History Film / UncutGems

* ClusterFBomb: This is a deeply profane movie. Even Howard's kids drop a few F-bombs. In fact, it's so profane that it's currently ranked seventh in the "most F-bombs dropped in a movie" category, with 408 uses.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Howard gets murdered by Phil after winning the biggest bet in his life. While he was a self-serving gambler, both Arno and his family members are shown to be appalled at his death.]]

** In a minor case, music fans will know that The Weeknd will blow up in the music industry.

* MeaningfulName: Julia's name is sometimes shortened to "Jules", which sounds exactly like "jewels". Quite appropriate for a materialistic young woman in a love affair with a jeweler. [[AsHimself While it's pure coincidence]], Kevin ''Garnett'' also counts.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Howard never considered the idea that locking violent mobsters in his building was never going to go over well with them no matter how much money he made from winning. Even worse is that he ''lets them back into the shop'' where he's defenseless. Especially considering Phil has been very clearly shown to be a violent psychopath and brandished a gun at Howard while trapped.]]

* TheGamblingAddict: Howard is one, making big bets on basketball. His bookie isn't afraid to tell him that one audacious bet is the stupidest thing he's ever heard. Unsurprisingly, he owes a lot to people and is a target of loan sharks.

* GreedyJew: Howard is Jewish, and the film revolves around him trying to hustle his way into money to close deals and pay off debts. Given than he's already a successful diamond merchant, and all his debts seem to be related to reckless sports betting, his real problem is being a thrill-seeker rather than being greedy.

* RealityEnsues [[spoiler:Howard wins the big bet on the Celtics in the climax of the movie. He then lets in Phil (who was threatening Howard after being locked in his door for several hours) who then proceeds to shoot and kill Howard. A violent hotheaded mobster who has been constantly butted heads with Howard during the whole movie, was not going to be okay with being locked in the room for over three hours no matter how much money Howard just made.]]

* CuttingTheKnot: [[spoiler: By the end of the film, Phil has had it with Howard's increasingly audacious behavior and decides the simplest way to just shoot him and take everything in his store]].

* CuttingTheKnot: [[spoiler: By the end of the film, Phil has had it with Howard's increasingly audacious behavior and decides the simplest way to get his money back would be to just shoot him and take everything in his store]].

''Uncut Gems'' is a 2019 crime-thriller film directed by [[Creator/TheSafdieBrothers Josh and Benny Safdie]] (of ''Film/GoodTime'' fame) and starring Creator/AdamSandler. It was released on December 13th, 2019 by distributor Creator/{{A24}} in the United States and distributed worldwide by Creator/{{Netflix}} on January 30th, 2020.

* PetTheDog: There's a moment in the midst of Arno's thugs stripping Howard down and locking him in the trunk of his car, albeit a brief one, when Howard is pleading with him one last time before he gets locked in. In the next shot, tears are welling up in Howard's eyes. However, it turns into a YankTheDog moment not even ten seconds later when he tells his henchmen to even take his underwear.

* AsHimself: Basketball legend Kevin Garnett and R&B star The Weeknd both play themselves, with Garnett in particular having a sizable role. (Interestingly, the movie takes place in 2012, when The Weeknd was a darling of the underground as opposed to the pop star he currently is. He even wears his hair the same as he did in 2012!)

** Howard's Jewish cultural identity (if not his faith) factors heavily into the film, and the Safdies are themselves New York Jews.

** Creator/TildaSwinton and Creator/NatashaLyonne are heard as, respectively, the auction house manager and a Celtics staff member who talk to Howard over the phone.

* ClusterFBomb: This is a deeply profane movie. Even Howard's kids drop a few f-bombs. In fact, it's so profane that it's currently ranked seventh in the "most f-bombs dropped in a movie" category, with 408 uses.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Howard never considered the idea that locking violent mobsters in his building was never going to go over well with them no matter how much money he made from winning. Even worse is that he ''lets them back into the shop'' where he's defenseless. Especially considering Phil has been very clearly shown to be a violent psychopath, and brandished a gun at Howard while trapped.]]

* HistoricalFiction: The film is set in 2012. The Boston Celtics' performance in the 2011-2012 playoff semifinals are a prominent part of the film.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler: Arno.]] Like most of the people in Howard's life, he's tired of the gambling junkie's debts and debauchery, even going so far as to [[spoiler: order his thugs to accost Howard at his daughter's play, strip him naked and lock him in the trunk of his car, and later break his nose.]] But by Celtics Game 7, it's clear that [[spoiler: Arno was only trying to humiliate Howard into paying up. He had no intention of inflicting any real harm on his brother-in-law, and was even impressed by Howard's successful bet. Unfortunately, Phil wasn't moved at all and wastes no time in murdering both Howard ''and'' Arno in cold blood.]]

* LikeFatherLikeSon: For all of Howard's failings towards his other children (he misses part of his daughter's play and neglects tucking in his younger son so that he can watch the NBA game he bet on), he seemingly has a great relationship with his older son, and we see the pair over their mutual love of basketball.

* RealityEnsues [[spoiler:Howard wins the big bet on The Celtics in the climax of the movie. He then lets in Phil (who was threatening Howard after being locked in his door for several hours) who then proceeds to shoot and kill Howard. A violent hotheaded mobster who has been constantly butted heads with Howard during the whole movie, was not going to be okay with being locked in the room for over three hours no matter how much money Howard just made.]]

* RuderAndCruder: While Creator/AdamSandler has been involved with ''very few'' works that could be called "squeaky clean", ''Uncut Gems'', his most profanity-laced film, contains 408 uses of the F-word, the seventh highest usage in film history. And it's not a comedy.

* ShaggyDogStory: Things never go right for Howard in the film, and the one time that things go right [[spoiler: when he wins big on Game 7 of the Celtics-76ers playoffs, he is fatally shot.]]

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: This is a bleak film. It pulls no punches in showing just how self-destructive a gambling addiction can be. Even when Howard's given opportunities to pay back his massive debts, he instead either wastes the money on frugalities, or makes incredibly risky bets for no reason other than because he wants to win. This creates a vicious self-destructive cycle that he not only can't break, he seems to be unwilling to even attempt to break.

** His first bet on the Celtics actually is successful... Until Arno reveals that he cancelled the bet, rendering the victory worthless.

** [[spoiler:Garnett ''still'' wants the opal, however, so Howard manages to get his ring back and successfully sell him the stone, which is enough needed to pay off his debts to mobsters who are ''currently in his office.'' But instead he bets on the next Celtics game for a massive payout worth millions, and actually manages to succeed... Only to be immediately shot in the head at his moment of victory by one of the frustrated mobsters.]]

** [[spoiler: This could possibly be the case with Phil in the climax too. Phil shot and killed Howard and Arno in Howard's shop live on camera. While the movie doesn't show us what happens to him after Howard's death, it is very likely the police could end up arresting Phil and Nico not long after this occurred.]]

* KickTheDog: When Demany gets fed up with Howard and storms out of his office, he pours a bunch of red wine into the fish tank purely out of spite.
** Howard himself gets one when he reveals that he paid the impoverished Ethiopian miners a tenth of what he thought the black opal was worth.

* LameComeback: This [[JustForPun gem]] of an exchange:

* LameComeback: This gem of an exchange:

* ChekhovsGunman: Phil is Arno's [[HairTriggerTemper easily agitated]] henchman who seems to be a bit of a nuisance to Howard (to put it lightly), injuring him multiple times throughout the film as he grows more impatient. [[spoiler: He's also the one who ends up killing Howard]].

* JerkassHasAPoint: Almost everyone in the film is unpleasant in some form or another, and most of them are more than willing to point out that Howard's personal failings and how they are ruining his life. Whether it be his HairTriggerTemper, infidelity, his gambling addiction and refusal to pay his debts, or how his apathy to how all of these are ruining his personal and professional relationships.

The rest of the cast includes Creator/LakeithStanfield, Julia Fox, Creator/IdinaMenzel, Eric Bogosian, Music/TheWeeknd, and Kevin Garnett. The film, which was in the works by the Safdies for more than [[TroubledProduction ten years]], primarily due to the lack of financial backing and an attached star, was written by Ronald Bronstein and the Safdies. The cinematography was done by Darius Khondji, and the music was composed by Daniel Lopatin, AKA Music/OneohtrixPointNever.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Zig-zagged. Although the movie accurately depicts the course of the [[spoiler: 2012 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Kevin Garnett's up-and-down performance]], the movie also [[spoiler: utilizes Blade, a helicopter rental company, as an important plot device, despite Blade only having been created in 2014.]]