The First "Uncut Gems" Trailer Finds Adam Sandler Stealing Our Hearts in Exciting New Ways

Scene from Uncut Gems

In 2017, co-directors Josh and Benny Safdie made a splash with the visceral and manic Good Time: a film that helped Robert Pattinson be taken more seriously. Many are hoping that their follow-up, Uncut Gems, will do the same for Adam Sandler. The comedian has had a reputation for lowbrow films that leave a notorious aura around him. In recent years, he has made more of a concerted effort to take dramatic turns such as The Meyerowitz Stories that prove he's capable of so much more. Given the reviews out of recent film festivals, Sandler is looking at one of his best roles yet. The real question is that with a New Academy where nominees are more unpredictable than ever, can almost 30 years of wacky comedies continue to hold back Sandler from an Oscar nomination? If the trailer for Uncut Gems has anything to say about it we may be looking at one of the most enlightening turning points of his career yet.

Had anyone talked about Sandler as an Oscar nominee even 10 years ago, it would be met with an overwhelming laugh from people who find his films hacky and dumb. He's not someone immediately associated with high caliber work. Save for impressive turns in Punch Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, he had done little to prove himself while films like Grown Ups and his notorious run of Netflix movies only made him seem lazier. Still, I think that as faulty as his recent stretch of films have been (Men Women & Children, The Cobbler), they at least reflect an artist taking risks again. The Meyerowitz Stories seemed like a revelation because it proved that what he needed to do was not play dramatic, but just channel his energy in such a way that added pathos underneath his manic energy.

In fact, that's what makes Uncut Gems so exciting as a film. The Safdie Brothers are directors who feel like the rightful heirs of gritty New York crime dramas the likes of which Martin Scorsese would make in the 1970s. Good Time proved this (and their earlier film Heaven Knows What only reaffirms it). They seem capable of taking actors with notorious public reputations and give them roles that have an intensity and purpose behind them. When Pattinson got announced as Batman, it was suggested that he was a great actor in part because of Good Time. The Safdie Brothers feel like a duo who could twist public personas enough to make them interesting again.

That may be the angle that Sandler needs this late into his career. While there hasn't been much buzz about him being an Oscar front-runner yet, he has gotten positive reviews how he mixes his manic charm into something visceral and even disturbing. There is a power to his performance, and that could be enough to get audiences to come and vote him. Given that the narrative this season has already made Hustlers' Jennifer Lopez into an Oscar hopeful, it feels more than ever like anything is possible. This could be a redemptive year for actors who in the past were more likely to win Razzies than Oscars.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks really intense. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

Set in the diamond district of New York City, Howard Ratner, a jewelry store owner and dealer to the rich and famous, must find a way to pay his debts when his merchandise is taken from one of his top sellers and girlfriend.

If there's nothing else to suggest from this trailer, it's that it shows Sandler in a role that he's not often, if ever, been in. There's something exciting about seeing him use his charisma to navigate the world of a jewelry store owner. Even as he puts on the goofy charm, there's something more exciting about him, that he's moments from snapping and giving the familiar Sandler freakout. There's a lot of tension lying underneath the surface, and one can't help but wonder what will lie ahead. Given that this seems like a year when Eddie Murphy (Dolemite is My Name) is also in the running, this may be the year that comedians get taken seriously in all of the right ways.

With all of that said, it's difficult to see if this is the turning point critics have been waiting for from Sandler. He's been too associated with lowbrow comedy, even in recent years, to fully remove astigmatism. Still, it would be a fascinating transition if he was going to become a more compelling actor in his older age. There's a lot of potentials if Uncut Gems becomes a runaway success, though it would be unprecedented. Will he be able to escape his notion of being a lesser actor if he won an Oscar, or would that stop him from even getting there? The Golden Globes have been more accepting of him, but the big prize is still up for debate. Still, if Good Time proved anything, there's a lot of potential in taking risks this season. Now it's time to see if Sandler can pull it off.