One of the best films to come out of 2019, Uncut Gems, is finally on Netflix. This Adam Sandler starrer follows a gambling addict jewelry store owner after he finds a rare uncut gem from Ethiopia.
The film’s name takes a whole new meaning when you realise that it features multiple civilians in key roles, who were previously living in New York’s Diamond District where the film centers around.
Uncut Gems is beyond doubt the high point of its creators Josh and Benny Safdie’s creative arcs, considering they’re known for being artists of chaos. The duo received much appreciation for daring to cast industry biggies against regular New Yorkers, giving the film an unparalleled authenticity.
The film has many real life characters in addition to the basketball player Kevin Garnett as himself. These include civilians like Marshall and Ronald Greenberg, Mitchel and Steward Wenig, first timer Keith William Richards, Ara Daglian and Wayne Diamond.
In real life, the Greenbergs have worked on the 47th Street for 40 years; they were spotted by the directors during a scouting of the district for the film.
While Marshall Greenberg needed some convincing, Ronald was already signing oral contracts with Safdie brothers when they first popped the question. Ronald’s girlfriend Andrea Linsky also has a small cameo in the film as Jiani.
In fact, the Safdies even had the duo ad-lib for the film to improvise on the dialogues as per their experiences.
Now, remember the twins who were trailing Sandler throughout the film for an old debt repayment? They are Mitchel and Steward Wenig.
Mitchel was picked up by the Safdies from an old diner, nearly 8 years ago, for a small role in their film John’s Gone. For Uncut Gems, Mitchel was recalled, along with his brother Steward, to audition for the roles.
Watch Trailer Here:
Cast as Phil, Arno’s (Eric Bogosian) tough-guy friend ready to rough up Howard, is the first timer Keith William Richards. Richards was about to return to acting school to study counselling when his casting director called with an audition. The rest, as they say, was history.
Ara Daglian, the single dad and manager of a country club in the film, was actually picked up by Josh Safdie a day before the shooting began. Ara met Josh at Mohegan Sun’s craps table the night before shooting, and Josh convinced him to take the part.
Next morning when Ara arrived on the set all showered and cleaned up, Josh reportedly sent him back to return in “the shirt you wore last night in your 3-o’clock-in-the-morning-craps-table mode.”
Now the steel-gray-haired handsome gentleman that Howard’s girlfriend, Julia De Fiore (Julia Fox), encounters at Mohegan Sun is Wayne Diamond. He is a dress designer in the 80s who struggled with gambling himself before descending into depression. His association with the movie was a passionate one given his own struggles with betting and gambling.
Blend of fiction and doc
Meanwhile, the film captures the Jewish side of New York, which obsesses with basketball and expensive jewels.
According to Richard Brody at the New Yorker, the very chaotic existence of Sandler’s Jewish character, even though most of the instability is brought about by himself, remains an understated tribute to the uncertainty associated to rushed migration, which becomes a way of life for many.
The Safdie brothers also carve the film’s story around real life events of the times it is based in, turning it into a dazzling blend of fiction and documentary.
Tops popularity charts on Netflix
The film has continued to gather fans after it premiered on Netflix this month. It was already in the Top 10 popular things to watch on Netflix as of May 26. While the internet was divided on how they felt about this Adam Sandler crime drama, considering it walks a thin line between being a gangster film and a psychological thriller at the same time.
Uncut Gems may have the gangster feels, but at its core it is a tale of greed, opportunism and cosmic circularity. It portrays the world of diamond mafia and high crime but through the eyes of the smallest unit of a capitalist system – its common man.
Meanwhile, we see Sandler in a new avatar. Dressed in an ostentatious leather jacket, a shirt with the tag still dangling out of its collar, decorative glasses, an overly trimmed goatee, and a watch that could build biceps, one can barely recognized Sandler after the first five minutes.
No wonder there were many who claimed the absence of any awards to his role in Uncut Gems as a snub of sorts.
Watch the film and let us know what your thoughts are on Uncut Gems, in the comments below.
No Comments on Netflix’s Uncut Gems: Non-actors Bring a Real-Life Touch to the Film