Uncut gems based on true events7/6/2023 ![]() But then he isn’t interested in most people.Ī jeweler whose primary line appears to be selling gem-encrusted gee-gaws to rappers and athletes, he deals primarily in myth-making when not indulging in mischief. Ratner is about to bring a mountain of trouble raining down on himself.Most people would never buy a thing from Howard (Adam Sandler), the motor-mouthed star and scourge of the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems. When Ratner recites the plagues, it not only gives Sandler the chance for some levity, it’s also a telling dramatic moment. Thankfully, the Safdies include a couple of welcome, toned-down scenes, including a warm and comical Passover seder with Judd Hirsch in fine form as Dinah’s disapproving but soft-hearted father. There is a lot to admire in “Uncut Gems,” but after a while, the hyper action, the yelling and cursing, and the propulsive soundtrack, become annoying and wearying. The Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers game footage, glimpsed on TV screens at Foxwoods and in Ratner’s cramped store, has the heart-racing tension of a high-wire act. Once KG is convinced that the iridescent opal is his good luck charm, Ratner goes all in on a big bet. This isn’t just a cameo but a full, rich performance. These colorful characters are mixed with veteran actors Eric Bogosian as Ratner’s menacing brother-inlaw, and Menzel, full of disgust and contempt for her soon-to-be ex-husband. ![]() There are a pair of sleazy, scruffy loan sharks on Ratner’s tail. There’s the pawnbroker who looks and sounds every bit like the real New York pawnbroker he is. There’s Julia Fox as Sandler’s employee and mistress who has a memorable sequence at Foxwoods Casino late in the film. But you root for him, and that’s what gives the movie its urgency and power.Ĭredit the Safdies for assembling a cast that includes many non-professionals who bring a gritty, streetwise look and feel to the film. Sandler is at once magnetic and manic passionate and obnoxious. Ratner’s energy is so on-the-edge that you know he can only crash and burn. The Safdies direct with a head-spinning pace and intense closeups that create claustrophobia every scene feels like a roller coaster ride. Ratner reluctantly lets him borrow it for one game and takes Garnett’s Celtics championship ring in exchange. But “KG” is taken with the gem and thinks it might be a good luck charm. Ratner plans to sell the dazzling stone at auction and score big. Garnett’s looking for a watch, but hustler and braggart Ratner can’t resist showing him the uncut gem he’s just procured from Ethiopia. One afternoon, it’s none other than Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett (the film is set in 2012 when “KG” was still with the team), who delivers a terrific performance as himself. His pal (LaKeith Stanfield) brings celebrity customers into the store. He’s also a fervent basketball fan with memorabilia strewn around his tiny office and inside the spacious city apartment where he’s lived since leaving his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) and kids on Long Island. ![]() Ratner runs a small jewelry store nestled in New York’s Diamond District. Ratner may want to escape the fate of his father, but he defies death again and again over the course of the film, eluding thugs and loan sharks eager to make him pay for his many gambling debts. The Safdies take the viewer through the looking glass of swirling transparent color and into the story which begins, literally, inside Howard Ratner’s bowels as he undergoes a colonoscopy. “Uncut Gems” opens with the unearthing from a mine in Ethiopia of a vibrant opal embedded in ancient rock. ![]() Loren King is an arts and entertainment writer whose work appears regularly in The Boston Globe and other publications.
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