Uncut Gems

I'm going to say something that I think a lot of people forget.  Adam Sandler is talented.  He obviously stood out during his time on Saturday Night Live back in the 90s, and even a handful of his films have managed to stand the test of time. (The Wedding Singer is my particular favorite.) But when you look at his larger body of film work as a whole, it's easy to forget that.  He has appeared in a lion's share of movies that can generously be labeled as bad, with some even going into unwatchable.  And yet, even when the film has been a clunker through and through, he does still manage to entertain at times, and show that spark of talent that I know he possesses.

On the rare occasions when he ventures into dramatic films like Punch Drunk Love, Funny People or Spanglish, he gets to show his talent on a much broader scale.  The secret to his success in these films is that he basically takes the traits of his comedic characters, and plays them straight.  Just like in his comedies, Sandler portrays people who are anti-social, nervous about the world, and insecure.  He really is playing the types that he knows, only dropping the broader aspects of his performance.  It's a smart move, and it's worked for him.  Uncut Gems is probably his first attempt at a truly dramatic performance.  His other attempts had touches of comedy to them, but here, Sandler is pure raw emotion.  His anger is volcanic, he's shifty, and he's probably the kind of person you would avoid in real life.  But, he is mesmerizing here, and brings a certain power and intensity to a script that at times feel familiar, but he makes it consistently worth watching.

This is saying something, because Sandler is on the screen for almost the film's entire two hour-plus run time.  He seems to be fueled by adrenaline here, talking a mile a minute, and his eyes constantly checking all corners of the room for people who might be out to hurt him.  Even when his character is chatting it up with a customer at the gem store that he runs, he seems to be running solely on nervous energy.  The film is set in New York's diamond district, a world filled with more than its share of con men and shady dealers, but it brings a colorful atmosphere to the film to the point that the streets the movie is set on becomes a character itself.  Sandler plays one of those dealers, a man by the name of Howard Ratner.  He is obsessed with making deals, gambling, and hunting down rare diamond scores that he knows will net him his fortune.  That's what drives him.  Whenever he finds something valuable, he almost has to immediately start planning his next big score. 

This has obviously put a damper on his personal life.  His wife (Idina Menzel, a long way from Frozen here) is on the brink of divorcing him, and is only waiting for the right time to let the kids know.  Speaking of his kids, they barely tolerate his existence.  He has a mistress (Julia Fox), but even that relationship seems to be on shaky ground at times due to his compulsive urges and often volcanic anger.  He's also deeply in debt to his brother-in-law (Eric Bogosian), who frequently sends his thugs out to Howard to rough him up.  This is why he is obsessively chasing after the next big score.  He knows that he can find some way to make a huge amount of money in order to tie up his many debts.  Of course, this will never happen, as Howard is the type to keep on making large wagers while he's in the process of paying off his existing ones.  It's an obsession, and he doesn't really care if it's ruining him or the lives of the people around him.  It simply is who he is.

Now Howard has come upon a rock from an Ethiopian mine filled with multi-colored opals that he claims could be worth millions of dollars at auction.  Before he can deliver it to the auction house, he makes the unwise decision to lend it to Basketball player Kevin Garnett (playing himself), who is interested in the stone, and thinks it will bring him good luck at his games.  When the time comes for Howard to get the stone back, Kevin suddenly becomes very hard to track down, and the remainder of the film becomes a race against time as Howard has to avoid his pursuers, get the stone back, and deliver it to the auction on time.  At its core, Uncut Gems is a movie driven by the same adrenaline that fuels its protagonist.  It's constantly moving, the characters are repeatedly talking over each other, and everyone seems to be in a race to get what they want.  It brings us inside Howard's world where deals are made and broken in a span of about a minute, and where he has to constantly be on the watch out for thugs who might be waiting to "persuade him" to pay off the debts he owes by any means necessary.

What the movie gets right is how it displays Howard's life as a constant balancing act.  He's a smart man, but he's also compulsive, and doesn't make the right decisions sometimes.  He knows the game of his trade, but he also overshoots his chances all too often.  We see how it impacts his personal life and the people around him, but it also clearly shows that Howard doesn't really care.  It's all about him, and all about placing the next bet and hopefully scoring big.  His life is a wreck, and it's one he's completely responsible for.  Again, this plays perfectly upon Sandler's usual on-screen persona, which is usually impulsive and childish.  Channeling these traits toward anger and obsession instead of laughs is what makes the performance work, and the decision to cast him so wonderful.  He is not playing for our sympathy here, like a lot of comic actors do when they turn to drama.  Robin Williams was especially famous for going for the heartstrings whenever he would be serious.  Sandler makes Howard into a character that we don't really like, but is fascinating to watch.

Uncut Gems is a slow-burn movie, but it is thrilling when it needs to be, and is constantly fascinating to watch as we witness the main character's life spiral out of control, with him just trying to stay one step ahead of everyone.  It reminds us just how strong Sandler can be as an actor when he is not playing to the lowest level of the audience, and when he has a great script and filmmakers that understand how to use his on-screen persona to the best of its ability.

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