The new Adam Sandler movie, Uncut Gems, helmed by the Safdie brothers, has received unanimous critical praise and has earned Sandler awards attention, with some critics calling his performance the best of his career. However, audiences have been particularly divided by the film, as it has earned a 54% audience aggregate on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ audience grade on CinemaScore. At its core, Uncut Gems is a 2-hour rush of adrenaline and a tour of New York City’s hectic diamond district, complete with jewelry hawkers, cramped architecture, and a general ambiance of profanity and price haggling in the background. Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jewelry shop owner who is crumbling under the thousand-dollar debts he owns to various people, including his brother-in-law, loan shark Arno. When Ratner smuggles in an uncut opal from Ethiopia, it seems like he might be able to pay off all his debts when Kevin Garnett is enamored with it on the eve of the 2012 Eastern Conference semi-finals. However, when Garnett asks to borrow it for a game and refuses to return it, Howard’s life and marriage spin into chaos as he finds himself being hunted down by Arno and various other people who he owns money and jewelry to. The film is fast, obnoxious, and anxiety-inducing, which is basically the opposite of the usual Adam Sandler movie.

One way Uncut Gems is not unique, however, is the fact that this is not the first time Sandler has stepped out of his comfort zone to remind people that he’s a good actor. An example is 2005’s Punch-Drunk Love, a Paul Thomas Anderson vehicle that was met with apprehension by audiences but turned out to be a thoughtful character study with a genuine and invested performance by Sandler. Other highlights are post-9/11 drama Reign Over Me and The Meyerowitz Stories. However, those movies are not the ones that attract Sandler’s fanbase. So, I asked people, “What movies do you remember Adam Sandler in?”

While the results differed, a common thread was found among these responses. People mostly remember Sandler in his more comedic roles, such as his turns in The Waterboy and Don’t Mess with the Zohan, rather than his aforementioned dramatic roles. This shows the discrepancy between critics and audiences that has been present throughout his acting career.