Yeah, you read that right. It seems that Adam Sandler has finally made an Oscar-worthy film; or at least that’s what the critics are claiming. After his really bad and mediocre film, Mystery Murder, we were just wondering if Sandler had already reached his creative limit not only in terms of his comic skills, but also as a producer and actor. Well, his upcoming film, considered one of the best screenings at the Toronto Film Festival, could be the change of air he needed to renew himself.
Uncut Gemstells the story of Howie Ratner, an ambitious Jewish jeweler who wants to make a fortune selling his pieces and gambling. After a series of profitable scores, he gets more and more ambitious, putting himself in a very difficult situation and angering the wrong people. Leaving aside his comedic side (though embracing it into his charismatic persona), or best said his obvious comedic side, Sandler successfully embodies the character, making us forget the characters he’s playing in the past decades.
Directed by the Safdie brothers, the movie boasts performances by Idina Menzel, Kevin Garnett, Lakeith Stanfield, and even The Weeknd. But as we’ve seen, Sandler is the one who steals the show, becoming one of the contenders for next year’s Academy Awards, which, if we're being honest, is something completely unexpected for an actor with his profile.
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Now, not only would his nomination be a surprise, but it would also be a difficult one to achieve, particularly this year, when he would probably be competing with none other than Leonardo Dicaprio(Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Joker). Still, a huge achievement for someone who’s been a massive hit at the box office but panned by the critics.
Produced by A24 and Netflix, Uncut Gemspremiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August, and had a special screening at the Toronto Film Festival, but its official release will be on December 13th at limited cinemas and nationwide on December 25th, just in time to be considered for award season.
Here’s the trailer, so you can get a sneak peek of Sandler’s performance:
