The book was a #1 New York Times best seller.
The movie was both criticized and acclaimed.
The actress portraying the grandma, Glenn Close, was nominated BOTH for an Academy Award and a Razzie for Best Supporting Actress / Worst Supporting Actress. One of those love / hate things.
Glenn Close holds the record, I think, for most nominations without winning an Academy Award (8).
As developed in the book and the movie, J.D. Vance is an up-from-nothing story. But, while an exceptional person, like him, can overcome a lot to achieve success, his story also opens our eyes to the problems besetting many people today, more so than in the past, and how difficult it is today to rise up.
Family break-up, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues, job loss, loss of medical coverage, problems with the law and homelessness, these things are tearing our country apart.
We need to make our country great again so average people can again achieve happiness and success. We need a vibrant economy and we need revival.
And, J.D., he needs to remember where he came from.
That's why JD's sister's story is so important. She and her husband didn't find an elite track pathway out. They got married, worked hard, stayed married, had children and prospered in a very middle class, small town way. People like them are the backbone of every American community, and their example is a refutation of the victimhood cult.
Before seeing the film, I wondered how the heck Glenn Close could be up for "Best Actress" and "Worst Actress" for the SAME role. It's only the third time in film history that that happened.
After seeing the film, I understood exactly why. Glenn Close stole every scene she was in and completely transformed herself for the role. She IS "MawMaw"!
