You would think that right at this moment, Adam Sandler would be scheming to fulfill his promise of making the worst movie ever, since Uncut Gems sadly didn’t make the Academy Awards’ nomination class of 2020. But he’s actually been gracious about the whole thing, and has looked on the bright side with a response that’s both amazing, and adorable.
As the Sandman himself said, the plus side is he won’t have to show up to functions in a full suit and tie if he doesn’t feel like it. Honestly, if that’s one of the reliefs that Adam Sandler looks forward to, then he probably would have been even more uncomfortable if Uncut Gems went to the Oscars, as he’d have to step things up to keep pace with the crowd at that particular arena.
But perhaps the best part of Adam Sandler’s response to this mornings’ Oscar nominations is the fact that he made a fitting callback to the all-time Sandler classic The Waterboy. Since Kathy Bates not only played Mama Boucher to Adam Sandler’s titular hydration specialist, but also snagged a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Richard Jewell, the stars aligned for a bit of a touching family reunion via Twitter.
And, as luck and narrative beauty would have it, Ms. Bates responded to her on screen son's best wishes with her own vote of praise; and in character too!
Howard Ratner is undeniably one of the most intriguing characters we’ve seen coming out of 2020. Which makes the total shut out of nominations for Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems’ all the more upsetting, and means we totally deserve whatever movie Adam Sandler will decide to make as an act of universal retaliation.
Of course, this isn’t exactly the end for Adam Sandler’s awards prospects, as Uncut Gems is pretty well represented at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Sandler is already nominated for Best Male Lead, among the film’s other nominations for Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Screenplay.
Not to mention, Sandler did win Best Actor with the National Board of Review as well as the Boston Society of Film Critics for his performance. So, technically, Uncut Gems did win awards; it’s just not the Oscars. Again, the world has totally earned the wrath of the Sandman, but it’s not like the efforts on this film have gone unnoticed.
And really, Adam Sandler should take this moment as an opportunity to feel joy again. Maybe, instead of creating something along the lines of Grown-Ups 3 V Jack And Jill 2: A Perfectly Blended Origin, he can make a film that people would rally around so hard, they’d be in his corner all the way through.
What I’m saying is, Mr. Sandler, if you really want to take advantage of this particular moment in time, maybe you should be thinking about writing The Waterboy 2: Bobby’s Bourbon Bowl Bonanza. You and Kathy Bates are already in contact, and a couple of DMs could give your fans some serious happiness, and an instant Netflix hit. It's just a thought.
Uncut Gems is still in theaters, winning and grinning as only the Sandman could.
