You can’t empathize with something you can’t relate to. Netflix’s star-studded, true-to-life family drama “Hillbilly Elegy” certainly isn’t something some people who grew up in urban communities can immediately relate to—from the seeming helplessness inherent in its mush to its maudlin sentimentality.
But as we told Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Apollo 13,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Splash,” “Cocoon”) during our recent interview with him and the film’s lead actor Gabriel “Gabe” Basso, we loved seeing the temperament and dynamics of a lot of dysfunctional Filipino families we’ve crossed paths with over the years brought insightfully to palpable life onscreen.
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Keep on reading: Ron Howard talks about casting choices, rehearsing actors and directing kids