One of my favorite comedies growing up was Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler as a moronic adult slacker heir going back to elementary school. It’s not exactly sophisticated entertainment, but I laugh my head off every time I go back to it, which is more than I can say for some of the weaker movies Sandler’s put out recently (Jack and Jill has maybe one funny line, the rest is a pretty painful experience). So when he got a significant amount of acclaim for his role in Uncut Gems, it took people by surprise even though we’ve seen that Adam can shine with more serious material, and has some solid acting range beyond his usual lowbrow humor.
Here it feels as if A24 decided, let’s finance our own Adam Sandler movie but in our unique style, and the result is a compelling potboiler that combines realistic drama with a few fantasy elements. Adam plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler in the Diamond District of New York City who just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. His partner Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) is growing more annoyed with Howard’s antics by the day, who’s racking up gambling debts and tensions with his gangster brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian), down his throat for over a hundred grand. Not to mention he’s juggling an affair with co-worker Julia (Julia Fox) and his wife Dinah (a charismatically annoyed Idina Menzel), who is on the verge of divorcing him.
He feels his luck may be shifting when he’s delivered a rare large opal from an Ethiopian mine (portrayed strikingly harsh in the film’s opening sequence). Howard hopes to auction it off for a million dollars, but he fast-talks himself into letting NBA power forward Kevin Garnett (playing himself) borrow it for a few games, as Garnett seems to be mesmerized by the opal so much it improves his play on the court.
Sadly Howard is addicted to any get-rich-quick scheme that floats in front of him, and eventually he gambles on the wrong money, and Arno is pissed. Howard finds himself in a variety of misadventures in his quest to get the opal back, including escaping from a car trunk and at one point getting into a wild brawl with The Weeknd (also as himself) at a nightclub. It isn’t as drawn out and wacky as Sandler’s fight with Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore, but it’s pretty funny in its own right.
Josh and Benny Safdie’s direction throughout the adventure is a rising sense of dread throughout the protagonist’s highs and lows, which reminded me of another NYC-set A24 film in A Most Violent Year (only that was a period piece from 1981, whereas Gems takes place in 2012). The fantasy elements are weaved into the plot in an extremely subtle fashion, as colorful CGI glimpses into the inside of the titular gem hint at something unusual at play, on top of how it affects the people around it.
From what I’ve seen, Sandler’s acting skill has been praised but audience feedback shows the writing of the Howard character is a negative sticking point- namely that he isn’t likeable and unsympathetic. And let’s not kid ourselves, Howard isn’t exactly the most saintly protagonist. But in spite of all his faults, he’s way easier to root for than Arthur Fleck (speaking as someone who generally enjoyed Joker) Sandler has never been known for playing the standard leading man type.
What’s more, you absolutely should not come in here expecting anything along the lines of Waterboy or Hotel Transylvania. We’ve seen Adam do drama well before in works like Reign Over Me and Punch Drunk Love. And also keep in mind this is A24 we’re talking about. This movie is close to the kind of marriage I imagined between this star and this studio. They’re known for financing moodier, unconventional films. And Sandler adds to it by bringing interesting energy to Howard, who’s simultaneously pathetic and a compelling force of nature, just by his sheer will. It’s easy to question his many, many dumb choices, but the story is still set up to where you still root for a positive outcome in the end (which I won’t spoil).
Ultimately, I’d say Uncut Gems is an enjoyable adult drama that will provoke a wide range of reactions, perhaps anger, pity, laughter, and a whole lot of rising tension. Though it won’t necessarily win over everyone, I not only felt Sandler was quite impressive in his role, but the rest of the cast also delivers to boot. The editing issues are a sticking point, but if you generally want an original feeling, gritty thriller that’s atypical from most of the man’s catalog, I’d say give it a watch and decide for yourself. If you’d seen it, hop by @official_fan on Twitter and share your opinion!