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McCoy on Movies: Uncut Gems

December 24, 2019 By Tabari McCoy

Adam Sandler’s problematic protagonist makes fool’s gold out of Uncut Gems

“OK, OK – I won’t ask you anymore questions about LeBron if you agree to not ask me anymore about Rob Schneider!” Kevin Garnett, left, listens as Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) tries to make a deal as their mutual acquaintance Demany (LaKeith Stanfield) looks on in a scene from the Safdie Brothers’ latest drama UNCUT GEMS. Credit: © and ™ A24 Films. All rights reserved.

 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Eric Bogosian, Julia Fox, Keith Williams Richards, Tommy Kominik and Judd HirschDIRECTOR(S): Josh and Benny Safdie

WEB SITE: https://a24films.com/
THE BACK STORY: Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) is a jeweler in New York City’s famed “Diamond District.” He’s got healthy children with his estranged wife Dinah (Idina Menzel), a wealthy father-in-law in Gooey (Judd Hirsch) and a streetwise business partner in Demany (LaKeith Stanfield) to help him get clientele like Boston Celtics power forward and future NBA champion Kevin Garnett (yes, played by Kevin Garnett). 


Unfortunately, Howard also has a lot of personal problems caused by his demons. That’s why he has an apartment in the city where his employee/girlfriend Julia (Julia Fox) and he can enjoy their rendezvouses and he is a massive gambler, which is why his in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian) wants him to pay him the money he is owed ASAP. That’s also why Arno’s two “business associates” Phil (Keith William Richards) and Nico (Tommy Kominik) are ready to beat Howard any chance they get. 


So, what happens when Howard receives a rare gem that ends up tying his future with Garnett, Arno and Julia all together? Let’s just say you can bet on it changing all of their lives forever. 

THE REVIEW: Sometimes you see a movie that features actors turning in fine performances with characters that are realistic in a story that makes perfect sense given the world in which they exist. Likewise, the direction is tight, the camera work draws you into those characters’ respective worlds and the pacing (for the most part) makes sense. But, for whatever reason, you just aren’t captivated by it, it lacks something that makes many (outside of those into artistic endeavors and/or laud “cinema” or “movies”).Unfortunately in the case of Uncut Gems, this factor works against the film and turns what one would hope could be a diamond into a rather frustrating piece of fool’s gold.

Other than the surreal joy of watching Kevin Garnett playing Kevin Garnett without acting like he is Kevin Garnett, Uncut Gems features a protagonist who is the textbook definition of a sad sack due to his own inability to get out of his own way. Sandler’s Howard Ratner is manic, fast-talking, obsessive and unappreciative of his own fortunes, always driven by his next big hit. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley once famously coined the phrase “the disease of more,” saying “Success is often the first step towards disaster” – meaning that once one has a little bit of it, the compulsion for more of it often leads to one’s own undoing. Perhaps the Safdie brothers, like Sandler himself, are really big basketball fans, hence their need to create a character Riley himself might deem uncoachable. Thus, Uncut Gems is much like being a fan of a popular sports team that the rest of the league hates – only built for die-hard Sandler fans only (for the most part) who will support “their guy” no matter what.

Unlike Robert Pattinson in the Safdie brothers’ previous effort, the stellar Good Time, Ratner has zero redeeming qualities to the point you almost – almost – enjoy watching him fail. This is a self-destructive man doing self-destructive things: That may be the point, but while it’s a point well-taken, it is also one that isn’t exactly (for lack of a better word) fun point to watch.

Whereas Pattinson’s character was trying to do something wrong to provide a better life for he and his mentally challenged brother, Sandler’s character is a pure narcissist who treats everything and everyone – Julia especially – like just another trophy. (Given that he is a jeweler and what gems represent in both the film and in American society, of course, the metaphors abound aplenty.) Sandler’s character is King Midas … And anyone who’s paid attention to any basic Greek mythology in a social studies class knows how well that worked out for him.

Which is a shame, because Uncut Gems had a lot more potential to be a good Christmas present for someone outside of just hardcore Sandler and Garnett fans.

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

 
 

Filed Under: On Screen Dayton, The Featured Articles Tagged With: Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel, Uncut Gems

About Tabari McCoy

Tabari McCoy recorded his first comedy album in his basement when he was either 10 or 11 years of age. But it was terrible – and like the item central to the plot of Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark – it was filed away, never to be heard again.

An award-winning journalist, Tabari continues his writing pursuits today – most prominently at McCoy On Movies, his online movie blog Now with his debut album Laughing With a Panther (Rooftop Comedy) in stores and his national TV debut on Fox's Laughs under his belt, his future on stage is looking bigger and brighter ... Or that's at least what he tells all the financial institutions to whom he owes money.

But no matter what he says, he does it with one simple goal in mind: Making people laugh – and hoping he doesn’t anger his family or God in the process.


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