J.D Vance (Gabriel Basso), a Yale law student gets a call from his hometown Ohio by his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) as he learns his drug addicted mother Bev (Amy Adams) is in hospital. He is forced to go back despite having job based meeting and then an interview next morning.
Told through flashbacks with J.D the narrator, we get to know about his early life, the relationship with his mother and grandma Mamaw (Glenn Close), a dysfunctional family where he had to go through plenty of drama. The movie basically tries to go two ways, and succeeds at it, one been how your life would turn out if that one particular moment didn't happen, which in this case is when Mamaw decides to take over responsibility of young J.D knowing Bev would end up being a bad mother which she already was due to her drugs addiction. Through Mamaw's help and later girlfriend like Usha (Friedo Pinto), we see J.D become a better grown up guy rather than getting indulged into violence and drugs with the kind of friends he had made earlier.
The other point movie makes is about the family background, you can't run away from it or well atleast most can't. And yet you could be successful despite the drama or kind of toxic childhood you have to go through specially if belonging to a middle class or below, maybe use it as a fuel rather than get destroyed and taking those bad traits of your parents. J.D could easily had said no and stayed to finish his interview, but he preferred going back to a mother who never really cared like a mother should do. But part of blame goes to Mamaw who didn't look up to what Bev was turning into, which is one of reasons why she was quick to react to avoid history repeating with J.D.
I love that particular scene where Mamaw is asking for extra food to feed J.D and later gives much larger portion for him to eat, which was the point where J.D did realize the effort she is putting in and he had to change and become serious to not let the chance go begging of becoming someone in life. And followed all the struggled and low jobs he does to earn money.
Performances wise, Glenn Close is excellent, love her concerned looks at J.D or the restrained anger whenever Bev would create issues. Her relationship with J.D gives some of best scenes in the movie, and I would had liked more of it and J.D's childhood shown which I felt was little less. Amy Adams some might find over the top, but her act worked for me, that skates hospital scene was hilarious and also the way she would hold J.D hands while crying wanting comfort of someone is there with her. I personally enjoyed Gabriel Basso performance too even though he may not be on same level, liked how he portays the dilemna, a career finally getting to a high and yet his family background might just spoil it. Also, lovely cameo from Friedo Pinto playing Indian girlfriend of J.D.
My Rating : 7/10
