Book Haymitch and Movie Haymitch are two different characters
If the Haymitch in SOTR feels “off” to you and it has been some time since you’ve read the trilogy then I would suggest that you go back and read it. Particularly if you’ve got Woody Harrelson dancing around in your head.
I don’t see people discuss this very often, but book Haymitch and movie Haymitch are quite different. They’re both drunk assholes with knowledge of the Games, but that’s about all that movie Haymitch is whereas book Haymitch has so many more layers, so much more depth, and is so much closer to the boy that we see in SOTR.
The movies sand down his extremes. Book Haymitch can come off as much darker and even more violent (such as when he punches Peeta). But he can also be much more tender than movie Haymitch (such as when he kisses the top of Katniss’s head before her interview).
His level of despair and hopelessness is much higher in the books. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do because even though he has plenty of smart ideas, everything he tries just ends up getting people killed. And yet he has these two kids in front of him who keep wanting him to try. This doesn’t really come across to me in the movies.
His alcoholism is so much worse and is treated so much more seriously in the books. In the movies, it’s almost always used as a joke. It’s sometimes used as a joke in the books, but we can also see that this man has severe alcoholism to the point that he has difficulty functioning. When he meets Katniss and Peeta, he immediately vomits on the ground and Peeta has to go give him a bath. His withdrawals in Catching Fire are also striking.
Book Haymitch has hints of rebellion such as when he points into the camera when Katniss is reaped. These aren’t as present in movie Haymitch. I certainly think that movie Haymitch is pissed off about the Games, but he doesn’t have the same dark undercurrent of rebellion.
I also think that one of the biggest differences is that book Haymitch is so chaotic (which matches the impulsive boy from SOTR well). I can never predict what book Haymitch might do. With movie Haymitch I know pretty well what he’ll do because his actions are mostly limited to: a) acting drunk in a funny way, b) dispensing wise advice about the Hunger Games, c) being a sarcastic asshole, or d) flirting with Effie Trinket.
Book Haymitch might do any of these things except for the flirting with Effie Trinket one. But there are also so many other possibilities. He might give you amazing insight into the Games. He might vomit on the carpet. He might fall into a depressive state where he’s of no use to anyone. He might be the only person who can fix your propo for you. He might tell you that Peeta is the best boy ever. He might punch Peeta in the face. He might insult Katniss. He might give Katniss a tender hug. He’s very unpredictable in a way that doesn’t come across in the movies.
Because the Seam and merchant divide is almost absent from the movies, we don’t get much if any impression of Haymitch being Seam. This is one of the main ways that Katniss connects to him in the books and it’s a huge part of his character. He’s so very Appalachian. Gone from the movies.
Do the movies even have the reveal that Snow killed Haymitch’s family and his girl? I don’t remember it, but it’s been a long time since I watched Mockingjay. I know they don’t really show his Quarter Quell. And I remember that they completely ruined that scene of Finnick’s revelations by interspersing it with action movie bullshit.
None of this is meant to be a criticism of Woody Harrelson, by the way. He does very well with the part as it is written. But book Haymitch just has so much more depth and is so much closer to SOTR Haymitch. I do sort of wonder how they are going to handle the SOTR movie because I can picture movie-only fans just thinking “what the fuck?” But for me, SOTR Haymitch works so well as a younger version of the Haymitch we see in the Hunger Games books.
