Today’s quick review: Uncut Gems. Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a New York jeweler with a gambling addiction and a mountain of debt, has a scheme that will solve all his problems: auctioning off a rare black opal. But when Howard mistakenly loans the opal to NBA player Kevin Garnett (Kevin Garnett), he has to scramble to get the gem back and sell it before his loan shark Arno (Eric Bogosian) comes to collect.
Uncut Gems is a crime drama about a jeweler whose professional and personal lives are on the verge of collapse. Adam Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, a man whose talent as a salesman is equaled only by his capacity for self-destruction. The film follows Howard as he tries to pay off his debt using a complex series of loans, bets, and jewelry sales. Uncomfortable situations and a memorable lead make Uncut Gems a strong pick for the right viewer.
Uncut Gems makes for a very effective character study. Howard is fascinating to watch. He makes one short-sighted decision after another in an effort to stay afloat, and he’s always one unlucky break away from catastrophe. The film pushes Howard to his limits with a series of setbacks that force him to lie, threaten, and grovel to survive. Even then, Howard’s situation rapidly deteriorates as his actions catch up with him.
The art of Uncut Gems is that it makes a man like Howard Ratner sympathetic. Howard lies aggressively, uses the people around him, and cheats on his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) with his employee Julia (Julia Fox). His only redeeming features are his dreams of making it big and his residual love for his family. Yet the film convinces the audience to look past Howard’s flaws and root for him anyway, no matter how much of a lost cause he is.
The end result is an engrossing, often painful tale about a man ruining what’s left of his life. Uncut Gems is one of the rare films that manages to have a deeply flawed protagonist without compensating for his flaws with glamor or charisma. Still, the film’s gambit will not work for everyone. To get the most out of Uncut Gems, you must be able to invest in a man at his worst. For Howard, some viewers will not make the effort.
For a similarly chaotic crime comedy about a priceless gem, check out Snatch. For a crime drama from the same director that also deals with deeply self-destructive decision-making, try Good Time. For a more glamorous tale of wealth and addiction, try Blow, Lord of War, or Wolf of Wall Street. For a less severe drama about a man addicted to sports gambling, try Two for the Money.
[7.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5727208/). I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for an uncomfortably well-crafted character study.