Uncut Gems

UncutGemsstartedoffat60milesperhournandneverletit'sfootoffthegas!

For a short time in my life I made a weekly bet or two [ahem] during football season. Even though my wagers were small-ish, the fact money was involved changed how I experienced the game.

Each week I cared less about the on-field athleticism and more about how the spread was moving. I bet big on the single game Thursday night so I knew going into multi-game-day Sunday if I could go big or should stay small. A win by my favorite team became less important than if I beat the spread. 

So I stopped. Cold turkey. 

I felt those old feelings while watching Uncut Gems. The desperation -- not to win, but to continue the thrill -- was evident from the first scene you see a conscious Howard Ratner (the first time you see him he's not conscious). It was suffocating, and the feeling drained me emotionally.

My  hand to God: when the movie ended Mrs. Film Geek said: "Can we watch something happy now so I don't have to go to bed feeling this way?" 

Sandler's got legit drama-movie game. And Julia Fox -- in her debut role, even -- is excellent. Uncut Gems isn't for everyone due to emotional intensity. But simply as a story, this flick is excellent.