directed by Ron Howard
Not sure what went wrong here. I mean, this story had so much potential and I bet reading the book (because it’s based on a memoir) would be much more engaging than the film. I haven’t read it, perhaps I will, but I’ve seen the film adaptation and I’d like to recommend it to you, but obviously I will complain a bit. Sorry, not sorry. So, the memoir was written by James David Vance, a man who was raised in a fairly poor family and ended up finishing studies at Yale Law University. The film presents the adult James (Gabriel Basso & Owen Asztalos – as young J. D.), but from time to time we get back to his childhood memories to see what was happening there. The boy and his older sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) were living only with their mother Beverly (Amy Adams) since their parents had got divorced. However, Bev couldn’t handle raising two children, especially since she had given birth to one of them at a very young age, so the children’s grandparents were a huge help. What’s more, Bev started using drugs, which made everything even worse. The adult James, even though he has his own life, is still trying to support his family, especially his mother, despite everything that happened in his childhood. This story has so many layers and I’m in shock how simple the film is in the end. I mean, a woman who’s left alone with her midlife crisis, grandparents who try to forget about Bev’s problems and focus on the children, a difficult yet strong relationship between grandmother (Glenn Close) and J. D., sister and brother dealing with the situation differently, J. D. still feeling the obligation to help his mother even though she ruined his first years of life, and also, the topic of exclusion of people living in poverty and not giving them equal chances for education and growth. Mamma mia, so many wonderful aspects of this one story. In my opinion, the film adaptation is only 40% of what this memoir has to tell us, so I guess I’ve just encouraged myself while writing this post to read the book. Thank you S.! You’re welcome S.! But still, this story is worth your time, so check out the film anyway. By the way, the acting is marvellous in this one, especially Amy Adams and Glenn Close – bravissimo!
My rating: 6/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 