Uncut Gems is a movie that is quite a departure for Adam Sandler. In the same year that he released the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery, Sandler is also being talked about as a potential Oscar nominee for his role in the new Safdie Brothers film. However, while Uncut Gems might be quite a departure for Sandler, it turns out there is something that connects it with a classic, and much more traditional, Sandler comedy, at least for two of the films co-stars.
Uncut Gems co-stars The Weeknd, and the singer recently pointed out that, thanks to the movie, he has something in common with longtime The Price is Right Host Bob Barker, they’ve both had the opportunity to deck Adam Sandler in movies. Uncut Gems studio A24, got in on the fun, reminding fans of the famous Happy Gilmore scene.
In Uncut Gems, The Weeknd appears as himself, or at least a slightly fictional version of himself. The film takes place in 2012, which places it in the early days of his career, so he’s not all that well known. However, the mistress of Sandler’s character, Howard Ratner, is aware of him, and recommends checking him out.
Ratner ends up going to the show but the result is an altercation with The Weeknd when it appears the singer is messing around with Ratner’s mistress. Things eventually get out of hand, as they do throughout the entire film, leading to Ratner getting slugged by The Weeknd.
But, of course, The Weeknd isn’t the only slightly fictionalized version of a celebrity playing themselves that has had a chance to punch Adam Sandler on the big screen (wow, that’s oddly specific). In the golf comedy Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s Gilmore ends up in a celebrity Pro-Am event with Bob Barker, and the two antagonize each other until a fight starts. Gilmore actually starts the fight, but Barker is the one to end it.
If you haven’t seen the sequence in a while, enjoy…
While Uncut Gems and Happy Gilmore might have this one thing connecting them, it’s about the only similarity between the two films. This fact might end up being a determent to the film at the box office. Uncut Gems has an oddly low CinemaScore which would seem to indicate that moviegoers aren’t as in love with a more dramatic Sandler as critics are.
Still, maybe if Sandler actually does come through with the awards this year, people will take a second look. Sandler has already won Best Actor awards from a few film critics organizations and has been nominated for others. Uncut Gems was shutout of this weekend’s Golden Globes, but that doesn’t mean the Oscar isn’t still a possibility.