Going against a type of role that actors/actresses are generally accustomed to can be a difficult task at times ultimately. Not only has the audience gotten used to seeing that person in a particular role, it's difficult for certain actors/actresses to branch out into newer territory as studios don't see them being as marketable as they would be doing their typical work. In the case of Adam Sandler, the comedy/drama actor is known for silly comedies such as
Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, and
Big Daddy with rare instances where he experiments with playing dramatic parts such as
Punch-Drunk Love and
Reign On Me. With
Uncut Gems, Sandler once again tries his hand at playing a more serious and dramatic part with the end result being his most successful attempt at doing so thus far. Not only was
Uncut Gems a box office success, it garnered widespread critical acclaim for Sandler's performance with many feeling that he was snubbed of a Best Actor nomination for his performance at this year's Academy Awards. Those claims appear to be well-founded ones as his performance is nothing short of being terrific work with the rest of the film being an intense, weird, and ultimately effective experience.
Uncut Gems certainly may not be everyone's cup of tea (Especially when looking at the majority of Sandler's body of work and comparing how his comedic roles did in comparison to his dramatic ones) as it often feels like an unusual acting experiment for its main star, but it works while managing to instill hope with the audience watching it that Sandler will continue to gain more experience as a serious actor, rightfully put the days of
Happy Gilmore and
The Waterboy behind him as he's clearly proven that he has more to offer as an actor/entertainer.
The plot for
Uncut Gems centers around a New York Jeweler and investigative gambler named Howard Ratner (Played impressively by Adam Sandler), being obsessed with hitting the big win with him convinced that he's finally figured out the perfect scheme to do so as long as he can outrun all the different people he owes money to until his plan becomes a reality. The best way to describe
Uncut Gems is that the story is constant with the film feeling like one endless panic attack for the audience due to its sheer intensity. From the moment that audiences get the first glimpse of Sandler's character, the film takes off and doesnt slow down with the audience staying with this character for the rest of the film, along with observing how he both cleverly and manipulatively manuever's around both clients and loved ones. Both Sandler and the filmmakers create a world centered around this central character, that feels realistic as well as anxiety-inducing. The film looks as if it can be taken seriously as true events despite the story being crafted by its filmmakers in a way that maintains the audience interest while keeping it unpredictable, frantic, and visceral. The films technical aspects such as it's cinematography, editing, and music all go hand-in-hand in regards to making the world of the main character an immersive and intense one. For some, the way that the story is presented may become too frustrating as there's no clear path as to where the story is heading in terms of predictability, but the rest of the audience will find that the film both appropriately as well as effectively provokes the right emotions, that's demanded of its audience in regards to feeling the overall impact of the story.
Uncut Gems is not a film for everybody nor does it try to be such, it serves as giving audiences a glimpse into the lifestyle of a professional New York hustler whose constantly on the move looking for a way to strike it big, while trying to make sense of the messy lifestyle surrounding his business ventures such as that of his family/lover on the side. In that regard, the film appropriately conveys those emotions and shows those character dynamics off brilliantly.
The key element to
Uncut Gems success was always going to hinge on the strong performance of the actor chosen for the main role. Thankfully in the case of Adam Sandler, he proves to be the ideal choice for the role as he conveys the right emotions and charisma for the part. Sandler is terrific in the part of American Diamond District jeweler Howard Rather with Sandler effectively portraying the characters addiction for gambling. The role proved to be a risky one for Sandler to take with him surpassing expectations, along with reminding audiences that there's more to him than crude humor with him being shown to fully sustain playing a fairly serious and dramatic role, which can be off-putting or awkward for some of Sandler's fans. The little moments of humor that Sandler's character has are well-placed within the film with him playing a straight-forward role for the most part. It becomes apparent for those watching the film that Sandler appears to have a genuine understanding of how his character thinks and operates with him carefully calculating his movements and reactions, as well as balancing out his characters emotions in regards to both comedy and drama with the moments of his character hustling, along with delivering emotional pleas to his family being the moments that make the film work. The rest of the supporting cast that surrounds Sandler does well with their roles with Lakeith Stanfield performing well as Howard's assistant Demany, who helps recruit clients for him. Julia Fox also impresses as Howard's employee and girlfriend Julia De Fiore with her character sharing some strong moments with Sandler performance wise. Basketball star Kevin Garnett succeeds at playing himself with his character given an interesting arc involving his character having a fascination with the uncut gem, that Sandler's character introduces him, with Garnett being convinced that it gives him the power to win pivotal Basketball games leading to an obsession over wanting to purchase it. Other notable performances are Irina Menzel as Howard's wife Dinah Ratner, Eric Bogosian as Howard's brother in law and loan shark Arno, and Judd Hirsch in a small role as Howard's father-in-law Gooey. Given that the film places heavy emphasis on Sandler's performance while structuring the story around his characters perspective, the rest of the cast does very well with working off their main star, as well as the characters and story handed to them. The acting is unequivocally one of the films main areas, that defines its quality with Sandler automatically turning in what's easily his finest acting role to date.
In terms of the films directing, filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie do a solid job of creating an atmosphere for the story that feels tense and realistic with a killer techno soundtrack to give the film an extra boost of adrenaline. Watching the film, it feels as if the filmmakers were attempting to make the audience feel the anxiousness and desperation that Ratner experiences as his options slowly run out. If that was the intention behind making the film feel anxiety-driven, then the filmmakers highly succeed in that regard. The directors literally grab the audience and doesn't give them much time for relief with the films intensity from the moment the opening credits roll up until the films surprise climax. They present Howard's scenario as being a speeding train heading for derailment with the further the film gets as his character slowly alienates everyone around him. Despite the faults of Howard's character, the Safdie directors succeed in making him sympathetic to the audience in a sense, despite giving them the desire to reach through the screen and smack Howard for his critical mistakes and wrongdoings. The filmmakers prove most effective with handling sequences such as Sandler's character attempting to outrun a pair of henchmen at his daughters school play, or the car scene that follows immediately afterwards. The film is well-shot with cinematography that's effective and emphasizes the brightness of the colors in the background. The films editing goes a long way in regards to adding to the suspense and tension within the story, giving it a frantic pace that doesn't allow the audience much room to rest as they're continuously following around Sandler's character as he bounces around from his work to his personal life with both his distant family and young assistant/lover. Howard's life is shown to be a convoluted mess with the filmmakers appropriately showing that through the rapid pacing. It's often said that some movies are either made or broken on the basis of the type of music scores chosen for their background. That very much proves to be the case with
Uncut Gems as the soundtrack here is mean, loud, noisy, and thunderous with it being appropriately scattered throughout the film to add to the tension of key moments in the story. Despite the story taking place in 2012, the soundtrack gives the film a definitive 80's vibe while adding to the energy of the performances from the cast. In regards to the films overall look and execution,
Uncut Gems is a well-filmed and brilliantly put together dark comedy that shows one persons desperation to fix some of the problems in his everyday life, despite not realizing that he's simultaneously creating all new ones on the side. The directors manage to provoke all the right emotions from the audience in regards to wanting to see Howard's character succeed in his scheme, while becoming increasingly frustrated with him and his decision making. The filmmakers create an unpleasant rollercoaster ride of emotions for the audience with the end result bound to stick with them long after the credits roll, particularly with how the story ends.
In the writing category, the films screenplay also by Josh and Benny Safdie along with co-writer Ronald Bronstein, works in regards to keeping the films story structure and narrative straight-forward with the film focusing primarily on Sandler's character. The script places heavy emphasis on Howard's attempts to scheme his way to the top with the frustrations of those associated with him boiling over as he tries to manuever his way through tense situations. The film is very much about hustling, desperation, addiction, and manipulation with the message of the story ultimately saying that luck can be elusive. The film shows Ratner's character to be both winning and losing in terms of luck with his severe gambling addiction proving to ultimately be a self-destructive force. Ratner's obsession with striking it big, is also shown to be his downfall with his personal life being a mess. The relationship between him and his wife is shown to be both a rocky and uneven one with them being in the early stages of their divorce with Howard's wife putting him down with constant insults and sarcasm (One can only imagine what their situation was like prior to the collapse of their marriage), along with scenes showing how checked out Ratner's character is from his family as he finds a Basketball game more important than telling his son goodnight at his wife's persistence. Ratner's imperfection as a husband is also emphasized through his infidelity in regards to his relationship with co-worker and girlfriend Julia. Howard is shown to be happy with his gf while desiring to make things right with his wife when things go sour with Julia. Out of all the themes in the film, the ones that define the story as well as Howard's character are passion, obsession, and a desire to make it big while being completely oblivious to the damage he's further cementing in his own life which the audience sees firsthand. The story is anxiety-ridden with the writers shaping the story to reflect that level of intensity through the actions of both Ratner and the side characters. As much as the audience finds Sandler's character to be a rather unsympathetic figure, who takes advantage of both his clients as well as those closest to him in an effort to gain both wealth and attention, they later find themselves to be rooting for him in the end with how hell-bent he appears in pulling off his scheme. While the films climax won't necessarily leave audiences with a positive feeling after watching it, the film delivers a powerful statement to them in saying that luck isn't always dependable and that unhealthy habits such as addiction, and obsession can wreck and destroy lives rather than advance them. With those themes, the writers of
Uncut Gems succeed in conveying that message in an intense yet entertaining fashion without it feeling heavy-handed.
In the end,
Uncut Gems could've proven to be a critical misfire for both its filmmakers and Adam Sandler as the role itself was a huge gamble for him career wise, but the end result surprises as well as inspires other actors to go against type and test the waters in regards to expanding on their talent. The film is smartly written, convincingly acted, and brilliantly directed with a strong visual flare to it that gives audiences flashbacks to Stanley Kubrick's style of filmmaking in regards to the flashy visual shots. This is a film that wasn't made for the masses, but aimed for those who are passionate about Cinema with the film having many elements and homages to earlier films in the 70s and 80s era.
Uncut Gems is a suspenseful and eye-opening story, that will evoke numerous emotions from its audience ranging from frustration to enjoyment and ultimately being stunned by the films conclusion. It also shows that when given the right material, Sandler can extend his acting range beyond crude humor and sustain it in a more mature role.
Uncut Gems is not only one of the best films of 2019 but also serves as being one of the most underrated as the film despite all the critical acclaim it got, failed to receive a single Oscar nomination making it one of the years most overlooked gems. One hopes the lack of award recognition doesn't deter actors like Sandler from taking more challenging roles as the end result could turn out to be a surprising and ultimately rewarding experience.
Uncut Gems has Adam Sandler (Similar to his character in the film) at the top of his game delivering a career best performance, that gives power to a film that's relentless in both its intent and desire to entertain.
Final Verdict: For both movie fans and Adam Sandler fans in general,
Uncut Gems is a must see as it's out there in regards to style but delivers audiences an unusual experience, that proves to be ultimately satisfying in the end
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