Uncut Gems: Adam Sandler Gives the Performance of his Career

When the trailer from Uncut Gems came out it said from the directors of Good Time, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, which was great. It’s about a character getting into increasing worse situations. The look of Uncut Gems looked similar to Good Time and all the sudden Adam Sandler shows up an screen with dark glasses, earrings, a leather jacket, and a decent accent. Sandler was in a gritty drama where he plays a jewelry store owner and gambler. I got immediately excited because Sandler was really acting and doing something outside of his comfort zone.

Adam Sandler is incredible to watch on screen in this movie. He is Howard Ratner, a smooth talking guy, who no matter how many bad choices he makes and what he says, you still root for him. It’s hard to believe you are watching Adam Sandler in this because he completely embodies the character he is playing. He uses his comedic talent to add levity to tense situations and it works so well. His life is so chaotic the audience can see it will end badly but they still have hope things will work out. 

He has a smile in this movie that is creepy because the audience isn’t sure what he will do next. There a lot of camera angles looking up at Sandler as he stares forward and he looks like he’s about to kill someone. I never thought Adam Sandler could look intimidating but there are many instances of it. He has emotional range which we’ve seen in other dramas like Punch-Drunk Love and The Meyerowitz Stories. While his career started in comedy he has a future in other genres for sure. I hope he does more movies like this. 

Idina Menzel plays Sandler’s wife and she is unlike anything we’ve seen her do as well. She plays someone resentful of Sandler but a very strong person. LaKeith Stanfield plays Sandler’s somewhat business partner who brings big spenders to Sandler’s jewelry shop. He gives a subtle performance like in Get Out and it’s great. Basketball player Kevin Garnett plays himself and someone interested in a rare item the Sandler possesses. For someone who isn’t an actor Garnett gives a real and convincing performance. The way he worships the item that he wants is hypnotic and he has decent range as an actor. 

The movies opening and closing images are parallel which is very clever. The ending of this movie is so abrupt that it takes a minute to realize it actually happened. From a story standpoint it's not all that surprising that it happened. This is a must see for Adam Sandler’s amazing performance to the Safdie brothers great writing and directing. 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔