I was very interested in watching Winter’s Bone after reading that Jennifer Lawrence was cast to play Katniss Everdeen in the movie adaptation of the Hunger Games. When I first heard of the casting choice, I was somewhat disappointed that a blonde, fair-skinned actress had been cast to play a character described in the book as someone with dark hair and olive skin. Jennifer Lawrence, who is 20, will also be playing a 16-year old. But after watching Winter’s Bone, I now know why they chose Jennifer Lawrence for the crucial role of Katniss Everdeen. First of all, although Jennifer Lawrence is 20, she looks young. The audience will have no problem believing her as a teenager. More importantly, there’s a spare depth to her acting which is perfect for the Katniss Everdeen role. The harsh circumstances of Winter’s Bone also reflect the background of The Hunger Games, although the setting is more fantastic. In Winter’s Bone, Lawrence’s perseverance in preserving her home and family is a notable part of her character that will be needed again in The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrence’s outward appearance can easily be changed with hair dye, contacts, and makeup for the Katniss Everdeen role, but her acting ability won’t need to be changed at all, which is a much more important aspect of playing the role of Katniss Everdeen.
Regarding Winter’s Bone the movie, I was wondering where I had seen a character in the movie before when I realized it was “Laura Palmer”. It was also fun to see two characters from Deadwood in the movie. I liked how the movie dealt with the unprecedented destructiveness of methamphetamine on some local rural communities. Some would call parts of the movie overblown, but overall, the presence of meth was treated as just part of the day to day life of the characters in Winter’s Bone.