Review: Uncut Gems

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Let's bet on this.

Howard (Adam Sandler) is a shifty New York jeweler who spend a lot of time placing bets, sometimes with money he doesn't have. When he gets his hands on a rare Opal that catches the eye of Kevin Garnett (playing a version of himself) he makes the biggest gamble of his life.

This movie gave me so much anxiety. Howard makes so many awful choices and everyone is constantly yelling that it's just ~a lot~ to deal with in a two hour film. At one point about half way through the film, I thought to myself "Someone should probably just kill him now, because it's never going to stop." We get a bit of respite at one point, then when Howard makes another bet I could hear several people in the theater shifting in their seats again. I think we were all in physical pain.

If you don't mind being on the edge of your seat for a long period of time, Uncut Gems is a solid second effort from the Safdie brothers, and a stronger outing than their last film, Good Time. It has a quick pace for most of the film and the score is very interesting and enhances the film well.

Adam Sandler was an actor I loved as a kid. His humor worked for me, as an adult, the only performances of his I can say that I still like are Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish. Until this film, I don't think I have ever said "I'm excited to see an Adam Sandler performance." The pay off is wonderful, because he's excellent here. This is probably his greatest performance of all time. He also has a very strong cast of supporting characters. LaKeith Stanfield is always reliable, and Julia Fox playing his way too young for him girlfriend was also a standout. Kevin Garnett coming in and playing himself was very surprising. He's not wooden at all and I really enjoyed his performance.

Uncut Gems isn't perfect. For all the distress is causes, there were parts of the film that I felt could've been trimmed a bit. It also gets very repetitive. But I think this film is worth your time for Sandler's performance alone. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "Holy shit, I'm gonna come." - Howard (Adam Sandler)

Comments

  1. The Wiggles (@TheWiggles)December 31, 2019 at 10:39 AM

    Happy New Year Brittani

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carson Maitland - SmithDecember 31, 2019 at 10:40 AM

    Happy New Year Brittani ❤️💛💜💙

    ReplyDelete
  3. keith71_98December 31, 2019 at 2:02 PM

    Nice review. I appreciated parts of it but I'm not as enamored with it as most seem to be. Sandler is very good but isn't it basically another shade of the usual man-baby character he always plays? LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 31, 2019 at 2:05 PM

      I'm not sure if it's anything like his man babies. It felt really different, but there's no way I could watch this again. I couldn't put myself through it. lol

      Delete
  4. thevoid99December 31, 2019 at 5:18 PM

    I do want to see this but I want to see Good Time first just to understand what the Safdie Brothers are about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 31, 2019 at 8:59 PM

      They're fairly chaotic. I didn't love Good Time but it was a decent watch.

      Delete
  5. epileptic.moondancerJanuary 1, 2020 at 2:49 AM

    I'm glad you enjoyed this Brit =] I agree it coulda been trimmed a bit as it is a little repetitive, but I liked the chaos of it all, a great analogy for the life of someone like Howard I think.

    I'm always about the experience over plot for the most part, so I never really look for plot holes unless they are gaping and ruin the film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 1, 2020 at 6:42 AM

      There wasn't anything that jumped out at me for being a massive plot hole, thankfully.

      Delete
  6. s.January 1, 2020 at 5:02 AM

    I really loved this one. For how stressful it was, I also found it hilarious and cannot wait to see it again

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 1, 2020 at 6:41 AM

      I don't think I could watch this again. My entire body hurt the first time lol

      Delete
    2. m.brownJanuary 2, 2020 at 10:01 PM

      Of course Margaret wants to see this again. Way too hardcore for me.

      Shit. When I left the theater, I felt like I'd been shoveling snow all damn day.

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 3, 2020 at 6:47 AM

      SAME

      Delete
  7. m.brownJanuary 2, 2020 at 10:00 PM

    I agree with everything you've said here. And love the KG shoutout, too. I was stressed as f--k the entire time and was borderline exhausted when this one finished. Like, Howard, just f--king go to bed early ONCE, my man. Please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 3, 2020 at 6:48 AM

      That's exactly how I felt. I was in physical pain during this movie lol. I don't think I could watch it again.

      Delete
  8. GetterJanuary 4, 2020 at 4:07 PM

    I still need to see it. It looks so messy and fast paced that I'm afraid to even start it. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJanuary 5, 2020 at 1:35 PM

      It is very messy (but not bad messy) and fast paced. You'll want to strangle Sandler by the end of it.

      Delete
  9. boardsofcinemaMay 31, 2020 at 5:34 PM

    The "Memorable Quote" at the end is "Holy shit, I'm gonna cum", not "Oh my God, I'm gonna come". Just throwing that out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 31, 2020 at 10:27 PM

      I just checked on Netflix and you're absolutely right. I corrected it. :)

      Delete

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