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Uncut Gems (2019; Safdie Brothers) is entrancing. In particular, Adam Sandler’s character Howard Ratner is extremely enthralling (and frustrating). There are so many instances where he’ll finally get ahead and solve one of his problems just to throw himself into some other ill-fated scheme (usually in the hopes of making a quick buck). Despite this blatant character flaw, he’s so much fun to root for, but why? Well, the term “lovable loser” comes to mind, but he kind of blurs the line a little bit and causes one to wonder; how can audiences be fooled into cheering on this sometimes problematic and even morally bankrupt adaptation of the “lovable loser” mold?
What Is Uncut Gems?
Uncut Gems is a crime thriller directed by the Safdie Brothers. The film was released in 2019 and stars Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, and Kevin Garnett (yes, the 21 year NBA vet and 15-time all-star Kevin Garnett is in this movie). The plot revolves around Adam Sandler’s character Howard Ratner, and he’s a bit off a swindler. Howard Ratner is a jeweler working out of the Diamond District in New York City.
He makes his money by conning people out of their jewelry and pawning it off to display in hock shops while he gambles with the pawned money, not the safest or most up-and-up business model. Understandably, he makes some enemies. Throughout the film, Howard evades loan sharks and finagles his way out of messy situations while desperately trying to offload a rare black opal that he hopes will make for a big payday and help to settle some of his debts.
What Is A Lovable Loser?
A lovable loser is someone who is, for whatever reason, extremely likable and endearing despite being a chronic underachiever, failing nearly all of the time. They’re typically redeemed or achieve their lovable status by either being funny and quirky or extremely earnest and innocent. For example, you could lump Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber into the earnest and innocent, lovable loser archetype.
Alternatively, you could think of Jeff Bridges’ portrayal as The Dude from The Big Lebowski as a funny/quirky iteration of the lovable loser. Usually, the archetype involves someone who can’t do anything right and can’t catch a break but is still charming in some way or another. That’s where it becomes fascinating to consider Howard Ratner’s categorization in the lovable loser mold.
How Uncut Gems Uses The Lovable Loser Trope
As previously mentioned, Howard Ratner is a jeweler, but he’s kind of shady. He’s a gambling addict, to be straightforward. He gambles money he does not have and refuses to acknowledge his own culpability. Not only this, but he is not the best husband or father. His wife, played by Idina Menzel, is completely over his selfish behavior and his teenage daughter seems completely indifferent towards him as he lets her downtime and time again.
In Uncut Gems, we see a glimpse of this when Howard misses his daughter’s school play as a result of trying to evade some loan sharks who showed up at the recital. He’s not a good guy, but there’s something about him that’s relatable and alluring. Maybe it’s in Howard’s unwavering confidence, or maybe it’s his refusal to follow the path of least resistance, but there’s a kind of charm and appeal to the character that, while it won’t make you overlook his flaws, it will make you still want things to work out for him.
Perhaps it’s his obliviousness to see that he needs to turn things around that pulls you in. Again and again, Howard could just take a step back and assess the situation and sees that he probably shouldn’t make the riskiest choice possible, but he does it anyway and there’s something to that quality that’s appealing. In the culminating scenes of the film, with the loan sharks busting into his jewelry store, he has the opportunity to just pay off his debts and come out even, but instead, he takes the money and gambles it at a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime payout. It’s almost like envisioning a version of yourself that just acted out every impulse possible. Howard has no filter. He’s so invested and persistent in doing things his way that it works to his detriment. Early in the movie, KG comes into his shop and really just wants to see his watch selection, but Howard keeps trying to pour him a glass of the shop’s new bottled water and insists that KG lets him clean his jewelry “on the house”. He’s overtly over-persistent, but that’s lovable in a way.
What Do We Love About Lovable Loser Leads?
Lovable loser characters are fuck-ups. Usually, they’re just quirky, goofy characters with hearts of gold who mess up a lot, but sometimes, like with Uncut Gems, they’re immoral people who the audience roots for anyway. Howard Ratner is an underhanded jeweler with a gambling addiction, who has proven to be a negligent father and husband, but he is still the “protagonist” of Uncut Gems.
There’s a captivating quality to Howard’s obliviousness and kind of general self-serving behavior that is hard to describe but is compelling nonetheless. It makes this deplorable character lovable in a way, and that’s the magic of the lovable loser archetype. It can make you root for someone who’s an asshole or just generally doesn’t have it all together, and that’s a really unique and rewarding viewing experience.