There’s a chance Adam Sandler could land an Oscar nomination for “Uncut Gems” next month — perhaps a surprising development to those who can recall the comedian’s numerous nods from the Razzies, which parody traditional award shows by honoring cinema’s greatest failures each year.
While some point to Sandler’s dramatic turns in “Punch-Drunk Love” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” as proof of his acting abilities, sibling filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie credit his comedy records and some sillier roles — including “Billy Madison,” “Happy Gilmore” and even the Razzie-nominated “Big Daddy” — as the reason they wanted him for their latest project. “Uncut Gems” stars Sandler as Howard Ratner, a jeweler in Manhattan’s Diamond District who tries to repay his gambling debts by auctioning off a long-sought-after rock from Ethiopia containing rare black opals.
As is to be expected, Howard’s convoluted scheme doesn’t quite go as planned — and the same could be said of “Uncut Gems” itself. The buzzy thriller, inspired by stories the Safdies’s father told them about his time working on the West 47th Street block, has been roughly a decade in the making. There were the usual delays — script rewrites and whatnot — but also the brothers’ tireless pursuit of Sandler.
“He can ground these insane situations in reality to the point where you care and you’re rooting for this character with all your heart,” Benny recently told The Washington Post over the phone. “That was something we knew was important for Howard. He’s going to test you, but you always need to love him and root for him.”