Up until the release of Uncut Gems in 2019, Adam Sandler had made a name for himself as an oddball in ‘90s comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Maddison, and family-friendly romcom hits The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates. That completely changed when he signed up to work with Benny and John Safdie, though.
Previously, the indie filmmaking brothers had co-directed another A24 crime thriller called Good Time, which is likely what helped lay the groundwork for their next collaboration. Inspired by stories from their father’s time working in New York’s diamond district, Uncut Gems is about a jeweler called Howard Ratner (Sandler) that places a series of bets on a hotshot basketball player that go terribly wrong.
At the center of the story is a rare opal that Howard has smuggled in but can’t keep hold of, much like his gambling addiction. In his desperation to win back the gemstone, Howard risks everything – it’s used as a metaphor in the movie. Uncut Gems is by no means a lighthearted watch, but Sandler will keep you at the edge of your seat while it’s on Netflix.
Uncut Gems is Adam Sandler’s finest work
I’m not alone in singling out Sandler’s performance in Uncut Gems, with many critics including Roger Ebert’s Sheila O’Malley going as far to say that it should come as “no surprise” that he’d be able to hold such a serious role like this. Key to this is the empathy that Sandler is able to subtly create for such an unlikeable character.
The New York Times’ Richard Brody agrees, saying: “Sandler’s frantic and fidgety performance provides the movie with its emotional backbone.” It’s not just Sandler though, with the whole cast including “[Idina] Menzel’s swing between the steadfast and the derisive, [Eric] Bogosian’s terrifying calm, [LaKeith] Stanfield’s good-humored acuity, [Kevin] Garnett’s elevated poise, [Julia] Fox’s survivalist ferocity” offering up mesmerizing performances.
While Uncut Gems is filled with tension and at times can be challenging, it’s an exhilarating watch – and is highly rated by the critics, earning its spot in our best Netflix movies list – with a thought-provoking message. As The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey writes: “Uncut Gems is a fairytale written by the hand of capitalism, where mystical highs are followed by crushing blows – and there’s always a price to pay.”
