American Hustle's Jennifer Lawrence Problem
Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 2:00PM [I am proud to announce that Matthew Eng, who we've heard from twice as a guest columnist, is now an official member of Team Experience. Here he is on a soon-to-be three-time Oscar nominee! -Editor]
By now, Jennifer Lawrence is well on her way to scoring another Oscar nomination for her supporting performance as the unstable, self-dramatizing Reel Housewife of Long Island Rosalyn Rosenfeld in David O. Russell's American Hustle. Despite initially wary expectations regarding role size, divisive reactions towards both film and performance, and a slowly-surging sense of fatigue regarding America's Sarcastic Sweetheart, Lawrence has already been embraced by two major critics groups (NYFCC and NSFC), was the only actor in her prized ensemble to gain individual recognition from SAG, and, depending on how AMPAS feels about Oprah, June Squibb, and Lupita Nyong'o, might very well be on her way to copping yet another golden boy.
I like Lawrence a great deal, have absolutely no qualms about the Silver Linings victory, and think she's often quite good in Hustle. I laughed heartily watching her blame game her way out of that “science oven” debacle and friskily shove her “sweet and sour” nails in Jeremy Renner’s face. She's lovely in that warm, teary-eyed bayside confessional during her lunch date with Jack Huston. And I contemplated dropping out of college and devoting the rest of my life (or, you know, at least a semester or two) to watching her stick it to Amy Adams in that ferocious bathroom kiss-off/actress throwdown.
And yet, if there is any one viewer who can honestly say that they believed - even for a second - that Jennifer Lawrence was ever really that woman, unhappily married for years to that man, counting the days in that house, and nearly burning down that kitchen, can he/she please stand up? [more... ]
In the weeks since I first saw Hustle, I have found it increasingly difficult to resolve what is inherently fun and entertaining about the performance with what is so blatantly inadequate about Lawrence's stunt casting, not to mention the type of age-inappropriate casting it can only further enable.
American Hustle represents an interesting and fundamentally self-aware step forward in Lawrence's career. Rosalyn, although clearly not the female lead of Hustle, is a role that's all but built for scene-stealing and maximum attention, and Russell calls upon Lawrence to fully utilize the type of silly, self-deprecating, and utterly un-self-serious sense of humor that by now we are all well-acquainted with from awards shows, interviews, and red carpets, but which has heretofore gone missing in her brief but notable filmography, save for the spurts of it we saw in Silver Linings. But even in the film her most memorable, Oscar-clinching scenes were more fiery than funny. Hustle is perhaps the first movie, post-Oscar, that knows and willingly presents not only Jennifer the Bona Fide Silver Screen Star, but also Jennifer the Jokester. The Comedienne. The Ham. In essence, Jennifer As We Know Her, except in period garb; nothing less, and yet nothing much more.
This doesn't entirely feel like Lawrence's fault. It never looks like she's coasting, nor does it look like she's actively trying to hijack the movie (a la, say, the Notorious Ruby Thewes), as some detractors have suggested. Save for one utterly misguided bit of improvisatory dancing to "Live and Let Die" (ridiculous in conception more than performance) and the Slip'n Slide she does with that Long Island accent, Lawrence doesn't seem to be doing anything that Russell isn't simply requesting of her. When he asks for sex kitten, she whips off her caftan and writhes around on that marriage bed. When he asks for life of the party, she slaps the table, shakes the bouffant, and takes a tumble out of the booth, cackling till she hits the ground. When he asks for a loopy, catchphrase-spouting comic side gal, she cracks "Thank god for me" till the cows come home. She's Russell's obliging muse, and aside from feeding into the unshakably sexist treatment of Rosalyn-as-scapegoat, nothing in Lawrence's performance choices seems wrong, per se, or even remotely disastrous. I just didn't believe any of it.
Is it that the film (as scripted) never settles the age issue, specifically whether or not Lawrence is supposed to be reenacting the Diary of an Older, Madder Housewife, in which case the believability factor instantly becomes an issue, or if she's actually a former, Vickie LaMotta-like child bride to Bale's hulking, hairpieced husband, in which case ewww? It's easy to laugh at Jennifer but hard to take her seriously as Rosalyn, especially when Russell often places her, in shot after shot, right next to Elisabeth Röhm, who, from dress to highlights, offers a fabulous portrait of 70s middle-aged housewife verisimilitude. How is any twenty-three-year-old supposed to compare, and so, for the first time, Lawrence, who has always exuded adult, is suddenly showing her age, despite remaining the only actress of her generation who probably never has to play a high school heroine or a drifting postgrad if she doesn't want to? In a film that occasionally if not deliciously feels like an opportunity for David O. Russell's Merry Band of Thespians to play dress-up, Lawrence all too often comes across as the ingenue attempting to stretch into older roles, who slipped into a form-fitting evening dress, slapped on a wig, put her hands on her hips, and called herself a Grown-Up. She sure looks gorgeous and the costumes, cosmetics, and wigs themselves are all flawless, except that, on Jennifer, they look like costumes, cosmetics, and wigs. Lawrence's Rosalyn frequently feels less like an embodied characterization than an elaborate dress rehearsal for one.
What's more, the re-casting opportunities seem infinite, and I continue to fantasize about what an older, less ubiquitous actress might have done with this schematically underwritten role that nonetheless presents a lot of fine opportunities for some showy actressing from the edges. How about Marisa Tomei, an eminently gifted, highly respected, and yet bizarrely underused actress, who hasn't gotten to flex her Oscar-winning comic chops so prominently since, arguably, Mona Lisa Vito? What about Maria Bello, who is no one's first idea of a funny lady, but whose knack for both effortless sensuality and potent, forceful toughness might've made her an interesting match for the sex-wielding, long-suffering Rosalyn? Or what about (dare I suggest it?) Cameron Diaz, one of our most continually-squandered comediennes, who remains in dire need of a role that can both challenge her lazy typecasting and utilize her perky, involving, and reliably-game onscreen persona? Or, if you want to go the typecasting route, The Sopranos' Drea de Matteo would both look plausible and be age-appropriate. (My god, can you imagine that bathroom encounter?)
It's also a bit unfortunate that Lawrence's fine but unfulfilled shtick is being ballyhooed in the same year that gave us two benchmarks of broadly comedic yet deliciously detailed supporting actressing, in the forms of Scarlett Johansson's gum-snapping, shots-calling Jersey Girl in Don Jon and Emma Watson's crafty, Juicy Coutured Calabasas Nightmare in The Bling Ring. I must also admit that I'm more than a little frustrated with how much focus Lawrence pulls, both in the current awards conversation and in Hustle itself, from Amy Adams, whose Sydney Prosser is just as vivacious a presence as Rosalyn but whose character is ultimately a much more evocative and astutely-personified one. Lawrence gives the film humor, at times relentlessly and needlessly so; Adams gives it humanity.
Indeed, for all the hilarity that Lawrence elicits by merely bugging her eyes out while puffing away on a cigarette or popping up in a neck brace, there's a troubling lack of interiority to the performance on the whole. Lawrence problematically omits major, potentially illuminating traits about Rosalyn, including the debilitating social anxiety we hear so much about yet which is totally eclipsed by her brash exterior, or her relationship with her son, who never actually feels like her son, much less someone she lives in the same house with, or, you know, gave birth to. Say what you will about screen time and supporting characters, but in the same movie Bradley Cooper manages to find poignancy and concealed depths in what could've easily remained a surface-bound comic creation. There is always the promise of concealed depths within Rosalyn's character, but seldom the unearthing.
Lawrence's screen persona is too vital to ever be anything less than engaging, even when it's irreparably miscast or overworked. Her Rosalyn is a mixed blessing of a performance, one that we can admire Lawrence for attempting in the first place and even enjoy for its most basic elements, if not one that necessarily warrants the current over-abundance of praise and prizes it has received thus far. Lawrence-as-Rosalyn never feels like anything more than a fun but thinnish acting exercise, a giddy but gimmicky comic spectacle where a real, full-bodied person could have been.
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Reader Comments (136)
@CMG-Didn't see your comment and I also have a life away from the internet. Not much of one but whatever.
Anyway the lack of a back story is a function of the script. The script gives Adams a back story and they literally show it on screen and we are told it in the narration. But Lawrence is a supporting role and the film leaves it to the audience's imagination. (Lupita never gets a back story in 12YAS either as an example). Not too hard to flesh out though: troubled young woman, has a son very early on, left flat by the son's father, no supportive family, desperate to survive and to protect her son. Actually it is a common tale. It works better that the audience is left to fill in the blanks.
The Judy Holliday analogy is one other reviewers have made. The smart, underestimated blonde has a great tradition in old Hollywood. But the thing I was struck by is how intricate and psychologically interesting Lawrence made Rosalyn. She is smart and underestimated (again played up beautifully by the initial dressed up young person trying to seem older image which maintains the surprise even though the film states right out that she is the best con artist of them all) but she is also fragile and anxiety-ridden and borderline. There is a lot more complexity to the character than say Sharon Stone's character in Casino (which I just saw again) who is more of a straight up alcoholic/drug abuser. It is a very intricate character created with limited screen time.
Btw, the Live And Let Die scene was DOR's idea. Definitely a gonzo moment, loved or hated. But taking a risk.
At the end of the day this is a stab at the standard Oscar derailment article where a critic tries to find a meme to undercut a potential Oscar winner. Last year it was the manic pixie dream girl theme. People are starting to get very, very, worried that Lawrence is winning again. And she should. She out acted her competition. And she rescued the entire film, breathing life into it. I saw AH twice (you need to see DOR films more than once) and the audience adored her. I followed this film on twitter and the consensus is very clear about who the MVP was (Bale was good too btw; Cooper played a douchebag; Adams played an unlikable character, and why was she screaming on the toilet?; Renner not getting enough credit; Louis CK, Huston and Deniro very good in small roles). This movie is a box office hit because Lawrence is in it, period. And the Oscar goes to...Actually I'm expecting Lawrence to get robbed. She will have to settle in all likelihood for the best performance, a third nomination, and box office success. Heck we may even see Serena someday the way this is going.
Sometimes I think I'm the only person on the planet who really hated Jennifer Lawrence in this movie. For me, it completely highlights all of her weaknesses as an actress, because I just don't think she's good enough to pull it off. This character walks a fine line between being simply fun and scene stealing and being completely campy and over the top, and I think she teeters to that side of the line way more than she should. But, what do I know? I am definitely in the minority when it comes to not liking her in this movie.
"JLaw and Disorder"
That made me laugh. Also wanted to say while I really liked Lawrence's performance, this is a great article and I'm eager to hear more from Matthew. :)
Another note: most of the cast in AMERICAN HUSTLE look very little in real life like the way they do in the film, or were very much cast 'against type.'
Would Christian Bale be anyone natural choice for a fat, bald Jewish guy from The Bronx?
Jeremy Renner as an old school, blue collar Italian family man from Jersey?
Jennifer Lawrence as a Long Island housewife/mother seemingly much older than 23?
Of course, I don't know if HUSTLE would be as big of a box office hit with, say:
Paul Giamatti as Irv
James Gandolfini as Carmine
and Fran Drescher as Rosalyn!
Like most people, I love Lawrence. But at this rate, she'll be playing grandmothers in two years. This essay is beyond excellent and I think you for it. There is something so artificial about the performance from an actress I'm used to seeing authenticity from.
" there's a troubling lack of interiority to the performance on the whole" --- This nails the only issue I have with the film and her performance. But the age thing I've been hearing/reading I feel is dead in the water. Do we ever find out her son's age? He's probably around 3 or 4. Let's calculate this ---- If the character is, say, 26-29, then there is no issue. And it actually makes sense toward her character behavior. She has a kid around 18/19, gets married to some dude (she's never had a divorce, she claims) around 22/23 and lives with him until she is bored or whatever flippant reason that Rosalyn can come up with.
You can be a housewife for five years and be bored to tears (I'm a guy, not married, so not projecting here). I think people just have this strange image of what a tired, bored, sick of it all housewife looks like. I don't think people are considering the age of which she had her son.
The main issue was always, " a troubling lack of interiority to the performance on the whole". But I can ignore that for her introduction scene and that bathroom scene. Because.... holy fuck....
(Amy Adams was overall the best performer. Very overlooked in critical/fan kickback. And Bale conducted a master-class in interesting ways of touching your eyeglasses as you deliver dialogue, I swear)
Write an article about Jennifer Lawrence and you'll be successful. This will probably be the most popular article of the week.
Regardless if you like her or not, people just can't stop writing about of discussing her.
Anyway, if the performance is good, why isn't that enough? You say that "Lawrence-as-Rosalyn never feels like anything more than a fun but thinnish acting exercise, a giddy but gimmicky comic spectacle."
Isn't that what the entire film is meant to be? I mean it starts on Christian Bale's pot belly and his bald head? Yet the only person you could pick apart is Lawrence.
But this is what really gets me...
"Bradley Cooper manages to find poignancy and concealed depths in what could've easily remained a surface-bound comic creation."
He was the worst part of this movie.
Where is your long review of the actress most likely to win, Lupita Nyongo? This actress is amazing and has an equally amazing backstory. You would be hard press to find that much ink spent on Lupita, which is a true shame.
It is strange that your first piece as an official team member is about Jennifer Lawrence.
Well, you've used Jennifer Lawrence to established yourself, congratulations.
kell - but it's more fun to make a case against someone! (or against the praise someone is receiving, idk) this even got referenced by vulture!
(and of course it helps that 'someone' is one of america's most popular actresses)
Angelina Jolie would have nailed this role. Actually she would have made a great Sydney too.
I still don't understand the love Jennifer Lawrence's acting . Unfortunately , Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress that cannot pull-off believable U.S. accents. Her accent work in Silver Linings Playbook & American Hustle were both atrocious and distracting . Jennifer cannot deliver her lines without sounding bored out of her mind , and she acts with the most bland facial expressions . She keeps being miscast in adult roles ,even though she has difficulty hiding her very youthful personality . Someone needs to force her to take acting classes and voice lessons . Lawrence is the perfect example of why actors / actresses need training and development - only a few can get away without training .
P.S. You will never see JLaw act on stage because her weaknesses as an actress would be exposed. She always needs a great film director and wonderful film editor to hide her acting flaws .
I think Mr Eng may be a bit obsessed with Ms Lawrence.
Well I'll have to agree most with @lang and @rick
I really like Jennifer Lawrence, however
I don't get the hype with these last two Russell movies, The Fighter was absolutely brilliant.
Silver Linings Playbook from an intellectual screenwriters point of view is not psychologically accurate so from there alone the movie was shaky for me at best average. Very overrated. Side Effects was a much better film with fine acting and less recognition.
I really like JLaw in the Hunger Games saga, age has nothing to do with this role in my opinion.
Can we skip the "oh she's just too young pity party" for Jennifer Lawrence. If you're Oscar winning you should be able to transform. Period,There are many actors who would be grateful for that part and would have nailed Rosalyn, young and old, but its who you know.
Her performance in American Hustle was incredibly mediocre the plot was predictable the film just featured a slew of A listers so it's "phenomenal" according to the critics.
Firstly Rosayln's accent was terrible and from then on the blocking the direction and extended camera time made her more and more awkward but you know she will probably get an Oscar for this one too.
How about some new unknown talent Hollywood. If you don't believe these things are political and an it girl or guy is placed you might want to look behind the scenes. Most of these ratings and such are altered, hey If I can spend 100 million dollars on making the film, I think I can spend 1 million dollars on marketing it properly and buying the critics.
I'll just say Amy Adams was terrific she never disappoints as well as Christian Bale. Bradley Cooper finally proved some talent (did not appreciate his nom last year for silver linings). Then again I seem to be the only one who doesn't think that film was spectacular and phenomenal and breathtaking.
I think I will be skipping this award season because of the nomination disappointment aside from the 12 yrs a slave film nods so I'll chime in again next time!
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great piece thanks for the discussion!
Tina P.,
Jennifer Lawrence didn't use an accent in Silver Linings Playbook. Haters gonna hate even if they have to make up stuff.
@Ricky F. Jennifer Lawrence's character is a Philly character , and she tried to pull-off a Philly accent .
This still goes down as the tackiest article of the awards season. Anyone care to point out another article that targets one actress like this. Of course no one would read it if it was about a different actress. (Maybe about Streep). It is interesting though that the reviewer is having trouble about Lawrence's age yet in the film Rosalyn is expressly told she needs to find friends her own age. It's hard to be age inappropriate when the character was specific written to be Lawrence's actual age. Whatever.
You nailed it, Mr. Eng, she was trying a bit too hard to stand out amidst her fellow A-listers in this good-but-not-great film. She'll win the awards for it though...undeservedly & unfortunately. But perhaps "JLaw" will get back on track next awards season with "Serena" - very interested to see her in that villainess role. Or perhaps a year of no-nominations will prove to better her performances and career in the long run?
Tina P, please where are you getting this information? That is simply not correct, she did not do an accent in Silver Linings Playbook.
"Most of these ratings and such are altered, hey If I can spend 100 million dollars on making the film, I think I can spend 1 million dollars on marketing it properly and buying the critics."
oh lord, these arguments, I can't. can't people just accept it as a difference of opinion?
I couldn't agree more with you on this one. And you definitely got me thinking about what other actresses could have nailed this role...Marissa Tomei would have melted perfectly all over this role. Lawrence owns the screen...that's a fact. But her presence in this film doesn't feel as natural as it should.
Winston, how could this ever in anyone's mind qualify as the tackiest article of the awards season? It doesn't get personal, doesn't attack, doesn't disparage the actress in any way. It evaluates the performance...and that's exactly what film critics do.
I honestly don't understand all this vitriol. No actor is infallible. Even Meryl Streep made Still of the Night early on.
Oddly, I found Amy Adams to be totally unbelievable in this film. Oh, well.
Totally agree. And I also felt that way about her in Silver Linings. Think she's super talented actress, but didn't believe at all that she was that character. (Nor did I think it was such a challenging role to have deserved the Oscar).
An absolute twit who fundamentally has no idea what he's talking about.
First, and lastly, Lawrence is not playing a 30 year old woman, she is playing a young, immature and reckless trophy wife around her age. This is even referenced in the film!
What a idiot. She is not miscast and not too young for the role. Hell Russell wrote the role with her in mind.
Wow, i just got back from watching AH and had the same thoughts about JL being miscast....and her accent which was so in and out...and agree 100 with what is said here. I am happy i was not the only one who felt that way. I like JL alot, and am in the biz, but she did not deserve noms for this role...
Superb acting, truly engaging.
A movie worth watching.
Regards,
Alexander
I disagree with the article. BOTH Jennifer and Bale we're much more younger than their real life contraparts (Mel Weinberg was 50 years old, and Bale is 39), and the main characters seems to be between 25-40.
The film took deliberately several licenses to the real life story (which it says "some of this actually happened"), to make it to work as a fun film.
Argo did the same thing (the last 30 minutes we're made out, Tony Mendes and the american citizens in Iran managed to leave from Tehran without any problems, and Affleck casted himself as Tony), but nobody complained because like Hugo, it was an homage to cinema and if it was 100% true to the real story, nobody cared.
American Hustle is for David O'Rusell what Casino was for Martin Scorsese. Both films deals with mafia, politicans during the 70's, politicans, a man who's a expert on conning people, who had a unestable wife that can look like a dumb woman, but at the same time she's someone smart and emotional. If Scorsese would have done American Hustle in the same way that Russell did it, it would be considered as a classic.
Unlike Argo, Hustle totally embrace what the 70's were, and it has a cast of actors who actually enjoyed to play their characters and managed to act in roles different of what they've done before. And unlike the other Oscar nominated films, it's fresh, because it's not a dark film, it's a light film that offers what it has, and it doesn't play like something else.
The reason of why Jennifer managed to get so much acclaim, it's because she owns the character. The other actresses wouldn't have worked at all (Emma Watson is trying to hard to prove that she can play other than Hermione, but it's not working, and Scarlett Johansson would have brought the sexy side of Rosalyn, but not her fragilness).
It totally proofs Jennifer's versatily with her roles (from playing strong characters like Lori Petty - a real life person - Katniss, Mystique, to characters like Tiffany Maxwell and Rosalyn Rosenfeld who are totally the opposite). In the same way that Sharon Stone played Ginger, Jennifer played Rosalyn. A young woman who was completely dumb and crazy, but at the same time smart and dangerous.
And if Jennifer gets chosen for roles that would suit to older woman, it's because there's a lack of good roles for young actresses (where they're damsels in distress, or blown out Mary Sues). It took 4 years to Jennifer to play a role that made her noticeable (she barely had any kind of promotion or recognition for The Poker House and The Burning Plain), and she worked very hard to get good roles until Winter's Bone came and everyone saw her.
Something that makes her standout from her colleagues (except for Hailee Steinfeld) is that Jennifer never took any kind of acting lessons, and still, she has a raw talent, which is totally recognizable. Compare her performance on the first Hunger Games film with the second one, and there to American Hustle. It's different approaches and something that few actors can achieve, especially at 22. She's for acting what Alexandre Desplat is for film music.
People shouldn't be forcing Jennifer to stop getting roles or bash her because she gets them, they should her as a inspiration, a role model, a proof that not all young actors are like Kristen Stewart, Shia LaBeauf, Amanda Bynes, or Macaulay culkin. That some of them are truly talented (like Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Miles Teller, Logan Lerman, Daniel Radcliffe, Hailee Steinfeld - much more younger than Jennifer when she's got her Academy Award nom for her first acting role in True Grit -, Shailene Woodley - who has a bad rep for a TV show, but has been proving her worth recently - , Evanna Lynch, Brie Larson, and Saoirse Ronan), and it's not something that Hollywood and acting schools can manufacture.
Totally agree. I just saw a youtube scene for this movie and I was startled to find the first role I thought Jennifer Lawrence was not believable in. Could it be the result of trying to fit her into the movie due to her star power? Marisa Tomei would have been so much more believable. Jennifer is great, but she was just too young for this. There are some things (e.g. aging) you have to experience to be able to play well.
I think that Jennifer made the best she could in that character, yes I felt like she was too young for the role but there's nothing she could do about that. I believe that her performance was deserving of an oscar nom but not a win maybe the fifth position in that category. I think that she played the role perfectly and I believe that any other actress would not have had the presence Jennifer has on screen.
I actually believed her character was written to be very young. Maybe in the original story line she was supposed to be older than Amy Adam's character, but here, they repeatedly emphasized how young she was. How she was wasting her youth. That doesn't sound like words you'd throw around a middle-aged housewife-- you'd say that to women in their 20s.
Irving married her when she already had her son. He rescued her, a young, possibly 18 year old something. Danny doesn't look much older than 6 or 7 currently, so its very plausible they had only been married for 4 or 5 years.
On the other hand, I wholeheartedly agree with her emotional detachment to her son.
Her lack of social anxiety can be explained away with A) she was drunk and B) she wanted to spend time with/snoop on Irving
(I also had not seen a single clip of Jlaw's interviews/speeches until way after viewing this film. I had no idea what Law's actual character was like, and would not have guessed it would match most closely to this character. Chalk that up to her talent?)
I've never seen her in anything that made me think anything other than this is Jenifer Lawrence acting. I would get the same impression if there were someone pantomiming being a baker or a fireman in a game of charades. You do not believe their sincerity because the people doing the pantomiming do not believe there is a need for sincerity. This is what I get from JL.
For future reference:
Actors of fully Jewish background: -Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Julian Morris, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Marla Sokoloff, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Adam Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabriel Macht, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Alden Ehrenreich.
Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers -Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman.
Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: -Andrew Garfield, Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Ben Foster, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz.
Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism -Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
For future reference:
Actors of fully Jewish background: -Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Julian Morris, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Marla Sokoloff, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Adam Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabriel Macht, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Alden Ehrenreich.
Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers -Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman.
Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: -Andrew Garfield, Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Ben Foster, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz.
Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism -Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
For future reference:
Actors of fully Jewish background: -Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Julian Morris, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Marla Sokoloff, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Adam Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabriel Macht, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Alden Ehrenreich.
Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers -Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman.
Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: -Andrew Garfield, Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Ben Foster, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz.
Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism -Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
I agree for the most part. I am a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan and I definitely walked away from that movie with a sense of disappointment. However, I don't entirely agree with your "age-inappropriate casting" point. In Silver Linings Playbook she did a very convincing job of playing a damaged widow who is actually a few years older than Bradley Cooper's character, despite Cooper being 16 years older than her.
Other than that little quarrel I pretty much agree with you.