Our take
A crazy, anxiety-inducing thriller that turns Adam Sandler into a thrill-generating machine, which in its own speaks volumes about the rhythm of this movie. It follows a jeweler who gets himself in trouble with what feels like all of New York – a gang, Kevin Garnett (the NBA player), other jewelers, his family, odd twins that appear out of nowhere – everyone. This all happens in the backdrop of him feeling he has “hit big” and is on the verge of receiving a lot of money.
If you watched Good Time, you know what to expect from directors Safdie brothers: excruciating tension that keeps building up when you thought it wasn’t possible. And that might be the only problem with Uncut Gems; the tension doesn’t feel that different from Good Time, and having watched one you can guess where the other one is going.
Streaming arrival
What it won
Spirit Awards
3 wins · 2 noms
Nat. Board of Review
3 wins · 1 nom
The story
A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Elsewhere
"[A] recklessly audacious and wildly accomplished blend of crime thriller, family melodrama, and sports drama."
— Richard Brody
"Uncut Gems is a prime slab of concentrated pulp storytelling in 135 New York minutes, gripping and remorseless, and probably the cruellest, funniest joke of Adam Sandler's career."
— Tom Charity
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
Uncut Gems is a pretty good indie film that subverts expectations, but “weird’? If I’d checked it out expecting a weird film, I’d be bitterly disappointed.
What a piece of crap and a waste of 2 hours of your life. Adam Sandler and his annoying New York accent is tacky and annoying.