Even though Haymitch is a drunken smartass, he does have good advice when he's not too intoxicated to deliver it. He obscures his opinions in all kinds of ways, so it's important to remember that he does express fondness for people he does like. He just does it very creatively. (Or very openly, depending on how much booze he's taken in, obviously.) If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading the books; aside from giving you a larger reference pool to draw from for Haymitch (his personality seems to be slightly different, from the one time I've seen the movie), there are a lot of details in the later books that are vital to understanding Haymitch and how he thinks.