As collateral, Garnett leaves his 2008 championship ring, which Howard turns around and pawns in order to make a bet on the game Garnett’s playing that night.Ĭo-written with Ronald Bronstein, Uncut Gems is the fourth and most high-profile narrative feature from the Safdies ( Daddy Longlegs, Heaven Knows What, Good Time). Howard allows Garnett to borrow it, even though he’s already promised it to an auction house. Garnett, in the middle of a playoff run, becomes enchanted with the uncut Ethiopian rock that a fawning Howard presents to him. Howard’s life seemingly takes a turn for the better when Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett comes into his shop, which, as usual, is in chaos thanks to a shakedown visit from Arno and two of his heavies. He’s overdue for a coronary, and by the end of the film you’re left wondering whether you should see a doctor and demand an EKG for yourself. That’s about the only rest a viewer will get for the remaining two hours and 10 minutes of the film, a bumpy, nail-biting, sweaty-palmed, heart-in-your-stomach ride through Howard’s life, the sort that makes you think, at multiple junctures, how can any man live like this?įorget about the possibility of colon cancer - the biggest threat to Howard’s life is himself. Under the direction of Josh and Benny Safdie (whose father worked in the Diamond District) we fall directly from the mine that has claimed an unfortunate worker’s foot, through the gem, and directly into Howard’s colon. Arno wants his money, and Howard has made yet another bet: that a rare opal extracted from a mine in Ethiopia will deliver a million-dollar windfall. Though he’s playing himself, Garnett is given a few challenges in the movie.īut no one is more disgusted with Howard than Arno (Eric Bogosian), his brother-in-law, who has been financing Howard’s gambling habit to the tune of $100,000. Everyone around the man is either irritated with him or embarrassed by him, including his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel), his daughter, and his employee Demany (Lakeith Stanfield), who serves as a conduit between Howard and the cool black celebrities who will spend money in his shop, but otherwise would never be seen with the man.įrom left to right: Basketball star Kevin Garnett, LaKeith Stanfield, and Adam Sandler in a scene from Uncut Gems.
And yet, Howard almost never experiences happiness because he’s so entangled in his obsessive pursuit of it. He drives a late-model Mercedes, owns a condo in Manhattan and a house outside of the city, and he covers himself in Gucci. Howard is a successful jeweler in New York’s Diamond District. In his most memorable role since Spanglish (2004), Sandler creates a shambling, awkward, tacky, middle-aged mess of a man. Howard Ratner, the antihero of Uncut Gems played by Adam Sandler, is always standing on the outside of his own life, yelling to get into the VIP room, and never appreciating where he is.
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