‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Oscar Chances To Rest With Amy Adams And Glenn Close

At a time when the world is more polarized than ever, there seems to be a desire to show oppression in all cultures. As Black Lives Matter grows in popularity, a movie about raising a Caucasian venture capitalist doesn’t look quite timely in our climate. Despite two gorgeous actresses like Amy Adams and Glenn Close at the helm, director Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy” is at risk of struggling on the awards circuit.

With a collective of 13 Oscar nominations and zero wins shared between them, Adams and Close have long been considered overdue like all working actresses today. Close is currently the most nominated woman in Oscar history without a win at seven, Adams tied for second with Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter at six. Adams, whose major nominations have included “Junebug” and “The Fighter” as supporting actress, was only able to land one main nomination for 2013’s “American Hustle.” She even pulled off a few memorable snubs, notably “Arrival” and “Enchanted,” which tend to help with a late narrative. But I don’t think it will be so easy for Adams this time around.

As drug addict Bev, mother of JD Vance, who wrote the memoir the film is based on, she puts on a brave, and at times sensational, performance that deserves recognition. However, with a campaign likely in the race for Best Actress, she feels more appropriate for a supporting category, as the film is clearly JD’s story. With a stacked lead race so far that includes Viola Davis (“My Rainey Black Bottom”), Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) and Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”), she is likely to face a difficult battle.

For her co-star Close, whose most recent loss was to ‘The Wife’ in 2018, she hopes to finally end her Oscar trip that began with ‘The World According to Garp’ in 1982. As Mamaw, the great- Rude but loving mother of JD Vance, she received some of the staple awards that AMPAS has typically embraced in the past. With a supporting actress category that hasn’t exuded much passion so far, the big question seems to be: will the veteran actress finally get her due? Here’s the challenge – the movie may struggle to find traction in any other category. There have only been four winners for Second Supporting Actress in the past 40 years who have been the only nominations for their films – Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008), Angelina Jolie in “Girl, Interrupted “(1999), Marisa Tomei in” My cousin Vinny “(1992) and Linda Hunt in” The year of living dangerously “(1982). Additionally, the supporting actresses race has wives of top photo shooters like Olivia Colman (“The Father”) and Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”), who can suck most of the air into the room.

So where can the film find awards? Make-up and hairstyle can be considered, as this breed often rewards “most” rather than “best” (ie “Suicide Squad”), as the glam tricks used by previous nominees often find love. For screenwriter Vanessa Taylor, Oscar nominated for co-writing “The Shape of Water,” the adapted breed is far too competitive to make room.

The music branch loves its familiar Golden Boys, so it would be ridiculous to rely on 11-time nominee and winner Hans Zimmer, who has teamed up with David Fleming. For director Ron Howard, who won the Oscar for Best Director for “A Beautiful Mind” in 2001, his efforts will be best served for his National Geographic documentary “Rebuilding Paradise”.

For a story that focuses on “Appalachian values” and the “American dream,” this is in danger of being devoured by a certain demographic of 70 million people, with a few selected members of the Academy. To the rest of the entertainment-watching world, this sounds like a failure to read the play, in an attempt to provide another example that “all lives matter” and that there are “great people on both sides” .

“Hillbilly Elegy” may face vocal detractors, with others finding solace in her performances, but the never-ending and prolonged season may be her worst enemy in the hunt for gold. The film will be released on Netflix on November 13.

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