good book, but truly execrable movie ... nearly unwatchable ...
I thought the movie was ok, but the book was excellent. IMHO, Ron Howard took a dive, probably for Hollywood thought police reasons, and focused too narrowly on the substance abuse and family trauma storylines. Those are important themes and they are certainly part of JD Vance’s story, but Howard let the social, historial and cultural themes slide into the shadows. Those are beautifully woven into the narrative in the book but they are sadly neglected in the movie.
In any event, the left hated both the book and the movie. Vance committed the heresy of unapologetically affirming that character matters and that even marginalized people in desperate circumstances have agency. Choices matter, and people are responsible for their choices. It is an up-by-the-bootstraps story.
That is anathema to the left, which insists that victims must remain victims and are unable to straighten up and fly right without caseworkers and government programs.
That is perhaps slightly overstated. JD Vance did indeed benefit at a decisive moment in his life from a government program, the U.S. Marine Corps. The other hero of the book is his older sister, who also put her life on a better course the old fashioned way.
“good book, but truly execrable movie ... nearly unwatchable ...”
I agree. The book was good because it could explain in depth the causes and ins and outs of a complex situation. I couldn’t finish the movie.