Uncut Gems

“Refreshingly, Uncut Gems casts some of its most prominent Jewish characters with actors who are actually Jewish.”

Title: Uncut Gems (2019)
Directors: Benny Safdie 👨🏼🇺🇸 and Josh Safdie 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Ronald Bronstein 👨🏼🇺🇸, Benny Safdie 👨🏼🇺🇸, and Josh Safdie 👨🏼🇺🇸

User-submitted review by Will Stevenson 👨🏽🇺🇸

Technical: 5/5

If Uncut Gems could be distilled into a single scene, it would be Pulp Fiction’s (1994) Uma Thurman shooting adrenaline straight to the chest—enough to jolt a viewer out of a vegetative state. The latest film from the Safdie brothers, following up from their 2017 crime drama Good Time, surges with that level of kinetic energy yet somehow manages to be enjoyable, torment and all.

It helps that viewers have someone to root for in Howard Ratner: the long shot, the miracle worker, the risk-taker. Through him (and Adam Sandler's Oscar-worthy performance), the viewer experiences mounting anxiety acutely, even as Howard takes it all in stride. Sandler appears to relish every situation, and at times, flexes his expert comedic timing. But make no mistake, Uncut Gems falls squarely into the category of drama as Sandler’s vulnerability, paired with fearlessness, combines for a larger-than-life performance.

The impeccable acting hardly stops with Sandler. Non-professionals like retired NBA star Kevin Garnett playing himself and longtime friend of the Safdies, Julia Fox, in her role as Howard’s girlfriend, deliver nothing less than remarkable results. Not only do they keep pace with the rest of the cast, they set themselves apart. Garnett bounces off Howard’s jitteriness like an experienced improv actor while Fox recalls Jennifer Jason Leigh’s role in Miami Blues (1990), both women stuck in an emotionally abusive relationship but never corrupted by the toxicity of their male counterparts.

Set in the Diamond District of Manhattan, Uncut Gems immerses the viewer in tangible environments like the jewelry store with the broken lock, to the restaurant down the street where the local bookie takes bets, to exclusive parties and inside an auction house. The viewer strolls with Julia (Julia Fox) as she passes the people waiting in line to see The Weeknd and closely tracks Howard as he takes out the recycling. Cinematographer Darius Khondji translates the Safdies’ visual vocabulary effortlessly, capturing the grunge appeal of their canon as seen through the trippiness of Good Time and the rawness of their earlier works. The fluidity of the tracking shots, combined with intentional framing and precise cuts maintain a smooth ride throughout the film while signature aerial views lend drama, evoking the visual scope and imagination of the filmmakers.

Beyond aesthetics, the film’s narrative feels just as controlled. The Safdies’ world hums with the fervid voices of New York that overlap through friendly banter or intense screaming matches. Through it all, Howard’s choices pump you up and they won’t let you down easy, but you’ll thank them in the end for the experience.

Gender: 3/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES
GradeMyMovie.com Assessment: 15% of key cast and crew members were women.

Uncut Gems inhabits a man's world—Howard’s world, to be exact, and both onscreen and behind the camera, men outnumber women. But the women who do exist feel relatively fleshed out.

At first, Julia might seem like a “gold-digging” girlfriend of the richer, older Howard who already has a wife. But Fox owns the persona; although she is the object of sexual desire, she shows a deep understanding of the male gaze and wields it against them. She may be manipulative and self-serving, but she also shows genuine feelings for Howard. Fox plays brilliantly between the two personalities and never quite gives into one or the other, remaining deliciously ambiguous.

Idina Menzel steals scenes as Dinah, Howard's wife. Again, she seems to play a traditional housewife, but that doesn’t mean she’s clueless. In one of the film’s most excruciating scenes, Howard tries to make amends to Dinah (for what seems like the hundredth time) by trying to convince her to give him another chance. While she simply laughs at him and calls him annoying, she does eventually relent and give him a second chance. Her scrappiness remains intact, however, as Dinah still finds ways to humiliate and jab at Howard within the confines of their marriage. Unfortunately, outside her relationship with Howard, Dinah remains one-dimensional despite Menzel’s brave performance.

This underlies the Safdies’ broader struggle to elevate women beyond their relations to Howard. A film that simply exposes Howard’s toxicity, without any commentary or subversion, is simply not enough when it comes to representing women fairly. While Julia and Dinah tactfully navigate a man’s world, they never get the chance to drive the plot forward by their own steam. Rather, their respective fates remain tied to the maneuverings of Howard Ratner.

Race: 4/5
GradeMyMovie.com Assessment: 8% of key cast and crew members were POC.

People of color are largely absent behind the camera, but Uncut Gems does examine issues of race by linking the struggles of Black Americans with those of the Jewish diaspora. Both are, after all, minorities hustling against a capitalistic system designed to work against them.

The theme of hustling—of monetizing any given opportunity—recurs in the Safdies’ work, as their characters are often thrown into the grind with naught to sustain them but an abundance of self-belief. In Uncut Gems, the film opens in the mines of Ethiopia, with Black Jews forced to work in terrible conditions, as Howard describes. The Safdies parallel the miners’ hustle with that of Howard’s, while still delineating the white privilege experienced by the latter. For example, the Ethiopians harvesting Howard’s uncut opal appear mistreated and disgruntled, in sharp relief to the pristine surroundings and technology that make up Howard’s colonoscopy in the following shot.

Black Americans hustle too. Kevin Garnett’s entourage, consisting mostly of Black men and one Black woman, crowd into Howard’s jewelry store as they follow the lead of Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) who sets up sales between those with money—like KG—and those with the glittering goods, like Howard. Black characters generally stay in minor roles, but KG does rise up due to his celebrity and cash. In the film’s most empowering moment for a person of color, KG calls Howard out on his profiting off the backs of Ethiopian miners and distances himself from Howard’s greed. While Howard objectifies and exploits, furthering the capitalistic system, KG stops to empathize with the exploited miners. By identifying Howard’s privilege before interacting with him further, KG achieves a small victory against the system. Even though he does end up playing Howard’s game, at least he does so with open eyes.

At the end of the day, however, no one can out-play the system. Despite Howard’s brazen attempt to do so, his never-ending optimism—or seen from a negative light, his utter lack of self-awareness—eventually determines his fate. In the film’s capitalist hierarchy of power and exploitation, white New York Jews might have “won” against Ethiopian Jews by extracting wealth off the backs of African labor. But back in the Diamond District, white Armenian gangsters hold all the power against Jews like Howard.

Ultimately, the Safdies understand the nuances of identity. Marginalized communities of all stripes share some similarities while remaining unique. In fact, perhaps the only unifying factor across Uncut Gems can be found in the way Howard sees everyone as a pawn to be used. Unlike Julia and Dinah, however, Black characters like KG and Demany are more able to separate themselves from Howard and his antics.

Bonus for Religion: +1.00

In a refreshing turn, Uncut Gems authentically casts some of its most prominent Jewish characters like Howard, Dinah, or Dinah’s father Gooey (Judd Hirsch) with actors who are actually Jewish. In addition, by including the colony of Jewish Ethiopians, the Safdie brothers also shed light on the way antisemitism occurs around the world.

Experienced by the nameless miners and Howard alike, the Safdie brothers—who are Jewish themselves—touch on a topic that is distressingly timely, as hate crimes continue to take place in seemingly safe havens like New York City and elsewhere.

Mediaversity Grade: B+ 4.33/5

Uncut Gems confidently anchors Howard in a self-made world of beautiful troubles and pure selfishness. But rather than alienate viewers, the film reels you in and immerses you, making you feel like you might be able to sell some fake Rolexes on 47th street yourself after the credits roll. By connecting with so many walks of life and showcasing New York City's diversity and local culture, the Safdies stress how the American experience is not just a white experience.

Like Uncut Gems? Try these other featuring straight-talking New Yorkers.

Grade: BLiFebruary 13, 2020Great for: Technical