“UNCUT GEMS” – A Movie Review by Gary Smolker, Social Commentator, Values Critic, Movie Reviewer

THIS IS A REALISTIC ACTION MOVIE

I DON’T LIKE THE REALITY THIS MOVIE PORTRAYS.

I didn’t feel wittier or wiser when I was done watching it.

I was depressed the entire time I was watching this movie.

It was a painful movie for me to watch.

I felt like walking out from the very first scene at the very beginning of the movie and continued to feel like walking out all through the entire movie.

I stayed because the main character is a captivating individual.

POSITIVE TRAITS

I admire courage.

I admire persistence.

I admire creativity.

I admire intelligence.

I admire loyalty.

I believe in the power of will power.

NEGATIVE CHARACTER TRAITS

I hate lying.  I hate deception.  I hate cheating.

PERSONALITY PROFILE OF SANDLER’S CHARACTER

Sandler’s character is all of the above. He is courage, creative, intelligent, and hard-working but he is also a cheat, a deceiver, and a liar.

VIOLENCE

There is a lot of violence in this movie – which is usually a big turn off to me.

But in this movie the violence made sense, it was not gratuitous violence or violence for the purpose of getting my attention, or violence interjected in the movie for the purpose of keeping my attention.

The violence was not in the movie for the purpose of entertaining, but the reality and authenticity of the violence was entertaining.

HIGH ENERGY INDIVIDUAL

The character Adam Sandler plays in this movie is a super-hyper, super-active man, always moving. He is a high energy extremely goal driven man.

He is an always going somewhere, always hustling from one place to another.

COURAGE AND PERSISTENCE

I love courage.

Adam Sandler’s character has courage.

Adam Sandler’s character keeps going though matter what horrible things happen to him.

THIS IS A PHILOSOPHICAL MOVIE ABOUT COMPETITION

At its heart, this movie is about competition.

It is about performing at the highest level you are capable of performing.

It is about your need to win, and your self-image.

In one important key scene in this movie, Sandler spontaneously launches into a monologue about competition, about him being a competitive person, about need to win, about him needing to win.

This monologue occurs while talking to a basketball star  – This monologue begins in response to the basketball star asking how much the uncut gems he is buying from Sandler costs Sandler.

The basketball star replies to Sandler’s monologue.

The basketball star agrees with Sandler’s description of the role of self-image and goes on to describe what drives him to perform as a champion.

The basketball star describes what is behind his need to win.

SEX

There is sex in this movie.  But, it is not exploitative sex, or gratuitous sex., or disgusting sex.

FEMALE MASTURBATION

There is a scene in the movie where the audience and Sandler watch Sandler’s mistress masturbating.

The scene makes sense in the movie.  It is not a tawdry scene.

SELF-PROTECTION

The movie is also about the way people protect themselves.

There are many scenes which show how the business people in the movie screen business callers and social callers to protect themselves.
-Sandler had a set of glass locked glass doors one has to go through in order to enter his jewelry store.
-An auctioneer who auctioned Sandler uncut gems has a receptionist screen visitors and callers,
-The basket ball star athlete to whom Sandler sold his uncut gems has a business manager who handles business matters for the basketball star; the basketball star was accompanied by body guards wherever he went.

VIOLENCE

There is violence on Sandler’s character’s person in the movie.

There are collection thugs who try – through violence – to collect money Sandler owed someone.

Those characters are incredibly interesting characters; how they humiliated Sandler was incredibly interesting.

The thugs respected no social boundaries.

GAMBLING

Sandler’s character is a gambler.

Sandler’s gambling practices are fascinating, way beyond interesting.

TEAM WORK

The way Sandler imposes on everyone to accomplish his goals throughout the movie is entrancingly interesting.

Sandler gives people he imposes on a financial incentive.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS

Sandler’s relationship with his mistress and his interactions with his mistress was very believable; his mistress’ relationship with Sandler and the rest of the world was very believable too.

Sandler’s character has a wife and three kids.

His wife was unable to stomach him.

Yet she stays married to him.

COLORFUL PEOPLE

UNCUT GEMS is a colorful movie full of colorful people doing colorful things.

SUCCESS

Sandler’s character’s success – if you want to call anything that Sandler’s character did a success – was based on his ability to effectively communicate, his ability to think on his feet, his courage and ability to keep moving towards a clearly defined goal.

LIVING LIFE FULLY

Sandler’s character didn’t live fast.  He lived furiously at hyper speed.

Sandler’s character did not live life half-way.

ADMIRABLE TRAITS

Sandler’s character was very courageous and very hard working.

People who respect hard work and courage will admire Sandler.

He has a personality that sparkles and intellectual wealth.

NEGATIVE REVIEW

“I saw it under the mistaken belief it was a comedy. Certainly there are comedic elements, but the violence and depravity overwhelm them. The characters range from unlikeable to despicable. Yet the movie sells out. Depressing.

“I left the movie theater feeling assaulted.”

NEGATIVE REVIEW

“There’s more than enough violence to fuel the world’s need for it.  After all, the news outlets broadcast the aftermath of violence on a daily basis.

“Aren’t we sick enough of this nonsense.  The generations to come will become so desensitized that violence will become the new normal.

“Combining sex with violence is NEVER a good thing.”

REVIEW OF THE TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE OF THE ART OF MOVIE MAKING

The acting in this movie is superb.

The characters are believable; they glow with vitality.

The screen play story is fantastically well written.

It is a morbid depraved movie.

I reluctantly admire it as a realistic depiction of life.

 

Gary Smolker, Social Commentator, Values Critic, Movie Reviewer

 

Copyright © 2019 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved