We know Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore. We know him as Billy Madison. We know him as Mr. Deeds. I personally know him best as the Waterboy. Adam Sandler the serious actor? Punch Drunk Love aside, no way.
Yes way. Sandler, the funny man who has been cracking us up since his guitar wielding days on "Saturday Night Live," is starring in the new film Uncut Gems. And judging by the trailer, it's no laughing matter.
Warning: (Graphic language)
Uncut Gems, from film-producing brothers Josh and Benny Safdie, deals with some heavy subject matter. The plot follows the misgivings of Howard Ratner, a New York jewelry store owner who becomes obsessed with making foolish bets and fails to pay back consequential debts. Judging by the fistfights and the car chases in the trailer, he doesn't get away with it. There's also the matter of him cheating on his wife and neglecting his children.
The picture received an excellent reception from audiences at the Telluride Film Festival and, later, the Toronto Film Festival. Some movie critics are predicting it can expect another warm welcome from the Academy of Arts and Sciences. It has a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with more than one top critic calling the film one big, brilliant "anxiety attack."
It was in in Toronto that the Safdie brothers revealed they had written the role of Howard specifically for Sandler. It sounds like he lived up to their expectations.
"His slide into desperation is wholly convincing, intermittently funny and occasionally pretty moving," The Wrap says of Sandler's performance.
Uncut Gems also stars Idina Menzel as Ratner's wife, basketball player Kevin Garnett, and music artist The Weeknd. It hits theaters this Christmas.
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