“Uncut Gems”: Howard Ratner (Adam Sadler) is a wildly chaotic jewelry dealer and gambler, always trying to talk his way into making bigger bets (or maybe more accurately, out of the latest mess he’s created). The latest is moving black market Ethiopian opals in 2012 New York, specifically with the help of Boston Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett.
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein, the film features a stressfully frenzied score by Daniel Lopatin, and cinematography by Darius Khondji that shakily locks in on Howard, perfect complements to the pandemonium the character inspires.
Howard is a good-for-nothing hustler, says his wife (an icy Idina Menzel), which almost everyone in his life knows, minus his co-worker/girlfriend (Julia Fox; women have two settings in this film). But Sandler’s performance makes it a thrill.
“Watching Howard work overtime can be exhausting. Watching Sandler do it is oddly refreshing,” wrote Los Angeles Times critic Justin Chang in his review. “In recent studio misfires … the actor’s familiar shtick has seemed to arise not from a place of gutsy transgressive comedy, but from a zone of laziness and complacency, as if he couldn’t even muster enough energy to laugh his way to the bank. ‘Uncut Gems’ reignites his fires and then some, partly because he’s playing someone so driven, who adores the thrill of the chase and takes an almost sexual ecstasy in every payoff.
But it’s also partly because Howard, flamboyant, shameless, loathsome and intermittently lovable, charges so many of Sandler’s familiar expressions and gestures with searing new energy and purpose.”
Also on DVD
“Bombshell”: Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and a young newcomer (Margot Robbie) grapple with coming forward with sexual harassment allegations against founder Roger Ailes (John Lithgow).
“Spies in Disguise”: A spy-turned-pigeon must rely on his awkward tech counterpart for an important mission in this computer-animated film. Voice talents include Will Smith, Tom Holland and Rachel Brosnahan.
“Charlie’s Angels”: Three women working for a private detective agency team up to stop a sinister entrepreneur from abusing a new energy source. Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska star.
“Chesapeake Shores: Season 4”: The Hallmark Channel hit drama series follows ex-New Yorker Abby O’Brien (Meghan Ory) as she faces characters from her past.
“Inherit the Viper”: An Appalachian man (Josh Hartnett) attempts to quit dealing opioids but is met with increasing threats and violence.
“John Henry”: An ex-Los Angeles gang leader (Terry Crews) connects with two immigrant children trying to escape.
“The Affair: The Final Season”: The acclaimed Showtime series examining the aftermath of extramarital infidelity comes to a close. Stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson and Maura Tierney.
“Ancient Aliens: Season 12, Volume 2”: The History Channel series explores the possibility of alien life throughout human history.
Available March 10
“The Grudge”: After a series of killings in a haunted house, a detective (Andrea Riseborough) investigates as the curse continues. Out on DVD and Blu-ray March 24.
“1917”: Two British soldiers (Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay) attempt to deliver an important message behind enemy lines in Germany that could save thousands of lives. Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray March 24.
Available March 13
“The Postcard Killings”: A detective (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) enlists a Scandinavian journalist (Famke Janssen) for help in his mission to solve his daughter’s and other murders across Europe.
“Tuscaloosa”: A recent college grad (Devon Bostick) finds love with a patient in a psychiatric hospital (Natalia Dyer) in 1970s Alabama.
