Howard Ratner is a charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Where to Watch Uncut Gems
- Garrett WilkinsJuly 2, 2026The frantic pace of a relentless, high-wire addiction anchors this masterful thriller, capturing a chaotic New York underbelly where quiet moments simply do not exist. For those who typically pull away from the loud, grating, and obnoxious caricatures that define much of Adam Sandler's mainstream comedic work, his presence here is a revelation. He delivers a career-defining, wildly kinetic performance as Howard Ratner, a fast-talking jeweler whose life is a cascading series of terrible financial choices and compounding debts. Rather than building a traditional, slow-burning suspense narrative, the storytelling drops the viewer directly into a loud, claustrophobic ecosystem of overlapping dialogue, screaming loan sharks, and blinding neon displays. Daniel Lopatin's intense synthesizer score works perfectly alongside Darius Khondji's gritty, street-level cinematography, turning Howard's desperate pursuit of a rare Ethiopian opal into an exhausting, breathless race against his own self-destructive impulses. Outstanding supporting turns from Julia Fox, Eric Bogosian, and NBA icon Kevin Garnett lend the chaotic world an unmatched sense of gritty authenticity. While the unrelenting intensity is the film's greatest strength, the sheer velocity of the storytelling can occasionally feel structurally repetitive as Howard cycles through the exact same pattern of temporary wins and immediate, frustrating setbacks. The script deliberately denies the audience any comfortable moments of relief or conventional thriller payoffs, choosing instead to push the frantic momentum until it hits a sudden, devastatingly stark conclusion. Mainstream viewers looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing resolution or a traditionally likable protagonist will likely find the non-stop sensory overload and high-stress atmosphere incredibly alienating. However, for indie cinema purists and lovers of bold, uncompromising auteur filmmaking, it stands as an exceptional technical achievement-a masterclass in pure, sustained tension that captures the addictive thrill of the ultimate gamble.
- Gianni CavuotoNovember 29, 2025This maybe the defining performance from the master of comedy but in a dramatic role. It's a hard to watch movie that will have you asking if people are like this and the answer is yes, everyday, all day. I am sure Adam Sandler has more to offer in his career but I'm not sure he can top this one. It's a must watch for sure.
- kenngineerSeptember 8, 2025I imagined myself in Howard's life and I just couldn't do it. Every scene I put myself in - stress and anxiety. I mean how could I even get out of this mess? It just kept piling on. I couldn't deal with my life hanging by a thread. It's got that New York charm in it. The hustle. The Grind. The everyday streets. You can really see that Howard's life was on borrowed time. A day, a month, a year, who knows? any given day it would all come crashing down. I mean the ending was inevitable, it was just a matter of how and when. Solid movie.
- CubaneJanuary 15, 2026This schlemiel would sell his own grandma into slavery if it would give him the chance to make an eight-way parley on a cockroach to win the superbowl. I get that he's an irredeemable addict, but the movie forgets the part where he's supposed to be sympathetic, or even pitiable. Still, it's better than most anything else Sandler has done in at least the past 10 years. It's very intense and somewhat engaging, at least for a while. But it doesn't really hold together after you get the picture that this clown is just going to keep making more bets he can't possibly collect on.
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Uncut Gems was released on December 25, 2019.
Uncut Gems was directed by Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie.
Uncut Gems has a runtime of 2h 16m.
Uncut Gems was produced by Scott Rudin, Sebastian Bear-McClard, Eli Bush, Irfaan Fredericks.
Howard Ratner is a charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
The key characters in Uncut Gems are Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), Demany (LaKeith Stanfield), Julia De Flore (Julia Fox).
Uncut Gems is rated R.
Uncut Gems is a Crime, Drama, Thriller film.
Uncut Gems has an audience rating of 5.2 out of 10.
Uncut Gems had a budget of $19M.
Uncut Gems has made $50M at the box office.