If you heard about or saw any promotional material for Uncut Gems and immediately got excited for a new Adam Sandler comedy, do not see Uncut Gems. If you have an aversion to watching movies that feature nothing but the lowest depths of human behavior, do not see Uncut Gems. If you detest the idea of sitting in a theater for two and a half hours and being bombarded with a nonstop cacophony of miscellaneous noise and stress, do not see Uncut Gems. If you have a heart condition, do not see Uncut Gems.
If none of the above applies to you, if you’re open to new and strange moviegoing experiences, if you’d get a kick out of watching Adam Sandler do Oscar-worthy work, and if you just generally want to have a really good time at the movies, see Uncut Gems.
The film, directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie of Good Time fame, stars Sandler as Howard Ratner, a gambling-addicted jeweler at a point of unending chaos in his life. Similar to the work they did with Robert Pattinson in Good Time, the Safdies draw an astounding performance out of an actor typically regarded as something of a punchline. Sandler, like Pattinson, is clearly a truly gifted dramatic actor who should be recognized by more people as such. His performance is truly excellent, yet he never veers far from his trademark style. Instead of the typical formulaic mindless slop he usually shovels (although a lot of it is very funny), he’s provided with complex material that allows his unique persona to shine. The determination of the Safdies to subvert expectations here is impressive. The brothers never surrender their commitment to abrasive chaos, never capitulate to the reality that people are going to see this and expect typical Sandler. That’s why the movie is doing so poorly with audiences, who have tagged the film with a less-than-optimal 52% Rotten Tomatoes audience score despite terrific box office numbers. Only a minority of theatrical Uncut Gems viewers had any idea exactly what they were getting into, and most others were appalled at what they got.
They probably felt this way from the moment, at the start of the film, when the camera zooms out of Howard’s colon. This initial colonoscopy honestly serves no major function to the plot and just two minor ones: it provides a really cool way to enter the film, and it sets up one of the funniest moments of the whole thing, where Howard receives a call in the middle of all the chaos to tell him that his results came back clean. The colonoscopy is, ironically, the most docile moment of the film for Howard. Immediately after he leaves, he enters a nightmarish hellworld of gambling debts, high stakes basketball games, and other stressful situations of his own creation. Howard is a man perpetually under attack by circumstances he could’ve easily prevented, yet he continues to plunge himself further into this heart of darkness. Why? He loves chaos. His life appears to be totally out of control, yet he never really loses his grip on his own situation, because he’s accustomed to it. He always has a handle on his life, he’s always playing the long game. He stirs up insanity because it’s all he knows. It’s like he says late in the film: “This is me. This is how I win.”
Howard’s jewelry shop is visited by Kevin Garnett (playing himself), then a massive superstar playing for the Boston Celtics. While Garnett is at the shop, Howard receives a package he’s spent a long time waiting for: an Ethiopian black opal that he says is worth over a million dollars. Upon being shown the gem and having its value explained to him, Garnett connects with it. He feels a sense of power relating to it, and offers to buy it from Howard. Howard explains that he’s already committed to auctioning off the gem and he can’t sell it. Garnett begs to keep it for just one night, for his game in the Celtics’ playoff series against the 76ers. Demany (Lakeith Stanfield), Howard’s assistant, vouches for Garnett, and Howard agrees to give him the opal in exchange for Garnett’s championship ring as collateral. Howard instantly turns around and pawns the ring, taking the money he gets and betting it on Boston, believing the stone will propel Garnett to play well.
That night, we get a glimpse into Howard’s domestic life. His relationship with his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) has fully deteriorated, and they have agreed to an impending divorce. He has a loving relationship with his mistress Julia (Julia Fox), who also works in his shop. He owes $100,000 to Arno (Eric Bogosian), his brother in law, who isn’t shy about using violence to get his money. Arno and his goons have made it clear that they’ve waited long enough to be paid back, canceling Howard’s bet on the Celtics unbeknownst to him as it was placed with their money. Immediately after revealing this to him, they stuff Howard naked into the trunk of his own car. His relationship with Julia is really his only positive one: they really do clearly love each other. So when that crumbles, there’s nothing left for Howard but his gambling.
The plot is really just a sequence of increasingly devastating events: Garnett keeps the opal for longer than he was supposed to, Howard misses the date to get back Garnett’s ring from the pawn shop, the opal gets appraised by the auction house and valued at far less ($150,000) than what Howard believed he was getting, he enlists his father in law to bid up the gem to get Garnett to pay more, which backfires. Until Garnett comes with another offer to buy it after a weak performance in his first game without it.
At this point, the film devolves into an unbelievably intense experience like no other. From the moment Howard decides to bet the money on Boston to the very end of the film, I had pins and needles running throughout my entire body, a physical reaction to a film the likes of which were totally new to me. From this point forward we’ll be pretty far into spoiler territory, so you’ve been warned. Howard, knowing Arno is on his way to collect the money, acts fast and gives it to Julia to take to the Mohegan Sun casino, with instructions on a specific bet inside. If it pays off, he stands to make well in excess of a million dollars. Arno, upon learning of what’s happened to his money, is furious and sends his men after Julia. They get stuck in the entry vestibule to Howard’s shop on the way out, however, and Howard sees his opportunity and keeps them trapped there, where they remain as the game plays out. The game sequence is unbearably intense, as the circumstances of Howard’s bet slowly play out until the only one remaining is the Celtics winning the game. They do. It’s a moment of ecstasy unmatched in movies this year, and it’s quickly followed by a moment of similarly unparalleled devastation. Arno is astounded at Howard’s luck, and begins to show immense relief and happiness at the fact that he doesn’t have to harm a member of his family. Yet when the vestibule is unlocked, one of Arno’s henchmen shoots Howard in the head, killing him. It’s a moment too shocking to properly comprehend at first, which makes the ensuing chaos all the more insane. Arno rightfully flips out, causing his henchman to shoot him too. The remaining henchmen raid Howard’s store, while Julia boards a helicopter with the money, which will turn out to all be hers. The film ends by zooming into Howard’s bullet wound in a similar way to the zoom out of his colon at the start of it.
Uncut Gems is clearly not for everyone. Many will find it unbearable, while others will appreciate the artistry of it while marveling at the sheer insanity of it. It’s technically great. The cinematography by the great Darius Khondji is up to his high standards, and the Safdies direct the hell out of it. It’s Sandler’s movie, but the supporting cast is still on another level. Julia Fox is revelatory. Kevin Garnett joins the pantheon of all-time great self-portrayals. Eric Bogosian, for all of his character’s inherent malice, packs an understated emotion into his role and creates a stealthily complex villain. Lakeith Stanfield sensationally sells what it must be like to actually know Howard as a person while at the same time making you frustrated on Howard’s behalf. Mike Francesa is somehow tolerable. And Wayne Diamond’s brief appearance at the end as a spray-tanned older guy with a raging libido cements the entire thing as a masterpiece of epic proportions.
If you can handle Uncut Gems, you’re in for a truly unique and stunning experience and one of the year’s very best films. If you can’t, I honestly can’t blame you: it’s intentionally abrasive and hard to stomach. Yet it parlays this into a mood, an intoxicating one that doesn’t leave you alone once you exit the theater. It’s an absolute (sorry) gem.
Rating: 5/5
The Movie Files 