The 2020 film “Hillbilly Elegy” has topped the Netflix charts in a surprising turn of events.

This surge in popularity follows Donald Trump's recent announcement that J.D. Vance, author of the memoir on which the film is based, will be his running mate in the upcoming presidential election. The sudden surge in viewership reflects a renewed interest in Vance's story and its themes, and people are interested in this somewhat “controversial” film adaptation of his life.

Whether you're a first-time viewer or a returning viewer of J.D. Vance's challenging journey, we have all the insight you need. More details on this hot drama film and why it is currently in third place on Netflix are as follows.

After Donald Trump announced Monday (July 15) that he would nominate J.D. Vance as his running mate, “Hillbilly Elegy's” viewership jumped 1,179% over the previous day, Variety reported.

The Netflix film, adapted from Vance's 2016 memoir, streamed 19.2 million minutes on Monday, up significantly from 1.5 million minutes on Sunday (July 14), when rumors of Vance's vice presidential bid were already widespread.

Vance's memoir sparked widespread discussion as an insight into Trump's appeal among working-class white voters. After a brief theatrical run, the film adaptation premiered on Netflix in November 2020 to generally negative reviews.

In addition, within 24 hours of Donald Trump's announcement that he had chosen J.D. Vance as his vice presidential nominee, “Hillbilly Elegy” shot to the top of Amazon's best-selling books.

“Hillbilly Elegy” is a drama based on J.D. Vance's best-selling memoir. Directed by Ron Howard, the film chronicles Vance's confused upbringing in a poor Appalachian family.

The story centers on J.D. (Gabriel Basso), a Yale law student who is called back to his native Ohio because of a family crisis. Faced with the challenges of a dysfunctional family, he reflects on a childhood influenced by his strong-willed grandmother (Glenn Close) and troubled mother (Amy Adams). The film delves into the themes of addiction, poverty, and the pursuit of the American Dream.

“Hillbilly Elegy” is a raw, unflinching look at the effects of intergenerational trauma and the struggle for self-improvement against the backdrop of a declining industrial America.

After its release in 2020, “Hillbilly Elegy” received hundreds of negative reviews online, scoring as low as 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience scores, however, were as high as 82%, a clear conflict of opinion.

David Sims of The Atlantic says: “‘Hillbilly Elegy’ is an Oscar-worthy tale of personal triumph in the face of great hardship, a film designed to end with an uplifting epigraph. On the other hand, says Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News: “Adams and Close do their best, but Howard's meek, sanitary drama avoids harsh truths and runs counter to the book's content.

On the other hand, viewers have commented positively on the film, calling it “a beautiful and moving story” and “a wonderful film about growing up with trauma and poverty.”

[26] In other words, the film is one of those cases where, aside from these evaluations, one can only form one's own opinion. Hillbilly Elegy is available on Netflix, but if you're not interested, check out our Top 10 Movies Definitely Worth Watching.”