Uncut Gems is a 2019 American crime thriller film[5] directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein.

It stars Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, and Eric Bogosian.

The film tells the story of Howard Ratner (Sandler), a Jewish-American jeweler and gambling addict in New York City's Diamond District, who must retrieve an expensive gem he purchased in order to pay off his debts.

Uncut Gems was a box office success and received acclaim, especially for Sandler's against-type performance, which several reviewers described as the best of his career.

He has a gambling addiction, a fancy house on Long Island for his wife Dinah, a pied-à-terre apartment in Manhattan for his mistress Julia, and a swimming pool that needs resurfacing.

Howard has borrowed $100,000 from Arno, a loan shark, which he has used to purchase a 600-carat black opal from Ethiopia's Welo mine, which he has smuggled to America.

Howard meets Demany at a nightclub party hosted by R&B singer the Weeknd to retrieve the opal, only to find that Garnett still has it.

To salvage the situation, Howard tries to scam Garnett by recruiting his father-in-law Gooey to submit fake bids to drive up the price.

[11] Pom Klementieff has a brief cameo as Lexis, a friend of Julia who greets Howard outside his Manhattan apartment during the opening credits.

— Ari Brostoff[18] When creating the character of Howard, the Safdies were heavily influenced by Jewish humor and actors from the 20th century.

Uncut gems are rough things that are considered ugly by most people, but when you scope them out and get underneath you can find the beauty and value in them.

"[18] The Safdies designed Howard's character to channel Jewish "stereotypes that were forced onto us in the Middle Ages, when ... [Jews'] only way of accruing status as an individual, as a person who was considered a human being, was through material consumption.

"[16] Production designer Sam Lisenco worked with the Safdies to draw a picture of a new-money striver who, despite his wealth, retains the trashy tastes of his childhood.

Lisenco noted that Howard insists on buying expensive-but-dated items that he could not afford when he was younger, like the Sony Trinitron television in his Manhattan apartment, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and large fish tanks.

[24] In May 2017, the Safdies announced that Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, and Sebastian Bear-McClard would produce the film, and A24 would distribute it.

[26][29] Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, LaKeith Stanfield, and Idina Menzel joined the project in August and September 2018.

[36] They were also drawn to Stoudemire due to his joint black and Jewish heritage, as well as his years starring with the New York Knicks, the Safdies' favorite basketball team.

[47] A soundtrack album of Lopatin's music for the film was released on December 13, 2019, on CD, vinyl, and digital streaming services.

[53][54] The Criterion Collection acquired the rights to distribute the film on home video, and issued a physical release in 2021.

[62] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 351 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Uncut Gems reaffirms the Safdies as masters of anxiety-inducing cinema—and proves Adam Sandler remains a formidable dramatic actor when given the right material.

"[63] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 based on reviews by 56 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

"[69] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of "A", calling it "a riveting high-wire act, pairing cosmic visuals with the gritty energy of a dark psychological thriller and sudden bursts of frantic comedy".

[73] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times said: "Directed with relentless tension and diamond-hard intelligence by Josh and Benny Safdie (who earlier this month won directing honors from the New York Film Critics Circle), Uncut Gems is a thriller and a character study, a tragedy and a blast.

"[74] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film "a cinema of pure energy and grungy voltage, and the Safdies make it look very easy.

Jon Caramanica of the New York Times wrote that "there is no opportunity for sonic escape in 'Uncut Gems,' a film that often sounds like it is itself taking in three movies at once.

The thrum of the thing is massive, varied and thick — the noise of the city, a paranoid score, and sometimes you even hear the dialogue.

[81] Critics and commentators considered Sandler to be a viable contender to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Uncut Gems.

Reacting to the announcement, he congratulated Kathy Bates—his former co-star in The Waterboy (1998)—on her Best Supporting Actress nomination, and wrote: "Bad news: Sandman gets no love from the Academy.

[101][102] The film received praise from Diamond District workers for its accurate portrayal of the industry and the high-stress setting, although various workers noted that certain aspects of Howard's character were exaggerated for dramatic effect, including his gambling addiction, his large debts, and his willingness to evade anti-smuggling laws.

[110] Following the split, Josh turned his attention to a different project, Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet,[108] and shot a Netflix comedy special with Sandler.