All-time movie character scumbag Howard Ratner from Uncut Gems spends the entirety of his movie’s runtime scheming, ripping people off, swearing and making bold plays to try and advance his own life. Oh and gambling. He also does a lot of that. With sports betting grinded close to a halt and people out there trying to profiteer on essential goods, Uncut Gems directors the Safdie Brothers were asked what Adam Sandler's Howard would be up to during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Their answer did not disappoint. Apparently Howard would be playing the black market, boasting about his collection of overpriced goods and going crazy from spending too much time with his family. Here’s the full answer via Twitter…
running around buying black-market way -overpriced disinfectant wipes & TP & boasting about his collection. He’d spend the first 10 days on L.I. being the family man they forgot he could be till he’d run mad, hop in His car & catch covid from a stranger trying to track down Julia
I mean… what about that is wrong? Can’t you picture Howard doing all of this? First he’d see this whole thing as an opportunity and try some get rich quick schemes. Then he’d have some epiphany and briefly try to be a changed man, and then he would violate common sense and social distancing procedures to track down his mistress Julia, who, by the way, I’m sure would be getting up to some really ridiculous shit of her own. She would probably be going to concerts and clubs, mingling with tons of strangers, encountering someone with a cough, freaking out about how she probably got the virus, sobering up and then doing the same thing the next day.
A lot of industries are dealing with unprecedented challenges right now because of the Coronavirus outbreak. A case could be made that few, if any, are being hit harder than the gambling industry. With the cancellation of almost all major sporting events (outside the UFC and a few others), there simply isn’t anything of note to bet money on. That’s a problem for casinos in Las Vegas, and it’s a problem for the rest of the oddsmakers around the world. Some casinos have even closed their sports books.
It’s also, obviously, a unique situation for hardcore gamblers who are used to chasing that rush. I wonder how many of them find other and much stranger things to bet on, how many of them wind up kicking the habit because of this forced dry period and how many of them return as if nothing changed as soon as sports come back. You would like to think those who need help will use this as an opportunity, but you never know.
Regardless, Uncut Gems was probably the best movie to come out in 2019, contrary to what some people who didn't get it might tell you. Look at how many of our Top 10 lists it was on. It’s the most uncomfortable I have ever felt inside a movie theater, and the rush of being on that ride was something I’ll always remember. I even went a second time in the theater just so I could experience it again but also watch other people out of the corner of my eye. Adam Sandler deserved to be nominated, along with a lot of other people who worked on the movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, I can’t recommend it enough.
