Uncut Gems (Review & Commentary)
Transcribed directly from an audio recording
Fucking go watch it! Bottom line, it’s worth a viewing.
Context
This will literally be my shortest review ever. In the early to mid-nineties Adam Sandler produced some pretty hysterical films. My generation can certainly attest to our enjoyment of films like Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Big Daddy, The Waterboy and so on. At some point after a string of successful and funny films, Adam Sandler seemed to turn out terrible films one after the next. Like a good friend of mine said when I suggested watching Uncut Gems, his reply was “he hasn’t produced a good film in twenty years” and honestly I’d have to agree. From time to time there were funny moments or at least funny ideas, but these were few and far between in the series of films Adam Sandler has put out in the past few years. Many of his films have been widely panned by critics and fans and he holds a pretty high record for total Raspberry Award nominations.
The one thing I can say about Adam Sandler is that given the right material, especially in drama, he can certainly act with the best of them. We’ve seen this from time to time with his more highly regarded performances with films like Punch-Drunk Love, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), and Spanglish. He’s been in the business for a long time and there is no doubt that he’s, at the very least, a successful filmmaker. He’s been able to work with his trusted friends and films of his choosing for years and has carved out a nice lifestyle for himself. I certainly respect that, even if I don’t always love his work.
In regard to this particular film, I don’t want to say much at all. I’d love for you to see the film with absolutely no knowledge of its plot, storyline or details. What I can tell you is this; the film has been highly praised by fans and critics and currently holds a score of ninety-two percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Adam Sandler is brilliant in the film. He provides a solid dramatic performance with reverence, emotion, and commitment. The film is intense, odd, and quite unique. It’s a little longer in duration, but the film keeps you engaged the entire time and is very unexpected. Adam Sandler probably provides not only his best work ever but one of the finer performances in films this year and in fact, the past few years. I am still very surprised he was snubbed at the Oscars as he definitely deserves a mention, at the very least. This film is unconventional and really raises the bar. Netflix has certainly been turning out high-quality films this year and I hope this trend continues. There is no doubt why streaming as become abundantly popular, especially with content like this. I highly recommend Uncut Gems.
