![]() ![]() At a certain point, it’s unclear what he is really after anymore, as blessings in his life begin to crumble under the gaze of his blind spots. Throughout the film, Howard becomes more and more disillusioned as he becomes increasingly invested in the value of this gem. However, how can the value of this opal truly be characterized? How can the value of expensive material possessions be characterized in our world as well? Uncut Gems seems to predicate on the concept that a material possession’s “value” is simply an illusion. The value of this opal is almost entirely constructed by Howard, as he attempts to convince others to believe in its intangible high value too. When Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett is lured into his shop, Howard cannot help but flash this opal that Garnett eventually convinces himself is a good luck charm.Īs a jeweler, every piece of material is attached to a certain value, whether it’s a bracelet, a watch, a necklace, or an Ethiopian opal. ![]() A large part of the film’s conflict revolves around Howard’s possession of this “rare” black opal from Ethiopia, which appears in the first sequence of the film. Throughout the film, Howard digs larger and larger holes for himself, as he attempts to get rid of long-standing debts, while simultaneously trying to come out of the situation with more than he started with. Uncut Gems follows a Diamond District jeweler named Howard (Adam Sandler), who is addicted to gambling and that rush of adrenaline one gets from making decisions that could end in win-all or lose-all situations. In fact, one of the things that made me hesitant to watch Uncut Gems (despite it being distributed by A24) is because I thought, how good can a film be with Adam Sandler in it? Do we trust Lenny Feder of Grown Ups (and Grown Ups 2) to execute a serious role? Apparently, we can. ‘Uncut Gems’ reignites his fires and then some, partly because he’s playing someone so driven, who adores the thrill of the chase and takes an almost sexual ecstasy in every payoff.īut it’s also partly because Howard, flamboyant, shameless, loathsome and intermittently lovable, charges so many of Sandler’s familiar expressions and gestures with searing new energy and purpose.Before watching Uncut Gems, I doubted Adam Sandler. “In recent studio misfires … the actor’s familiar shtick has seemed to arise not from a place of gutsy transgressive comedy, but from a zone of laziness and complacency, as if he couldn’t even muster enough energy to laugh his way to the bank. Watching Sandler do it is oddly refreshing,” wrote Los Angeles Times critic Justin Chang in his review. “Watching Howard work overtime can be exhausting. But Sandler’s performance makes it a thrill. Howard is a good-for-nothing hustler, says his wife (an icy Idina Menzel), which almost everyone in his life knows, minus his co-worker/girlfriend (Julia Fox women have two settings in this film). The latest is moving black market Ethiopian opals in 2012 New York, specifically with the help of Boston Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett.ĭirected by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein, the film features a stressfully frenzied score by Daniel Lopatin, and cinematography by Darius Khondji that shakily locks in on Howard, perfect complements to the pandemonium the character inspires. “Uncut Gems”: Howard Ratner (Adam Sadler) is a wildly chaotic jewelry dealer and gambler, always trying to talk his way into making bigger bets (or maybe more accurately, out of the latest mess he’s created). ![]()
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