Adam Sandler's latest role in the upcoming indie film, 'Uncut Gems' will see him play a New York City jeweler. New York-based production company A24 dropped the trailer for the film yesterday, which has garnered nearly 1.5 million views on YouTube and overwhelmingly positive reactions.
Sandler plays fictional jewelry store owner Howard Ratner, an industry regular in New York's Diamond District. The trailer paints Ratner's activities as anything but legitimate, delving into the seedy world of sports gambling, and extramarital affairs. According to the film's IMDB page (which has the film currently scored at 8.2/10), Sandler's character gets himself into some unfortunate circumstances and has to perform "a precarious high-wire act" to keep his newly forming adversarial relationships at bay.
An additional bit of trivia includes the role previously going to Jonah Hill after Sandler initially declined in 2012. The latter actor later accepted the part of Howard Ratner in April of 2018.
The 'Uncut Gems' screenplay was written back in 2009 by Benny and Josh Safdie, who are both in their respective director chairs for this project. Howard Ratner's character was originally inspired by a man, also named Howard, that their father used to work under in the Diamond District during their childhood.
The Safdie Brothers have established themselves in the film industry as directors with a previous well-reviewed project called Good Time with Robert Pattinson in the lead role back in 2017. The positive reviews on IMDB are no fluke. 35 out of 37 film critics on Rotten Tomatoes have certified the film as "fresh," scoring it at 95%. According to Los Angeles Times critic Justin Chang, Sandler's character “never seems to stop talking, lying, running and hustling.”
What can one expect when 'Uncut Gems' is released into theaters on December 13th? An intense thrill ride that has been causing quite a stir on the film festival circuit, and a side of Sandler's serious acting chops that have yet to be seen on the big screen.
'Uncut Gems' not only stars Adam Sandler but Idina Menzel (Frozen), Lakeith Stanfield, Judd Hirsch, Eric Bognosian and retired NBA legend Kevin Garnett.
