Uncut Gems

Director: Josh Safdie, Ben Safdie Josh Safdie, Ben Safdie,

Overview

A jewelry store owner and dealer to rich and famous clients places a series of high-stakes bets in the hopes of securing a huge windfall. But His lavish spending habits on gambling, and family issues cause him to become behind on his debts. So he devises a clever way to pay off his bookies and finally come out ahead all while protecting his family and business.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/23/2021
UPC:	0715515265317
Original Release:	2019
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Time:	2:15:00
Sales rank:	9,126

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Adam Sandler	Howard Ratner
Julia Fox	Julia
Idina Menzel	Dinah
Jonathan Aranbayev	Eddie
Jacob Igielski	Beni
Noah Fisher	Marcel
Paloma Elsesser	Kat
LaKeith Stanfield	Demany
Eric Bogosian	Arno
Keith Williams Richards	Phil
Tommy Kominik	Nico
Louis Anthony Arias	Buddy
Sean Ringgold	Bodyguard #1
Jeremy Sample	Bodyguard #2
Judd Hirsch	Gooey
Benjy Kleiner	Aaron
Josh Ostrovsky	Noah
Sahar Bibiyan	Ida
Lana Levitin	Ruth
Maksud Agadjani	Yussi
Boris Aranbayev	Borris
Ry Armstrong	Actor
Roza Babekova	Rachel
Max Bartos	Dwarf 1
Arthur Borukhov	Elan
Jamaal Burcher	Casino Security
Joseph Anthony Cartagena	Pamphlet Guy
Raina Cheng	Nino's-Daughter
Ralph Colucci	Night Doorman
Blaise Corrigan	Cab Driver
Conor Coyne	Hedge Fund Guy
Ara Daglian	Casino Stranger
Robbie DeRaffele	76er
Adam Desautels	Adam
Wayne Diamond	Handsome Older Man
Anh Duong	Anne
Michael Durodola	76ers
Lino Eisenberg	The Huntsman
Olarinde Esuola	Restaurant Patron
Henry Ferstenberg	Dr. Blauman
Mike Francesa	Anthony
Kerwin Frost	Kerwin Frost
Ineke Garbacz	Norwegian Tourist
Alexander Gilkes	Auctioneer
Sini Hill	Norwegian Tourist Family-Sister
Ronald Greenberg	Todd
Rasneet Kaur	Georgia
Hannah Kelsy	New York City Pedestrian
Pom Klementieff	Lexus
Mei C. Li	Nurse/Lab Tech
Andrea Linsky	Joani
Khary Masai	Bouncer
Anthony Mecca	Michael
Samantha Mishinski	Audience Member
Raleem Moses	Sixers Security Guard
Jessica Mullayev	Natalie
Jon Necaj	HS Student at Theater
Paige Neuenschwander	Audience Member
Cashout	Ca$h Out
Shiv Pai	Actor
Roman Persits	Roman
Adriana Picone	Middle School Student
Nick Poltoranin	Jeweler
Cassie Prusiensky	Pedestrian
Jivan Xander Ramesh	Audience Member
Giselle Rodriguez	Parent in Auditorium
Dannielle Rose	Casino Woman
Jake Ryan	Actor
Jennifer Sacks	Player Manager
Carl Salonen	Passerby
Emma Sam	Student in Theater
Keren Shemel	Eiline Goldfarb
Tara Sheth	Student
Rowan Olivia Tarmy	Norwegian Tourist Family-Daughter
Marty Tendler	Concierge
Neil Towne	Neil
Luke Trevisan	Stagehand
Ursula Triplett	Casino Employee
Vince Tumeo	Auction Attendee/Bidder
Sammy Voit	Arlos and Ida's Son
Mitchell Wenig	Larry
Lauren Yaffe	Parent in Audience
Greg Yuna	Flawless
Abel Tesfaye	Actor

Technical Credits

Josh Safdie

Ben Safdie

Ronald Bronstein

Josh Safdie	Director,Screenwriter
Ben Safdie	Director,Editor,Screenwriter
Michael Bartol	Co-producer
Sebastian Bear-McClard	Producer
Miyako Bellizzi	Costumes/Costume Designer
Oscar Boyson	Executive Producer
Ronald Bronstein	Editor,Screenwriter
Eli Bush	Producer
Dale Butler	Asst. Director
Chris Chae	Sound Editor
Eric Dean	Art Director
Catherine Farrell	Co-producer
Anton Gold	Sound Mixer
Jim Hays	Special Effects
Anthony Katagas	Executive Producer
Darius Khondji	Cinematographer
David Koplan	Executive Producer
Emma Tillinger Koskoff	Executive Producer
Amy Lauritsen	Asst. Director
Skip Lievsay	Sound Mixer
Sam Lisenco	Production Designer
Daniel Lopatin	Score Composer
Francine Maisler	Casting
Christine Ng	Camera Operator
Scott Rudin	Producer
Martin Scorsese	Executive Producer
Jennifer Venditti	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Uncut Gems is a polished though frenetic character-study drama about a New York gem dealer trying to keep his life together despite his propensity to making bad choices. A deeper look into all those shiny things that distract us, this film is itself a lovely distraction from our own lives as it homes in on the calamities surrounding a man who brings chaos with him wherever he goes. In the recent past, a heisted rare black opal makes its way from Africa to New York, and into the hands of Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) a scheming gem dealer in the Diamond District of Manhatten. His lavish spending habits on gambling, his coworker mistress Julia (Julia Fox), and family issues cause him to become behind on his upkeep. However, he tries to devise a clever way to pay off his bookies and finally come out ahead for once. When professional basketball player Kevin Garnett (Kevin Garnett) is led into Howard's shop, he decides he must have the black opal to bring him good luck for his upcoming basketball game and trades his NBA ring as collateral. Howard immediately pawns the ring so he can bet on the game and convinces himself that he will have enough money from his winnings and the sale of the opal to solve all his financial woes. But his problems grow deeper as he tries to juggle his family life, including his rightfully suspicious wife Dinah (Idina Menzel), who can't seem to give up on him. With an increasing lineup of enemies surrounding him, as well as both his marriage and his relationship with his girlfriend on the brink of disaster, Howard is either going to catch a lucky break or go down in a blaze of glory. He's tricky enough to outwit people on the fly, but his frantically scrambling mind struggles to formulate a plan for the long term. Directed and written by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie (Daddy Longlegs), there is a careful use of larger than life, unbelievable happenstance at work, in Uncut Gems. They make use of a David Mamet style of drama here, asking what more could possibly go wrong as they compile woes onto their characters, and they continuously up the stakes until something is ready to burst. Cinematographer Darius Khondji (Midnight in Paris) starts the roller coaster ride from moment one, diving into the Ethiopian mines and never letting go for the remainder of the film. He adds a 'Bourne Identity' action quality to a drama, which for the quick pacing of the story, works well here. Overall, Uncut Gems is a finely produced and well thought out movie, filled with great performances across the board. Both entertaining and insightful, it's a delight to see Adam Sandler put his talents to good use while the entire cast is fueled by energy and enthusiasm.

All Movie Guide - Jules Fox