“If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet,’ I’m like, ‘You can go fuck yourself.’” — Jennifer Lawrence
Born to working-class parents on August 15, 1990, Jennifer Shrader Lawrence always considered herself to be a misfit among her contemporaries and suffered from severe social anxiety. However, Lawrence’s multifaceted talents were noticed way back in school. Stage performances helped her get rid of her social anxiety and she soon found herself feel at ease on-stage. She received her first acting assignment at the nascent age of nine before being scouted off by a talent agency.
Lawrence initially served as a model before embarking on her much-desired acting career. Lawrence garnered critical acclaim with her appearance as a rebel teen on The Bill Engvall Show before debuting in the 2008 film Garden Party. After starring in several other films, Lawrence first gained international success when she appeared as the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class. However, her breakthrough role was that of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series.
Lawrence is an extremely powerful and talented actress who has the ability to portray a wide depth of emotions via her roles. She won the Academy Award for her stellar performance in Silver Linings Playbook. She even became the butt of various jokes after she tripped and fell while going to accept her award but being the oh-so-humorous person that she is, she cracked a few jokes to ease the tension.
She will soon be seen in Red, White and Water, as well as Netflix’s, Don’t Look Up and we are pretty hyped about her new films.
On Lawrence’s 31st birthday, let us take a look at some of her best films on Netflix:
5 best Jennifer Lawrence films on Netflix
5. American Hustle – (David O. Russell, 2013)
Irving and Sydney are con artists who work for an FBI agent in lieu of criminal record erasure and amnesty. Soon, they are pushed into the dangerous world of the Jersey mafia that is high on volatility, violence, gore and political tension.
Russell had written the role of Rosalyn just for Lawrence, who had derived inspiration from watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Lawrence was, however, paid much lesser than her male counterparts. She later said that she “let [herself] down for not fighting hard enough for equal pay”. Besides Christian Bale, Lawrence was incredible in her role as well.
4. House At The End Of The Street – (Mark Tonderai, 2012)
17-year-old Elissa and her newly divorced doctor mother move to an upscale suburb town that hides an ugly secret. Soon, they discover the sinister and ominous events that start to unfold after Elissa and her elusive and much-hated neighbour Ryan become friends and soon start dating, much to her mother’s chagrin.
Jeniffer Lawrence as Elissa adds the right amount of scare in this otherwise flat thriller. Although it abounds in pervading horror, creepy jump scares, blood and gore, somehow, the direction is too clumsy and fast-paced. Stephen Lang as the elusive Ryan is pretty stellar as well. Although they try to incorporate Hitchcockian suspense into the film, it is overall a brave yet futile attempt.
![House at the End of the Street (2012) - Official Trailer [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9SNvuq7bULo/hqdefault.jpg)
3. Passengers – (Morten Tyldum, 2016)
The film sees a man waking up nearly 90 years before the required time while being transported to a distant space colony due to a malfunctioning sleeping pod. Incredibly lonely, he wakes up a fellow female passenger to kill time.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in leading roles, the film is one of Netflix’s more underrated sci-fi films brilliantly explore the insufferable despair and desperation that emanates from loneliness and isolation. While Pratt reportedly took up the role as it gave him an opportunity to try various things as an actor, Lawrence was attracted by the “interesting emotional concept” and multifacetedness of the role.
2. The Hunger Games (Gary Ross, 2012)
As a representative of District 12, Katniss Everdeen fearlessly volunteers to participate in a competition alongside representatives from the other Districts. They undergo intense training before taking part in the titular Hunger Games that abounds in violence and brutality to find the victor.
Set in the totalitarian, dystopian Panem, Jennifer Lawrence plays the fearless Katniss Everdeen. Starring Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, the film franchise is as riveting as the novel franchise it has been adapted from. The film is a wonderful fantasy series that also satirises game shows set in the wilderness where the perverse panoptic gaze of the bourgeois delve deeper, with glee, into the difficulties the tributes face.
1. Mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017)
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple living in a secluded mansion where the husband desperately tries to create his magnum opus while his wife provides her tacit support. Soon, as the man breaks out of his creative block, sinister events start happening while the wife becomes perplexed by the unsettling chaos that engulfs them following her pregnancy.
The film is eerie, puzzling, strange and addictive. Biblical analogies and symbolisms galore, the film explores the creation of life from a religious perspective within a sanctuary-like mansion. The setting is claustrophobic and Lawrence’s performance adds an aura of mysticism and intoxication to the film. Immaculately paced, the cinematography makes the film horrifying and grotesque. While it might take some time to comprehend the purpose of every allegory, it is a must-watch for all!
