Uncut Gems

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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“Are you going to catch the new Adam Sandler movie?” I asked my son.

“Hm, I dunno,” he replied.

“It’s not a comedy,” I said.

“Good. His comedy’s getting a little old.”

Ever since leaving “Saturday Night Live” (where he sang “The Hanukah Song”), Sandler’s comedy films have raked in over $2 billion in box office sells. You know them, “Billy Madison,” “Happy Gilmore,” “The Wedding Singer,” “The Waterboy.”

He had perfected his schtick, that of the man-child who goofily wins the day.

But that gets harder to pull off as you turn 53.

He’s ventured out a bit. “50 First Dates” was a rom-com. “Spanglish” was a dramedy. And his recent “Murder Mystery” was, well, a murder mystery … but funny.

Now comes “Uncut Gems,” a dark and dour departure for Adam Sandler. In this crime drama he plays Howard Ratner, a New York Jewish diamond merchant who is struggling to pay off his gambling debts. His life is a shambles, split between his mistress (Julia Fox) and the estranged wife (Idina Menzel) who plans to divorce him after Passover.

He thinks his troubles are over when he gains possession of a large uncut opal smuggled out of an Ethiopian mine. But it turns out, his troubles are just beginning.

A basketball player (real-life Kevin Garnett) wants to buy the ring, his brother-in-law (Eric Bogosian) double crosses him, loan sharks (Keith Williams, Tommy Kominik) want their money, his employee (Lakeith Stanfield) quits when he learns Howard pawned the player’s championship ring, his father-in-law (Judd Hirsch) is angered with him, and his wife scorns his attempt to reconcile. Things are not going well.

It won’t be a happy ending. You’ll figure that out early on.

“Uncut Gems” is currently scoring at Tropic Cinema.

No, this is not a Happy Madison Production. Josh and Benny Safdie directed the film that they co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein. These indie filmmakers have done a handful of films you probably haven’t heard of. “Uncut Gems” may be different. It’s getting good buzz.

Martin Scorsese was one of the film’s executive producers. We did say this was a crime drama, didn’t we?

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com