If you loved 'HillBilly Elegy', here are some movies based on memoirs that you will like

Hillbily Elegy, a Ron Howard directorial, is now finally available online. The film, which is essentially a true story based on a memoir, has the likes of Academy Award nominee, Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Vasso and Freida Pinto. Hillbilly Elegy is about second chances, making wrongs into rights, responsibilities, parenthood and redemption. Hillbilly Elegy is available for streaming on Netflix.5 .  If you loved Hillbilly Elegy, here are some movies based on memoirs that has been curated for you:

Also Read: 'Hillbilly Elegy' Release: What To Know Before Watching The Film Adaptation Of The Book?

1)     Eat Pray Love

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The Julia Robert and Havier Bardem-starrer film had released back in 2005. Eat Pray Love is based on the novel of the same name. In the film, the main protagonist (Played by Roberts) comes to India for reflection and fulfilling a need that is not being satisfied by having all that one can have in the world. This very feeling which lives in the heart of the protagonist of Eat Pray Love is like what the protagonist of Hillbily Elegy, J.D Vance, feels throughout the presentation.

2)     The Wolf Of Wall Street

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Hillbilly Elegy is also about past mistakes and the grants of second chances that help people restart their lives and make amends for their wrongdoings. One can say that this is, essentially the character arc of Amy Adams’ character in Hillbilly Elegy and that of The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). The Wolf Of Wall Street is directed by Martin Scorsese. The film also features Jonah Hill in a very important role. The film is based on the memoir of the same name.

3)     127 Hours

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The James Franco-starrer 127 Hours is about struggle, survival and the motivation to make it out of the current predicament and live a better life. This is something that one can say is the same character arc of J.D Vance prior to the events of the movie. The same can be seen through a series of flashback sequences featuring a young Vance. The film is based on the memoir of the same name.

Also Read: 'Cocoon' Cast: Know The Actors And The Characters They Play In This Oscar Winning Movie

4)      This Boy’s Life

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If you loved Hillbilly Elegy, This Boy's Life is something that you should definitely consider. Leonardo DiCaprio’s debut film, This Boy’s Life, is about a child who survives an abusive household and eventually goes to fight a war in Vietnam. One can say that the film also talks about how the surrounding environment of a child builds and shapes him/her, which is also an overarching theme of Hillbilly Elegy. The film had released back in 1993. It also featured Robert DeNiro.

5)     Wild

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Adding to the list of movies based on memoirs is Reese Witherspoon's Wild. The Reese Witherspoon starrer follow Reese’s Cheryl Strayed on a 1,100-mile-long hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. The film sees her rediscover herself and find who she really is. The main character of Hillbilly Elegy, J.D Vance, goes through a similar transformation. Wild was directed by Jean-Marc Vallee.

6)     Can You Ever Forgive Me?

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One of the main themes of Can You Ever Forgive Me is the need of acting out of necessity and the motivation of being able to inch towards a better life. Necessity and the promise of a better future may sometimes warrant decisions that are difficult and at times morally questionable in nature. One can see that in Hillbilly Elegy, almost every other character takes decisions that they (or the audience) may think of as morally questionable. But, the characters do those deeds because they think that it will serve them well. This overarching theme makes Can You Forgive Me? A worthy addition to the list of movies like Hillbilly Elegy.

Also Read: 'Hillbilly Elegy' Trailer Released, Features Amy Adams And Glenn Close In New Avatars

7)     Out Of Africa

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The Meryl Streep and Robert Redford-starrer Out Of Africa sees one of its characters make the choice between the people they love and their own personal growth. It is the classic conundrum between selfish and selfish acts. Much like Meryl Streep’s character in Out Of Africa, J.D Vance also has to make one such decision; go to Yale or stay back with family?

8)     Jarhead

 

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Another addition to the list of movies like Hillbilly Elegy is Jardhead. Jarhead is a film that also touches upon the themes of difficult decisions and the feeling of being torn apart between decisions that are right for oneself or the ones that are right for other people. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal. It is directed by Sam Mendes.

9)     The Whole Wide World

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Another film that dwells on the themes of choices between personal happiness and the betterment of others is The Whole Wide World. The Dan Ireland directorial is based on a union of a pulp fiction expert and an aspiring writer. As the movie progresses, one could see that there is a possibility of romance between the two main characters, and then suddenly, one such character has to face the decision between either going for love or caring for their mother. The film was released in 1996.

10)  Brain On Fire

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Brain On Fire, on a philosophical level, is about figuring out what is wrong with oneself and what steps need to be taken in order to rebuild their life. This is essentially the trajectory of Sussanah in Brain on Fire and J.D Vance in Hillbilly Elegy. Brain On Fire was released in 2016. It stars the likes of Chloe Grace Moretz, Carrie Ann-Moss, Richard Armitage and Thomas Mann.

Also Read: What's Coming To Netflix In December 2020? See All The New Arriving Titles