Gambling, in its more abstract interpretation as the wagering of funds for dubious investments, is a familiar pastime for many a hustling New Yorker. He holds both the comedic and depressive, hopeful and defeated, and passive and aggressive in every look, line, and gesture. But comedians tend to have exceptional range as actors because the ability to make people laugh relies on an affinity with darkness. They are conveyors of the New York movie, not interested in its grimiest layers as a form of voyeuristic play but out of a kind of lifer’s reverence. At the same time, Howard’s addiction doesn’t only have domestic and personal consequences; the eponymous uncut gem, a rare opal mined by Ethiopian Jews, is swindled. RELATED: Here Are Adam Sander’s Best Romantic Comedies as Murder Mystery Breaks Netflix Records. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Uncut Gems also examines a very Jewish community that shifts between the trappings of the nouveau riche and working class. The many, mercurial moods of New York City and the jarring rhythm of its streets have long been among the greatest fascinations of film. Sandler crafts a character who is as cloying and infuriating as he is hilarious and electrifying. Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Here Are Adam Sander’s Best Romantic Comedies as Murder Mystery Breaks Netflix Records. Soft-spoken, Sandler was humbled on the red carpet by the suggestion of a prospective nomination for his thrillingly dramatic turn. The Safdie brothers, whose father worked in the Diamond District and beguiled his sons with the cinematic stories of daily life selling jewelry to New York’s wealthiest, have wanted to make a movie about the neighborhood for a decade, first pitching the script to Sandler unsuccessfully in 2012. Read Next: ‘Clouds’ Director Justin Baldoni Doesn’t Want People Risking Their Health to See Movies in Theaters, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner Recall Falling in Love With Each Other 50 Years Ago, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Taylor Swift Join Pride Live’s Stonewall Day, Audra McDonald, LaChanze & Celia Rose Gooding Win at Broadway Black’s Inaugural Antonyo Awards, Brian Wilson Disavows Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit in California (EXCLUSIVE), Beastie Boys License a Song for an Ad for First Time Ever, for Joe Biden Spot Focused on Live Music Shutdown, ‘Avengers’ Cast Assembles for Joe Biden Fundraiser, ‘The Vow’: What Happened to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack and Other Key Figures, ‘The Vow’: What the Finale’s Surprise Twist Means for Season 2, Bruce Willis Stars in Commercial for ‘Die Hard’ Car Batteries, Vishal Bhardwaj Sets up Agatha Christie Indian Film Franchise (EXCLUSIVE). Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, a charismatic New York City diamond dealer with a serious gambling addiction, itching for his next big score. Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. At every step of the film, you fear for him while somehow being impressed at his increasingly self-destructive gall. I love the movie, and whatever happens, what can I do?” he asked. Just moments before the doors to Alice Tully Hall closed, John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, and Lorne Michaels all entered the theater to watch Sandler on screen. Adam Sandler is reacting to the surprise Oscar buzz for his dramatic performance in the Safdie brothers’ thriller, Uncut Gems. Love and connection are not ways to transcend pain and isolation but give reasons to fight it. Adam Sandler’s best work as an actor has been in comedies: Punch-Drunk Love, Funny People, Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), and, now, the upcoming Uncut Gems. When I do my comedies, I work hard at those. “I think that’s nice and sweet and I’m happy that people like the movie,” Sandler told reporters Thursday of the reception to his performance. I learned a lot about gambling, and I met a lot of gamblers. “And when I did this movie, I put the same time in as I always do. Howard’s employees, including Julia, are hustling in the diamond district as are the collectors who come for him. The Safdies, who usually work with the writer and director Ronald Bronstein on their scripts, have developed a cinema of anxiety that emphasizes the absurdity that often goes hand in hand with impulsivity, and the violence that is typically its consequence. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? My goal was these guys wrote a great movie and they’re incredible filmmakers and I just wanted to do as good of a job as I could for them.”. They said they were going to use me in a movie and they called me four years later and it happened.’ It means so much to those guys to be authentic,” he told Variety. “It’s neat that they say that, but what can I do? Fuck the debt collectors, fuck the frugal—Howard is here for his thrills. Got a tip? I really loved every day at work. “I don’t even know what to say; it’s nice, but I just want to do as good of a job as I can. Cassie da Costa breaks down the Sandman’s skills. Sandler, like the actors above, has had the fortune to work with directors who charge their films with their own influence, not just professionally but artistically, which forces him to use his own set of skills like an instrument rather than a hammer. Whether it’s clothes, cabs, restaurants, or a glorified dorm room apartment in a neighborhood with all the subways, there’s always a way to lose all your money fast in NYC. Get push notifications with news, features and more. It’s that these films are made by auteurs—Paul Thomas Anderson, Judd Apatow, Noah Baumbach, and the Safdie brothers, respectively—who are not simply telling stories, but crafting productions that teem with their perspectives, not only with the screenplay and direction, but also editing, music, costuming, casting, and cinematography. “You don’t know where the cameras are sometimes,” Sandler remembered, referring to the brothers’ unconventional style of filming, often done on an open street during regular business hours. Colleagues from 30 years of comedy in New York have taken notice, at least. They mean a lot to me. Nothing says a family vacation like an RV, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, It's looked — and felt — like a whole different world as we've been social distancing and attempting to keep each other safe, See All the Celebs Taking RV Trips This Summer, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, From Empty Streets to Virtual Weddings: What Life Has Looked Like During the Coronavirus Pandemic. “The city was founded on, at least once it really got going, money,” said Eric Bogosian, the award-winning playwright of “Talk Radio,” who stars opposite Sandler in the film. Adam Sandler stars in the film, channeling the same manic and dramatic energy which Paul Thomas Anderson first drew from the comedian in “Punch-Drunk Love.” On the red carpet of the New York Film Festival, where the Film Society of Lincoln Center presented “Uncut Gems” Thursday night, Sandler spoke with Variety about grounding his character in the energy of the city. He toggles between interest in his mistress and wife according to his relative fortune, and has his own father (Judd Hirsch who, like pretty much everyone in this film, kills) bet on the opal in an auction to get Kevin Garnett (playing a fictionalized version of himself) to purchase it at a higher price. While Sandler was notably snubbed by an Academy Award nomination for Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Uncut Gems” has revived the possibility of an Oscar nod. When I prepared for the movie, I learned a lot about jewelry, and I met a lot of jewelers. Wally Mcgrady/A24 via AP Adam Sandler in a scene from "Uncut Gems." “It’s exciting when you see it; it’s such a big part of New York. Adam Sandler’s Getting Serious Oscar Buzz for ‘Uncut Gems.’ Is He Really a Good Actor? Both of these films hew more closely to a traditional comedic arc and infuse romance in their contemplations of loneliness. Uncut Gems marks a change of pace for the comedian, who’s appeared in a number of Netflix comedies over the past few years, aside from dramatic turns in Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). But his latest movie "Uncut Gems" is no joke and even he called the early Oscars buzz surrounding it "a whole new feeling." Like any addict, any suffering beyond his own never truly concerns Howard.