Uncut Gems review

UNCUT GEMS: 

ADAM SANDLER GIVES AN ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCE IN THIS UNSETTLING YET MESMERIZING CRIME-THRILLER! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

A24

Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems

            Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Punch-Drunk Love, Funny People) makes a long overdue return to drama for the performance of a lifetime in Uncut Gems, the new crime-thriller from the Safdie Brothers (Lenny Cooke, Heaven Knows What, Good Time). Adam Sandler has always been hit-or-miss to me in his comedies, but his occasional ventures in dramas like Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, and Funny People showed exactly what he could do as an actor and were some of the best films in his career, this being no exception. 

            Uncut Gems is absolutely terrific and one of the best films of 2019, from beginning to end I was completely engrossed in this film wanting to know where it was going and how everything would play out in the end. If this counts as an Adam Sandler movie then it’s the best Adam Sandler movie ever made, and a sign that he should probably reconsider his choices in films. 

            The film follows Howard Ratner (Sandler), a man who works as a jeweler in New York City’s Diamond District with a serious gambling addiction. Howard runs the jewelry store while struggling to pay back gambling debts, particularly $100,000 to loan sharks. 

His golden opportunity comes in the form of a rare and valuable gem, but over the course of a few days he loses it and has to get it back. However, it isn’t a simple race to obtain the gem and pay off the debts, no, along the way Howard makes even more insane bets with one bad decision after another getting deeper and deeper into trouble in his relentless pursuit for the ultimate score. 

The film also stars Idina Menzel (Rent, Enchanted, Frozen 1 and 2) as Howard’s wife Dinah, newcomer Julia Fox as Howard’s employee and girlfriend Julia, Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, Knives Out) as Demany, professional basketball player Kevin Garnett as himself, Eric Bogosian (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Billions, Succession) as Amo, Judd Hirsch (Taxi, Ordinary People, A Beautiful Mind) as Gooey, Mike Francesca (Undefeated (2003)) as Gary, Josh Ostrovsky (The Daily 10, Ben Banks, Zoolander 2) as Noah, and Pom Klementieff (Oldboy, Ingrid Goes West, Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Lexus.

Overall, Uncut Gems reaffirms Adam Sandler’s capabilities as a dramatic actor as well as show the full potential of the Safdie Brothers as directors with a tense and mesmerizing crime-thriller. There is never a dull moment in this film, nor does it give you a chance to breathe, it’s just one crazy situation after another and even when the slower moments occur there is still this unsettling vibe throughout the entire movie. 

Adam Sandler’s performance is the highlight of this film and probably his best performance in his entire career. He is giving a million percent whenever he’s on-screen and a rare time where Sandler plays for a lack of better word, a scumbag, he’s a terrible person who makes a lot of bad decisions who would probably be the bad guy in any other movie, but the brilliant thing about Sandler’s casting is he also retains a sense of humanity, likability, and charm to the role in which you start rooting for him to pay off the debts but at the same time you also don’t want him to succeed because of how fascinating and riveting the story gets with each bad decision made. 

However, Sandler isn’t the only scene-stealer in this movie, there is also Julia Fox’s breakout performance as Julia. Outside of directing a short film called Fantasy Girls, Fox has little to no film credentials prior to this and she makes just as big an impression as Sandler, and not just because she’s gorgeous her acting in this is really good and I hope she’ll get more attention after this film. 

This is a very well-written film that isn’t based on a true story, but it certainly feels like it is and I’m sure there have been instances where this occurred in real life and people with gambling addictions do exist. Despite being a work of fiction, Uncut Gems is a grim, fascinating, and at times humorous enlightenment on the consequences gambling addictions can have on a person masterfully brought to the screen by the Safdie Brothers who could very well be new masters of cinema with this as well as 2017’s Good Time starring Robert Pattinson. 

Uncut Gems is more than just a film, it’s an experience with a riveting story, brilliant writing and directing by the Safdie Brothers, and featuring a game-changing performance by Adam Sandler all inducing the right amount of anxiety until the heart-pounding final act. If you had a choice between watching this or Star Wars, I say drop the lightsabers and go watch Adam Sandler, you won’t regret it.