REVIEW: ‘Uncut Gems’ starring Adam Sandler comes to Netflix
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix press site / Provided with permission.
No other 2019 film matched the intensity of Uncut Gems, a gem of a movie by brothers Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie. Featuring a towering central performance by Adam Sandler, the pulsating drama is a deep, almost Shakespearean rumination on self-destruction, addiction and the art of the deal.
Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler in New York City. He loves selling his coveted products and securing investments, but he also likes to take numerous risks, some of which never pay off. When the film begins, Howard is facing pressure from a group of men he is indebted to, and he’s yearning for a big score in order to bring his books back into the black.
Howard’s home life is falling apart, much like his professional prospects. His wife, Dinah (Idina Menzel), wants a divorce and cannot stand that Howard is mostly absent in the fathering department. This is assessment is indeed factual because when Howard is not selling jewels in his shop, he’s enjoying the company of a girlfriend, Julia (Julia Fox), who also works for the business.
The character’s luck begins to change when NBA player Kevin Garnett, playing himself, comes in to the shop one day, brought there by one of Howard’s closest clients, Demany (LaKeith Stanfield). Having such a high-profile customer in the store instantly brightens up Howard’s day, especially when he shows off his new toy: an uncut gem that he secured through a shady deal.
Garnett falls instantly in love with the gem and wants to buy it — or at least hold on to it, thinking that the sparkling rock-like form will give him luck on the basketball court. The problem is that Howard can never seal the deal on the uncut gem, and those stiffs who want their money — led by Howard’s own brother-in-law (Eric Bogosian) — are breathing down his neck.
Watching Sandler’s expert performance is such a nail-bitting experience. His rides such highs and then must endure such lows, and one can tell that he’s stuck in a cycle of which there appears to be no end. Anytime money comes his way, Howard decides to gamble away the loot, bringing him right back to his previous indebtedness and not keeping any of his enemies at bay.
The script by the Safdie’s is so clever because it affords Howard many chances of redemption and salvation, but time and time again he steps to the side and decides to figuratively bet everything on one number in this large, complicated roulette wheel of life. The satisfaction for Howard comes in the chase and the potential windfall, and any money earned along the way simply serves as a means to take an even larger risk.
In addition to Sandler’s performance, there’s much to appreciate in Stanfield’s portrayal of a man stuck between Howard and his wealthier clients. They play verbal games back and forth, which drives Howard insane, but also makes Demany endlessly interesting and unconventional. The dialogue shared between these two people feels real and authentic, and never like acting or put-on phrases.
Garnett, Menzel, Bogosian, Fox and Judd Hirsch, playing Howard’s father, provide nice accompanying supporting work. But ultimately this movie belongs to Howard, who is a force to be reckoned with, a force to avoid, a force that will likely take out his friends, family and himself — leading to inevitable scenes of despair and even violence.
Uncut Gems is a masterful movie that unfurls like a symphony that builds toward an expectant, but no less thrilling and shocking, finale.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Uncut Gems (2019). Directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie. Written by the Safdie brothers and Ronald Bronstein. Starring Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, Kevin Garnett, Julia Fox, Judd Hirsch and Eric Bogosian. Running time: 135 minutes. Rated R for pervasive strong language, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use. Rating: 
