Uncut Gems - 2019
I hated to watch Uncut Gems. But I think that's exactly the point.
There is a scene in Clockwork Orange which many who've viewed it will never forget. I'm referring to that infamous, highly controversial psych treatment where Malcolm McDowell is fitted with a metallic contraption to force his eyes continually open, given a peculiar kind of eye drops for lubrication and nauseating effect, and forced to watch scenes of a prurient, violent, and debased nature. If we could authentically enter McDowell's plight in that scene, well, that's what watching Uncut Gems is like.
Actually you don't really watch this movie so much as get bowled over by it. The whole film is a train wreck you can't peel your eyes away from. The score is 80's electronica one second, funereal the next, layered and orchestral a third, and back again. The camera, matching it beat for beat, is a bit like riding on a tilt-a-whirl (remember the nausea mentioned above?): thrill-inducing in ways we're not sure are all positive.
The dialogue is grating, WAY too cuss happy, angry, juvenile. People talking over each other for hours. The story is populated by characters who are infuriating and immature, but, and this key, who NEVER come off as anything but 100% believable.
Sandler is flipping transcendent. His omission on year end acting awards lists is inexcusable. I asked myself after viewing this..was he really that good? The dark horse that everyone behind the scenes was praising? After all, isn't his Howard Ratner just a BIT too much like the ragey man child of Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore? If you listen closely enough, don't you hear the Sandler CD's I snuck around with in middle school, inhabited by off-kilter, abrasive characters in his role here? Maybe. But the difference here is critical. For all of his philandering, wheeling and dealing, lying, and ruinous scheming, Sandler's Ratner STILL never ceases to be an empathetic character in our eyes. He deserves utter ruin, and yet we somehow want him to make it out of this debacle unscathed. That is the raw power of his performance.
All of these things probably lead to the wide discrepancy between critical and audience score that we see for Uncut Gems. Escapist filmmaking this is not. How many people want to sit and get sensory punched in the face for two plus hours? Many are like - no thanks. And I can't say I really blame them. But, like the titular rock of the film, hiding rare treasures amidst common grime, Uncut Gems is full of artistic diamonds for those invested in finding them.
Maybe this is the best movie I ever hated.
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