Uncut Gems (2019)

"I made a crazy risk, a gamble, and it's about to pay off." 

Let's remember that the foundation of LetterBoxd is opinion, in which not everybody always agrees — and that's okay. As much as I thougth Adam Sandler absolutely stunned with his acting abilities in this one, I fail to join the bandwagon of thinking that it was a cinematic masterpiece. I feel like this is just the average male ruining his life by making poor decisions in hopes that it'll pay off, chasing a high that some people may spend their entire lives trying to achieve and few will actually recieve. The first time I watched it upon release, I thought it wasn't great. After rewatching, I appreciate the acting and plot moreso, but it still failed to "wow" me. While I still think that it excels compared to other films that I've seen, it's not the best I've seen from A24, being a huge A24 fan. This is not to say that the film did not do everything it was supposed to, but perhaps, it was just a personal opinion in which I didn't think it struck anything for me.

Again, I don't think that it was a bad film. I don't think that there were any mistakes or that it failed to capture my interest or keep my attention.  I think when it comes down to it, the movie just failed to entertain me. I didn't feel immersed, compared to just simply watching a film unfold, which is okay! But it didn't strike a nerve for me,amaod or bad; I was just simply watching a movie. 

The positives. Adam Sandler does an amazing job in this role, especially after being so used to seeing him in films like Grown Ups, 50 First Dates, Blended, Just Go With It, etc. I am so used to seeing him in comedic films, being able to see more of his acting range and him absolutely killing it made me extremely happy for him and appreciate a different side of Adam Sandler than just the baggy t-shirts, basketball shorts Adam Sandler we're used to. Additionally, I really liked the artistic intro and outro of the film being compared to the gem mines. I thought it was beautiful and an extremely artistic choice that I enjoyed. Quite honestly, in retrospect, none of the acting is what I had difficulty with, I believe it was the plot. 

With that epiphany, I really struggled with the plot of the film. It just seemed like a guy that just couldn't quite get it right, making poor choice after poor choice. And before I get criticism saying that I "just didn't understand it" or "don't get the symbolism," I do, and I acknowledge it. I really like the symbolism of being an addict, whether it's addiction to drugs, gambling, adrenaline, or just winning. Aside from the metaphorical value of being addicted to these things, I didn't appreciate much else. Maybe that's other people's reasons for liking the movie, but in my own opinion, it was my reason for disliking it. So many "if he just would of" moments or "well that was fucking stupid, why did he-" moments. There were so many times that Howard could have chosen to do better, potentially changing the end result, but actively chose not to despite everything that he went through and was facing. Maybe it's metaphorical, but again, maybe it's just my own perspective of not having to lose everything before realizing I'm acting like an idiot; some people do, so maybe this hits home for them. 

Regardless, Howard kept making poor decisions and although he ultimately could have had a good life and "won" in the end, things finally caught up to him and he got exactly what he deserved. Maybe it's the male gaze, the lack of knowledge about basketball, the lack of interest in jewelry, the dislike for Julia Fox, or all of the above, but this movie just didn't appeal to me. I still enjoyed the acting and how it was executed, I actually really liked the overall feel that the film had and the intense stress that it provided, successfully having the audience feel the stress that Howard was under. Unfortunately, I just had issues with the plot and what the actual movie was about and depicting. At the end of the day, it was just one of many men on the daily that make poor decisions in their life, and regardless of the outcome and payoff, the poor decisions and sacrifice to get there, whether worht it or not, catch up to you in the end. It's a great metaphor for karma, it just fell flat for me. Perhaps if it was told in a different way without basketball, jewelry, sports betting and womanizer undertones I would appreciate it more, but I'm not into any of those topics so it failed to impress me. I'm definitely willing to give it another try later on, but whether or not my opinions will change, that I'm unsure of.