“Uncut Gems” is a film that will leave you reeling from headache-inducing edits and frustratingly provocative performances that concludes in what some might say is an unsatisfactory ending. This is precisely why it is such a great movie.
The movie, directed by brothers Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie, follows Manhattan jeweler Howie Ratner, played by Adam Sandler, through his gambling addiction as he faces the consequences of his actions throughout the movie.
A main character that is infuriatingly selfish with no apparent redeeming qualities is what makes this movie so exciting. Ratner, a man who cheats on his wife and has almost no regrets throughout the film, leaves audiences confused over whether to root for him or against him at certain points. This is what precisely makes this movie so good. Sandler gives the performance of a lifetime in “Uncut Gems” after phoning it in with performances in movies such as “Grown Ups” and “Jack and Jill” to surprise critics everywhere.
Audiences are roped into a high-stakes gamble on the 2012 NBA finals. Basketball fans and those who were not interested in the 2012 game were all at the edge of their seat watching this movie as uncertainty masks each gamble that Ratner places on the games.
The reason why Ratner places bets on these games is in ties to his sale of an Ethiopian ‘uncut gem’ that Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett takes an interest in at the beginning of the movie. Garnett and Ratner, whenever looking at this gem, have wide, almost crazed, eyes as we see the raw desire from both: Ratner for money and Garnett for glory.
Garnett also claims that this rock is the source of his performances during the 2012 NBA finals and becomes obsessed with owning it. Ratner places the Ethiopian rock at a higher value than it comes in at for a high-profile auction he intends to sell it at and thus cons Garnett alongside others.
The editing in this movie also lends itself to praise as scenes are cut together to heighten crowd anxiety throughout the film and keep the audience engaged. The fast-pacing of this movie aids its appeal as the audience is conflicted over how to feel about Ratner’s successes and failures.
Other prominent celebrities featured in the movie are Idina Menzel, who plays Ratner’s wife Dinah, and The Weeknd as himself.
Menzel gives a performance on par with previous ones as she plays a supporting role in “Uncut Gems” to just bash Ratner every now and then throughout the movie but remains a loyal wife. In one scene, Ratner is locked naked in a locked car trunk after being stripped by a man he is indebted to, and Dinah comes out of the school their daughter has a recital at to unlock it. Instead of showing much concern over why Ratner was locked in the trunk, Dinah simply turns around and goes back inside. This shows the normality of such a situation between the two and gives the audience a greater grasp of how long-running Ratner’s gambling addiction has been.
As Ratner is the main character, the audience kind of roots for him at some points and grows frustrated as he continues to lose ground throughout the movie with only small gains.
Ratner, in the end, as the audience is drawn into the concluding 2012 NBA finals game alongside the jeweler after an adrenaline high of a movie is rewarded for a millisecond when the Celtics win only to have their jaws drop when he faces the final consequence of his actions.
The audience is left with the notion that actions will catch up to you and is confused as to whether or not they should be happy over the final consequence of Ratner’s actions as a gambling addict. His mistress, wife and children all seem to have a happy ending as they remain unaware of their passed counterpart in the Diamond District of Manhattan.
Sandler’s performance in this movie, alongside editing unlike anything you’ve ever seen will leave you on the edge of your seat and are more than enough reason to go see this movie as soon as possible.