Review of Uncut Gems (2019) by Markhreviews — 27 Dec 2019

Act One of “Uncut Gems” includes footage from a colonoscopy. It’s by far the most probing, thoughtful, well-paced and illuminating scene in the film.

This film was written and directed by the Safdie Brothers, the current “next big thing” in movie-making. Their 2017 film “Good Time” with Robert Pattinson was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize at Cannes. Their films have been described by “Variety” as “raucously interior inner-city films” that are “contemporary, raw and untethered.”.

“Uncut Gems” has been ten years in the making. It is based on family lore told by the Safdies’ father, who worked in the diamond district of New York City. The film’s central character, Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), is a diamond merchant and compulsive gambler doing everything he can to stay one step ahead of the debt collectors. Howard imports a blood opal from Africa in the body of a fish, he makes wildly implausible bets on NBA games, he gets locked naked in the trunk of his own car while attending his daughter’s school play, he gets thrown into a fountain. After that, the action picks up. Unfortunately, it’s all just mania in search of a purpose.

While some moviegoers may experience this film as one long adrenaline rush, for me the frantic pace and too-close hand-held cameras were simply exhausting. The film offers zero character development – Howard is apparently genetically incapable of introspection, much less learning from his incessant mistakes. In fairness, there is one moment of personal insight in Act Three. Of course, this flash of self-awareness is discarded immediately. The film’s climactic scene is shocking, but completely unearned.

We all know people like Howard – people who use baseless bravado to hide their insecurity, people who are so self-absorbed they either don’t know or don’t care about the carnage they inflict on family and friends as the lurch through life. In that sense, “Uncut Gems” is an accurate slice of life. But that doesn’t make this film insightful or profound. It just adds to our trauma as we’re forced to observe the fast-moving train wreck. The dialogue is staggering in its self-indulgence. If the f-bombs were removed, the running time would be about 20 minutes. The profanity isn’t shocking or offensive, just monotonous.

My guess is that this is one of those films that is adored by professional film critics, but will generate “Huh? What?” from a lot of regular movie-goers. If that’s the case, “Uncut Gems” almost makes me believe in populism.