Two Netflix offerings – one worth watching … the other not so much

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ could easily be a true Bahamian tale

“Hillbilly Elegy” (US Rated R)

Cast: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Freida Pinto

Genre: Drama

Dwight’s Rating:

Don’t let the title fool you.

Yes, it’s called “Hillbilly Elegy”, but this very easily could have been titled “A Bahamian Tale”.

This story will be shockingly relatable to so many people in this country. You may find yourself wondering, “are we a nation of hillbillies?”

Based on the 2016 memoir of lawyer J.D. Vance, this new film, available on Netflix and directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”, “The Da Vinci Code”) tells of how Vance, a Yale Law student, is drawn back to his Appalachian hometown, and is forced to reflect on his family’s history and his own future.

The picture is far from perfect. The story is told through constant and cringe-worthy flashbacks, and thus, the flow is unnatural and stilted. But it’s still a compelling tale.

Also, I’m not sure if it was intentional, but for some reason the film looks like it had little to no budget at all. Again, that might have been on purpose, in keeping with the “hillbilly” theme. But who knows!

What really makes “Hillbilly Elegy” worth seeing, though, are the performances. Two of the greatest actresses around today, Glenn Close and Amy Adams, give performances worthy of Oscars – something that has eluded them both. Adams has racked up six already, and Close has seven. Cynics are saying this film is intentionally designed to right this wrong.

Close and Adams play Vance’s grandmother and mom, respectively. Close’s Mawmaw is a grandmother to whom a great number of Bahamians can relate.

Hopefully, not too many people have a mother like Adams’ Bev, (though clearly far too many people do, sadly). And while Adams can’t seem to win an Oscar, her character would likely win multiple “Worst Mother of the Year” awards.

Seeing these two greats on the screen, along with a decent turn by Gabriel Basso as J.D., make up for the questionable directing and odd script writing choices, and make it all worth watching.

And hopefully, if your “A Bahamian Tale” is similar to “Hillbilly Elegy”, you have found or will find a similarly satisfying conclusion to your story.

Still trying to find the jingle in ‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (US Rated PG)

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Madalen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin

Genre: Fantasy/ Musical

Dwight’s Rating:

Is cheese normally associated with Christmas?

We’re familiar with eggnog. And definitely fruitcake! Even figgy pudding!! But cheese?

Apparently in the United Kingdom (UK), the Christmas cheeseboard is a thing. And perhaps in honor of that, Netflix is serving up a giant, heaping chunk of cheese with the holiday-themed “Jingle Jangle”. While it might not be entirely of the stinky cheese variety, it’s cheese nonetheless.

This fantasy musical is set in what appears to be the 1800s in some part of Europe (maybe the UK?). But one can only assume this is some parallel universe, as certainly, for numerous reasons that need not be mentioned here, this couldn’t possibly have been anywhere near Planet Earth at that time (once you see it, anyone older than 14 with even a brief encounter with a history book should understand what I’m saying).

In any event, decades after his apprentice betrays him, a once joyful toy maker finds new hope when his bright young granddaughter appears on his doorstep.

While bright, colorful and ambitious, and featuring a mix of animation and lavish dance numbers, “Jingle Jangle” is hamstrung by its odd pacing and excessive length. It gets off to a very slow start, and then changes tone far too often and too quickly.

More than slightly confused about what it wants to be, it waffles between children’s adventure, adult nostalgia, Victorian slapstick comedy, “Back to the Future” 1800s edition, “Despicable Me”, a little bit of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” or “WALL-E”, and “A Christmas Carol”. Add to that songs that sound like they were written for Broadway musicals from the early 2000s, and we’ve got a lot going on here.

However, we’ve seen that stuff like this can be done. Pixar, while not using live humans, has been doing it with their films – sans the dance numbers (unless in jest) – for decades. But “Jingle Jangle” is lacking focus, spending too much time on certain things and not enough on others. The end result is a picture that is amazingly too slow and yet still feels rushed.

The cast is very good though. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as Jangle the brilliant toy maker leads other notables like Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose and Keegan-Michael Key.

And there’s young Madalen Mills, who becomes the star of the film during one of those dramatic shifts, where the story suddenly stops focusing on Whitaker’s character, and becomes largely about the granddaughter.

There are some pleasant and encouraging messages in the many positive themes – or at least those not lost in the sea of mostly forgettable songs.

Nevertheless, most of the issues with “Jingle Jangle” won’t be much of an issue for the children and preteens in the target audience. They’ll probably really enjoy the fantasy elements.

But for many adults – well, you know what can happen when you consume too much cheese.

• Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of “Morning Blend” on Guardian Radio and station manager. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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