming service. If the Hillbilly Elegy release on Netflix doesn’t turn out to be your cup of moonshine, I suggest checking out Hillbilly on Hulu.

Let us know what you think about both in the comments!