Netflix viewers love (or love to hate) Adam Sandler’s particular brand of comedy. Any one of his many Netflix originals – The Ridiculous 6, The Week Of, Sandy Wexler, Murder Mystery – gets the streaming giant more viewers than most critically acclaimed films could combined.
Today Netflix released Uncut Gems, which should appeal to Sandler fans and film snobs. This critically acclaimed indie film follows Sandler as Howard Ratner, a New York City jeweler whose gambling debts compel him to make a series of increasingly dangerous, self-destructive choices.
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Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox and Broadway star Idina Menzel co-star, as well as NBA star Kevin Garnett and Grammy-winning performer The Weeknd appearing as themselves. But the star of the show was Sandler, whom many critics said had given the best performance of his career.
When the movie wowed critics and received Oscar buzz, Adam Sandler told Howard Stern that if he didn’t get an Oscar nomination, he would make a movie “that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay”.
Despite this self-aware threat, or maybe because of it, Oscar voters didn’t give Uncut Gems any nominations. So we can certainly expect some more critically panned Netflix comedies from Sandler in the near future.
Uncut Gems is a stressful, fast-paced, chaotic film designed to make you deeply uncomfortable. While it may not be for everyone, the compelling narrative and acting make this a film you shouldn’t miss.