Sports Betting Movie Review – Uncut Gems

Today I want to review the film “Uncut Gems”, the 2019 movie starring Adam Sandler and Kevin Garnett. I want to go over some of the betting which occurs in the story. The movie was set in 2012.

I have to be honest, I was avoiding this movie for a couple years now. It was billed as a story about a jewelry salesman who deals with high profile athletes and sells them “bling”. I really wasn’t in the mood for that kind of story. But, with good movie options running out, I said what the hell.

The movie starts on a frantic pace which lasts most of the movie. I really didn’t know how much of it I could take but as the story unfolded, my interest was piqued. Sandler is a jeweler who specializes in high-ticket specialty jewelry pieces. It also becomes apparent pretty quickly that he is in over his head to bookies, jewelers and pawn shops. He is “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and his entire life is a juggling act. He is also a degenerate gambler.

I use the term “degenerate gambler” here because Sandler’s character is in deep to several “street bookies”, yet continues to bet large sums. He has guys threatening to do him bodily harm yet he still places his bets. And his bets are stupid. Instead of betting the side or the total straight, he places multiple leg parlays. It’s no wonder why he is in so deep to bookmakers.

Accuracy

Mike Francesa plays a restaurateur/bookie in Uncut Gems

One bookmaker is actually played by sports radio personality Mike Francesa, a nice little touch if I do say so myself. And Mike did a pretty good job acting the part. His character runs a restaurant and takes bets from inside the location. This is realistic as many bookmakers also run other businesses as well. I remember years ago there was a guy who ran an auto-garage by day and took bets from his grimy office at night. He chain-smoked so when he answered the phone it sounded like a frog was on the other end.

There are two major bets placed in this movie. On one wager, Sandler’s character places a 6-leg parlay which combined the side, total and multiple Kevin Garnett player props. He even places a lightning bet for $1,000 per point. Just wild reckless betting at its worst. A little while after he hits the jackpot and wins all of his bets, he is informed that his bet was cancelled by one disgruntled bookie who reached out to the other (the one played by Francesa). This is a possible occurrence as most area bookies do communicate with one another to avoid taking action from deadbeats as well as to try to keep from stepping on each others toes. The only unrealistic part was the bookie who booked the bet did not contact him to tell him that the bet was cancelled.

The finale in the movie sees the degenerate Sandler character placing a three-teamer risking $165K to win $1M+. Of course, he does it with the cash he was supposed to pay to one of his debtors. The bet itself is a combo of the Opening tip (Celtics) + Over Total Points/rebounds (Kevin Garnett) and Celtics to win straight on the moneyline (+130). The bets win but everyone does not live happily ever after. I will leave it at that.

Mohegan Sun Sportsbook? Sandler puts his girlfriend on a helicopter with a bag full of money to place his infamous three-teamer. She arrives at Mohegan Sun a short time later and throws down her action at the sportsbook. The problem is that Mohegan Sun didn’t have a sportsbook in 2012. The scenes were filmed at their racebook.

Should You Watch This Movie?

This movie was highly rated by the critics at Rotten Tomatoes (91%) and I have to agree with them. Though I didn’t love every facet of this film, it was realistic. Its tackled some themes which hadn’t been done in a long time (if ever). It also has one of the best and more intense sports gambling scenarios that has ever been recorded on film. The public was split on the movie (52%). This is because it didn’t give them the typical happy Hollywood ending they are used to. That and the fact that Sandler’s character, who is the protagonist, is so dislikable as a human being.

All fans of sports betting should check out this movie. It will get your palms sweating at various points and Sandler’s acting is really excellent.