| January 22, 2020 | Juan Ibarra | multimedia editor |
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Uncut Gems is a beautiful combination of being stressful and anxiety-inducing without doing it in a way that alienates the audience. The directorial duo of the Safdie brothers have created a raw and fully realized world.
After years of churning out low-hanging-fruit comedies, Adam Sandler is finally given a chance to showcase his acting ability.
Sandler successfully blends into the character of Howard Ratner, a gambling-addicted New Yorker and jewelry shop owner who is massively in debt but always chasing the next big score.
Ratner is Sandler’s best performance in years.
The story revolves around Ratner struggling to pay a $100,000 debt while avoiding loan sharks and attempting to retrieve a black opal that could help relieve his debt.
Ratner barely keeps his head above the water as he juggles his financial issues on top of a traditional family life.
Ratner is not a protagonist that audiences can root for because he is the type of person who cheats his way to success by taking all the shortcuts. While this may turn off some, those who keep watching will be presented with a deeply engrossing story that will keep viewers interested.
The seemingly non-stop score and dialogue make fantastic additions to the chaos. Throughout the film, amazing sound-mixing blends all the noise in a scene to elevate a tense situation into almost unbearable territory.
The supporting actors in the film, including Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox and NBA player Kevin Garnett round out the cast with down-to-earth characters.
Still, Sandler is the gem of this movie and grounds the entire nail-biting experience.
Uncut Gems is a wonderfully-crafted and restless experience that will have the audience’s hearts beating a million miles a minute.
