First, can we talk about Jennifer Lawrence? I know when the announcement was first made, there was a lot of uproar about Hollywood "whitewashing" this movie. And while I think whitewashing a film is one of the more reprehensible behaviors that Hollywood engages in, I don't think it applies here. Much hubbub was made over the fact that Katniss is described as having dark hair, gray eyes and olive skin- and people were
Here's my short answer: I don't care.
Here's my long answer: In The Hunger Games books, we know that this story is set in North America, centuries into the future. Anybody who has been paying even a little bit of attention to race and ethnicity patterns here in North America can tell you that racial lines are blurring faster than we can even attempt to keep up with. In 2008, a little more than five percent of the population listed their race as being "Some Other Race", when the option of selecting multiple races was available. That may not seem like a lot now, but when you add to that the fact that about the same number identify themselves as being multi-racial, you have TEN PERCENT of the US population as being of a race that is not easily identified at first glance.
Extrapolate this out over the coming centuries, and hundreds of years from now, the American population would be very nearly homogeneous and of a completely mixed background. There would be virtually no racial distinctions. And Suzanne Collins' book seems to fall in line with that train of thought: different shades of hair color are described, but there's not a lot of description of anybody's skin being specifically pale or black or any other race-specific shade. There's just dark, olive, lighter, etc. It's pretty vague. Which means, to me, it doesn't matter what race anybody in this movie is.
Everyone fits, Jennifer Lawrence included.
And, plus, she looks pretty freaking cool:
Now, Haymitch. I had picked Bill Murray, and while I stand by that as being a solid choice, I have to admit the brilliance of Woody Harrelson being cast as Haymitch. I think he can pull off drunk and crazy like nobody's business, and then pull it together and be convincing as a political mastermind and fairly believable father-figure to Katniss. I approve.
And Cesar!
Cesar Flickman! I had this character pegged as being a little more... airhead-ish. I saw him as being kind of a mindless, idiotic puppet of the Capital. In my mind, he hosted the games and talked to the tributes and had no idea that these kids' lives were at stake, it was all just show business to him.
However.
The casting of Stanley Tucci brings a softer side to the character. A more empathetic side. More of an Oprah-style host, rather than the John Stewart-hijinks-guy I had pictured. And I think I like this interpretation a little better. Tucci can certainly be flamboyant (heck, I am pretty sure he can be anything- he's amazing), but I think he'll bring a depth to the character that had hitherto been unrealized. I'm impressed by this choice.
Pretty much all the same stuff can be said of the Elizabeth-Banks-as-Effie-Trinket choice. She's still funny and a little nuts; she's just a different brand of zany than I had originally envisioned. But again, I think this brings a new depth to Effie, and Banks is definitely a strong enough character to hold on for three movies and make us believe that this woman really believes her job is important. We, as Katniss' fans, see Effie as a tool of the Capital, but Effie sees this job as a stepping stone in her career, and Banks brings that seriousness to this role.
Well... seriousness is a relative term, I guess.
Now, to Peeta and Gale.
I cannot tell the world how relieved I am that Alex Pettyfer was not cast as Peeta. He is- as far as I can tell- one giant douche nozzle. I know he's still in the running (last I heard, anyway) for the part of Jace in The Mortal Instruments, and I would much prefer him cast as the semi-jack-assed Jace than the ever-devoted Peeta.
I am reserving judgment about Josh Hutcherson, I just don't think he's done enough for us to say what he is or is not capable of. He's grown up a bunch since the Bridge to Terabithia days, and I am more than willing to give him a chance here.
And I don't know much about Liam Hemsworth, but I think he looks the part. I see nothing wrong with this particular choice.
All in all, I think the casting choices here are pretty perfect. Much more Harry Potter than Twilight; because if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Alan Rickman rules and Kristen Stewart sucks.
