Entertainment
Adam Sandler’s Most Gripping Performance Is A High-Anxiety Thriller On Hulu
By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you grew up watching Adam Sandler movies, you probably know the comedic actor as an obnoxious goofball with a penchant for singing and a heart of gold. Sandler typically plays a man-child in films which send him to exotic locales along with his coterie of SNL alumnus buddies. Some have even speculated that his films are just thinly-veiled excuses to take vacations, financed by movie studios. Occasionally, though, Sandler will venture way outside his comfort zone and pull off an Oscar-worthy performance that leaves the casual viewer reeling. The best example of this rare trend is 2019’s Uncut Gems, which is currently streaming on Hulu.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Uncut Gems is an absolutely insane movie. If you’re familiar with the discourse surrounding the film, you may have heard someone refer to it as a two-hour-long panic attack set to a low-end synth score. This is a pretty apt description, as everything from the crowded shot composition, the pushing zooms, and the overlapping dialogue creates a sense of complete and total overstimulation.
Watching the movie at home is nerve-racking enough, but catching it in the theater was a magical experience. I’m not usually an anxious person, but even I wound up walking out of the theater with weak knees and sweaty palms like Eminem in 8 Mile. Having said that, Uncut Gems is an impeccable movie with a tight screenplay, strong characters, and a critical look at greed, materialism, and even colonialism, if you look deep enough. Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett also appears in a pretty major role, so the movie gets some serious bonus points in my book.
Uncut Gems was written and directed by legendary filmmaking duo Josh and Benny Safdie. The film follows Adam Sandler‘s NYC jeweler and degenerate gambler Howard Ratner as he handles one of the biggest sales of his career. While attempting to coerce Celtics NBA champion Kevin Garnett into buying a multi-million-dollar African opal, Ratner finds himself running from loan sharks, pawning goods that don’t belong to him, and taking major gambling risks to stay afloat.
As the narrative continues building to its thrilling climax, Sandler offers a tour de force performance that will make you rethink everything you’ve ever said about Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore. As it turns out, this goofy comedian can actually act on the level of Christian Bale, when he puts his mind to it. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, especially if you’ve seen Sandler give his all in other dramatic outings like Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, or The Meyerowitz Stories.
I’m one of the cool, calm, collected individuals who managed to enjoy this movie upon release, but I think it holds up even better today, as gambling apps and sports betting have insidiously worked their way into many facets of daily life. Uncut Gems serves as a great reminder that gambling can have deadly consequences, even for those who think they have a perfect system. If you’ve got a few hours and maybe a bar of Xanax lying around, be sure to stream Uncut Gems on Hulu today. Just be sure to hit the couch with a weighted blanket or whatever else people turn to when their anxiety disorders start acting up.
