Personally, I find the more a film affects my feelings and emotions, the better(no matter the emotion). From Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", to "Free Solo", or even "August Osage County"; films aren't simply bad because they make you uncomfortable. One could argue; the more uncomfortable, the more effective. This is the case with Josh and Benny Safdie's "Uncut Gems".
Adam Sandler's comedies are hit and miss for me. Some are genuinely funny, some are not, but "Uncut Gems" just edged-out P. T. Anderson's "Punch Drunk Love" as my favorite film from this seemingly unrecognized serious actor. The Academy's omission of any nomination (especially for Sandler) is inexcusable. The film currently parks-itself behind "Parasite" as the second best film I have seen from 2019(36 films through an 84-film watchlist).
Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a Jewish Jewell Dealer mired in a world of debt, gambling, gangsters, and real-life Superstars. The casting is exceptional! Every single character makes the film more believable, and it needs them, because the world that Howard Ratner lives-in is so chaotic, that it may have plausibly crumbled-to-pieces without them. Sandler pulls-off the monumental task of creating audience empathy, for a character who is morally bankrupt. We want this guy to find his way out of this relentless hurricane.
The film never lets-off the gas. One might criticize the monotony and predictability of it all, if it weren't for some interesting family and gambling dynamics thrown into the mix. The film seems to be literally dropped into the climax of Ratner's life. There is so much that led to this crescendo, but still, the film manages to completely flesh-out it's characters. By the time it's all over, the viewer feels like they've been pulverized into diamond ash.
The ending is thought-provoking enough to make you ask questions, and the artistic value is nearly flawless. This is as uncomfortable as I've been watching a film in many years, and for that reason alone, it is a success.
9/10 for me.
You Might Like this if you liked: Pi, Charlie Countryman, Mississippi Grind, Sorcerer, or Leaving Las Vegas.
