Uncut Gems is a new film by the Safdie Brothers, starring Adam Sandler. The film has gained critical acclaim, especially for Sandler’s performance!
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the film.
- Uncut Gems is a 2019 American crime thriller film
- It is directed by Josh and Benny Safdie
- They co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein
- The film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, The Weeknd, and Eric Bogosian
- The plot follows Howard Ratner, a gambling addict in New York City’s Diamond District, who gets in over his head with loansharks and must retrieve an expensive gem he purchased in order to pay off his debts
- Filming for the project took place from September to November of 2018
- Uncut Gems had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019
- It was theatrically released on December 13, 2019 by A24
- The film received critical acclaim
- With its screenplay, direction, Sandler’s performance and Darius Khondji’s cinematography receiving much of the praise
- It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2019
- With Sandler also winning Best Actor
- In May 2016, it was announced Josh and Benny Safdie would direct the film
- From a screenplay they wrote alongside Ronald Bronstein
- The film was executive produced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Martin Scorsese
- With Elara Pictures and RT Features producing the film
- In May 2017, Jonah Hill joined the cast of the film, with Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Sebastian Bear-McClard joining as producers
- And A24 distributing
- In April 2018, Adam Sandler joined the cast of the film, replacing Hill
- He was the original choice to star in the film
- Being approached for the role in 2009
- The Safdies came up with the film in 2009
- However, at the time, he declined the role
- In August 2018, Eric Bogosian and Judd Hirsch joined the cast of the film
- In September 2018, Lakeith Stanfield and Idina Menzel joined the cast of the film
- With Netflix acquiring international distribution rights to the film
- In October 2018, it was revealed that The Weeknd, Trinidad James and Pom Klementieff had joined the cast of the film
- In November 2018, Kevin Garnett joined the cast
- Amar’e Stoudemire and Joel Embiid were also considered for the role
- Principal photography began in September 2018, in New York City
- Production concluded on November 15, 2018
- The film was shot by Darius Khondji on 35 mm film
- Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) composed the score for the film
- He also recorded several songs with The Weeknd for the film
- But they were eventually left out
- The score was released on December 13, 2019, on CD and vinyl, and digital streaming services
- Songs not included on the score but used in the film include “Some Type of Way” by Rich Homie Quan, “The Morning” by The Weeknd and “Swimming Pools (Drank)” by Kendrick Lamar
- The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2019
- It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2019
- It was released in the United States on December 13, 2019
- And is scheduled for a nationwide release on December 25, 2019
- It will be released worldwide excluding America on Netflix on January 31, 2020
- In its limited opening weekend the film made $525,498 from five theaters
- For a per-venue average of $105,099
- This is the highest-ever for A24
- And the second-best total of 2019
- It then made $241,431 in its second weekend
- The film made $1.1 million from previews on Christmas Eve
- And then $5.9 million on the first day of wide release
- Making it the highest single-day gross in A24’s history
- On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93%
- Based on 189 reviews
- With an average rating of 8.42/10
- The site’s critical 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”
- Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 89 out of 100
- Based on 45 critics
- Indicating “universal acclaim”
- Audiences polled by CinemaScore during the film’s limited release gave it an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale
- But it then earned a “C+” upon going wide
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