As 2019 comes to an end, the argument could be made that this was the quintessential year for A24. Not only were their films the most diverse they had ever been, but many would become staples of their quality brand, whether they be Under the Silver Lake (2019), The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019), The Farewell (2019), Midsommar (2019), or even The Lighthouse (2019). This was the year that cemented their reputation as the unstoppable behemoth of indie cinema. However, some could say that they were saving the best for last as Josh and Benny Safdie made their triumphant return with a film that remains in constant discourse, where several lines have been repurposed into memes, and the lead performance ranks among the studio’s most acclaimed. Uncut Gems (2019) finished off an already accomplished year with a neurotic goodbye that has rarely been matched since.
The story begins where The Safdie Brothers left off. When they last worked with A24, they produced the surprise Robert Pattinson hit Good Time (2017). Given that they were offered the chance to make studio films afterward, it became intriguing to note that they went back to an older project that had consumed them for a good decade upon its eventual release. Uncut Gems could be argued as inspired by their father’s love of jewelry and basketball, where there was an effort to explore life through Jewish humor, or lessons learned through suffering. They would write diaries where protagonist Howard Ratner interacted with them, trying to find some greater meaning to his existence. It wasn’t until a story emerged about Ethiopian miners selling black opals that were fragile and cracked easily that they found their connection. The idea emerged from a transcontinental study of Judaism where the American Howard would embrace the worst tendencies willingly, becoming a degenerate gambler whose life was made miserable because of money.
The idea of basketball came sometime later. One of the more frustrating things about where The Safdie Brothers went with the script was their need to place it “in a box.” There needed to be a sense of realism connected to actual events. Whatever games Howard would bet on will have actually happened. While they accepted that they might go with a non-athlete to play the character, they eventually became convinced of the authenticity that came with this decision. Among the names that were attached at different points, they all backed out for different reasons. Along with financing issues, the delays meant that Kobe Bryant backed out because he wanted to focus on directing. Amar’e Stoudemire came close, but was rejected when he refused to shave his head for accuracy. Joel Embiid, then Pre-NBA, had one of the more interesting angles given that he was Ethiopian. This aspect temporarily changed the direction of the script, which Embiid had some involvement with. Also, his manager was keen on the production given her love of Heaven Knows What (2014), though they eventually passed. Kevin Garnett would eventually be picked, though not without The Safdie Brothers’ openness about being The New York Knicks fans who hated The Boston Celtics, causing one of them to say “I hate you” upon first meeting Garnett.
With the success of Good Time, they were able to afford better opportunities for their follow-up. They finally had the budget to make Uncut Gems what it could be. There was the hope of getting Adam Sandler given that they believed Howard needed to be likable despite being pathetic. There was an effort to make a film that explore humanity in ways rarely allowed. They were obsessed with gambling culture as well as the post-modernist architecture of Mark Davis. Upon hiring Darius Khondji, he claimed to have found the look ugly and couldn’t understand the love for 80s aesthetic. However, The Safdie Brothers became so persuasive in their passion for the look that Kondji eventually agreed. It also helped that he had previously worked with them on a Jay-Z music video that was made fast and loose, where the cinematographer was impressed and wished to collaborate more with them.
In order to help build a more believable universe, The Safdie Brothers immersed themselves in the Diamond District - many of whom were fans of their documentary Lenny Cooke (2013). Along with observing mannerisms, they slowly began to dress like clientele and interview various people who frequented the landscape. Along with borrowing from various crime stories, they built a world that felt honest. They considered this approach “journalistic,” meaning that they took details that could enhance awareness of the world around them. In one of the more inventive choices, they backlogged Howard’s history as a jeweler by determining what 90s memorabilia he could turn into a necklace. As a result, they bought a Furby off of E-Bay (said to have been part of a McDonald’s Happy Meal) and told their designer to “make it into jewelry.” They believed it symbolized the overwhelming ridiculousness and desperation of Howard, especially with how the eyes were deeply set in, as if trapped.
One of the few issues with how Uncut Gems would be filmed was that they found an issue with shooting in Howard’s main store. This was because of the effort to get camera equipment in and be able to make it work conveniently. While The Safdie Brothers tended to shoot on location, they made an exception here by recreating the storefront. While they would do close-up shots of various scenes, most scenes were done on a soundstage that would be populated by random customers that were taken from the actual stores they frequented.
The soundtrack was also meticulously crafted. Daniel Lopatin, who had previously worked with them under the name Oneohtrix Point Never, used a Moog One to capture a sound reminiscent of Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter, and Vangelis. There was also an initial “Frankenstein” mixtape given of music Lopatin would be inspired by, including electronic reimaginings of Haydn and “Kaneda’s Theme” from Akira (1988). Also, there would be various audio clips from the film interspersed to give it an extra anxiety-inducing, hallucinatory effect. Lopatin would also work with co-star The Weeknd on unused music for the film. However, a lot of it was said to be reused for The Weeknd’s 2020 album “After Hours,” which included Lopatin as a producer on several songs. Upon the release of “After Hours,” several outlets were quick to note its similarities to The Safdie Brothers both sonically and in the accompanying artwork.
Everything that followed would be the stuff of legend. Upon the release of its original trailer, several scenes became immediate social media memes. The two most popular became gifs where Sandler was saying “I disagree” and “This is how I win.” The A24 marketing was in full effect, managing to sell its madcap energy in a matter of seconds while also selling the potential that Adam Sandler was going to do the unthinkable. Having been maligned for his recent output at Netflix, the idea of him returning to theaters was appealing, let alone in a film that looked to be genuinely great. There was an ambiguity around it, and that lead to one of the most successful build-ups to an A24 release during the entire year. It would premiere at Telluride Film Festival and later Toronto International Film Festival to positive feedback.
For starters, the limited release proved to be a good sign. Earning $537,242 at five theaters, the per-venue average would be the highest in A24 history. This would also be the second-best of any release in 2019. Along with a Christmas Day wide release, it would go on to earn $50 million on a $19 million budget. This would help it replace Lady Bird (2017) as the highest grossing film domestically for the studio until Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). However, the initial response was mixed. The CinemaScore showed that limited release patrons gave the film an A- while the wide release shrunk down to C+. Many have argued that it’s because of Sandler’s unlikable character. Some have debated whether Howard’s portrayal of negative Jewish stereotypes is ultimately a good or bad thing for the film. Most of all, it catapulted the idea that Sandler was destined for his first Oscar nomination. This was done in tandem with The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) which also found unexpected praise for the comedian, believing that there was now momentum for something to happen.
The mixed feedback could be seen in the overall ratings. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 91% which makes it one of the highest rated A24 films of the year. However, it would have an audience score of 52%, suggesting a divide between the different viewers. Brad Newsome of Sydney Morning Herald lead the cheers when stating “It's a brilliantly exhausting movie that gaffer-tapes us to motormouth New York gem dealer and degenerate gambler Howard Ratner... The thrill and despair of the addict are palpable.” Others like M.N. Miller of Ready Steady Cut shared the sentiment when claiming “The Safdie Brothers’ third act is ferocious, fervent, and one of the most jaw-dropping of the decade.” Of the few who disagreed was Mike Massie of Gone With The Twins who retorted “The characters are morally bankrupt, which makes it difficult to care about any of their various plights or overall wellbeing - or even their ultimate outcomes.” Overall, Uncut Gems would rank among the most critically successful films of 2019, making the fifth-most “Best of 2019" lists including the National Board of Review.
Whereas this would be where most films would stop, Uncut Gems had a bit of a second wind. Sandler was having a successful awards season. This culminated in an appearance at The Film Independent Spirit Awards where he won Best Male Lead along with The Safdie Brothers for Best Director and Best Editing. The first two wins presented some of the most memorable speeches of the night with Sandler doing scathing comedy while The Safdie Brothers satirized their reputation of talking over each other by accepting at the same time. Meanwhile, The Oscars were less forgiving with an anonymous voter commenting that they understood why voters didn’t go for a challenging film. However, Sandler would have the best reaction to his Oscar snub when saying on Twitter “Bad news: Sandman gets no love from the Academy. Good news: Sandman can stop wearing suits.” This would lead to an exchange with his former The Waterboy (1998) co-star Kathy Bates, who had been nominated for Richard Jewell (2019). Sandler would also joke during the season on The Howard Stern Show that if he lost that he’d make one of the worst movies he could on purpose. It was one of many A24 films from 2019 that were considered to be overlooked, thus creating a temporary sense that The Academy was ignoring them.
Again, this would be a nice place to say goodbye to Uncut Gems, but the story continued. While it’s speculative on if Sandler lived up to his promise, he did collaborate with The Safdie Brothers again with a street performer short called Goldman v. Silverman that played in front of select 35 mm screenings of Uncut Gems as well as made available online for free. Given that Uncut Gems was the last film with a traditional release prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary shutdown of movie theaters, it presented an interesting send-off as the one film that was embraced for its chaotic energy. The film’s legacy would continue as it became one of the very few A24 titles to be inducted into The Criterion Collection.
As of this publication, the future of those involved with Uncut Gems is a mixed story. Sandler has recently experienced another failed Oscar campaign with the more conventional basketball drama Hustle (2022). The Weeknd would enter The Guinness Book of World Records as one of the most popular artists globally. He is also working on the controversial new HBO/A24 collaboration TV series The Idol with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. The script’s co-writer Ronald Bronstein produced Funny Pages (2022). The Safdie Brothers’ future is less certain, as they announced that they’re working on a 48 Hrs. (1982) remake for Paramount, though nothing has yet to be seen. Still, as one of the most successful creators for A24, they’re an example of the benefit of the studio’s willingness to give them creative control.
There’s something undeniable about Uncut Gems in the public discourse. In a year that featured some of the studio’s greatest work, the choice to end with a divisive title that captured the very essence of their brand proved to be the smartest choice. Few films culturally have reached it's lingering omnipresence in the short time since. Was it ever going to be an Oscar darling? The better question was why not try and make things interesting? All in all, this was an astounding year for A24 and, strangely enough, the last sigh of relief before the pandemic permanently changed the world. One of the first victims of the theatrical release/quarantine dilemma was in itself another masterful film from a beloved auteur. Unfortunately, it probably was buried under being released much too soon for anyone to care about the levels they had with their Fall releases.
Coming Up Next: First Cow (2020)
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