First of all, I did not read the book.  Not yet.  And I'm not too sure that after watching the movie I want to (just kidding, I need to read it to know if it's better).  I was so excited when I saw that Netflix had a movie version of this book that everyone was talking about.  And Amy Adams and Glenn Close was in it?  Score!  

And it was really good.  For the most part.  Then it neared the end and both my husband and I were like "Um, what are they trying to say here?"  When it ended, we had no choice but to give it a "thumbs down" because honestly, what the fuck?  

Have you seen it yet?  If not, I am sorry, but I'm going to spoil the of the ending for you: 

It's a patronizing piece of shit.  

"Oh lookie, my mom was abused so therefore it's perfectly okay she abused me!"  

Oh goodness.  Really Ron Howard??  That's the message you went to send to viewers?  To the world?  Here's the deal, dumbass: abuse is always generational.  So that's a big fat "duh" when it comes to the revelation this movie is giving us.  An abusive person has usually always been abused themselves.  That's a given.  But what's not a given is that you, as their child, as their victim of abuse, never need to give them an excuse for it, as the children in this movie were continuing to do upon their "enlightenment".  

Can you forgive your shitty parents one day?  Of course (but only if you want to).  Having empathy for them and how they grow up doesn't mean they get to keep on using you or abusing you anymore.  That doesn't give them the right to keep on being toxic.  

Sure, the end of the movie said his mother had been clean for like 5 or 6 years.  But what does that even mean?  Does that mean she's not verbally abusive anymore?  That she's not actively taking out her own insecurities on her kids anymore?  That she's mentally better?  It doesn't say.  So it's safe to assume it's just some kind of "happily ever after" movie ending, and in real life, she's still probably abusive.  

Maybe the book is less about his mother and more about his grandparents who raised him?  Maybe the book ends better?  I'm going to start reading it after posting this review (and it's not really much of a review, maybe it's just a rant?).  And I'll come back here and update my post when I'm done.  But the movie?  Save your two hours and watch something better, like "Ladybird" on Amazon Prime (another movie about a narcissistic abusive mother, which is way more realistic).  

The only good thing was the acting.  Everyone did a bang up job.  And Glenn Close's character looked practically identical to person she was playing.  That was kinda neat.  And Amy Adams was amazing as the mother.  And the kid was great, too (not sure of his name).  But all that great acting can't erase the patronizing idiocy that was the ending.  

Ugh.  

Shame on you Ron.  You are so much better than this.