Uncut Gems ending revisited: Here's what Julia does with the money

Uncut Gems is a film in the crime thriller genre, and it had its premiere at the 46th Telluride Film Festival. The movie was directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who also wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein, and produced by Eli Bush, Scott Rudin, and Sebastian Bear-McClard. The film starring Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner was released by A24 on December 13, 2019. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Let's find out how the film ends.

What is the plot of Uncut Gems?

Uncut Gems is about a jeweler named Howard Ratner, who is also addicted to gambling. He is neck deep in debt, and collectors are always knocking on his door. Howard takes several risky moves to come out of this situation but only digs his own hole deeper.

How does Uncut Gems end?

Towards the end of Uncut Gems, Kevin Garnett decides to buy the opal and pays big money to Howard. He has the option to use it to clear all his debts. But he decides to bet all the money. Julia De Fiore (played by Julia Fox) goes to the Mohegan Sun Casino to place all the money for a bet on a basketball match.

While the game is going on, several creditors show up to ask for money. Howard decides to trap them inside the security doors. The game comes to an end and he manages to win $1.2 million. He then sets the creditors free. Phil, who is one of the creditors, is full of rage. He shoots Howard dead along with Arno and Nico. They then proceed to loot the store.

The ending of Uncut Gems signifies that Howard's greed was never-ending and that led to his demise. He both lived and died for money. Meanwhile, there's no proof that the opal is lucky for Kevin. It stays with Howard for the majority of the time, but he is always in debt.

Julia leaves with Howard's money and manages to stay alive. However, the collectors are bound to go after her for the money. She decides to split the money with Howard's children, as she always liked him.

Adam Sandler once spoke about the ending with ScreenRant.

“I agree with your parents – it’s too much on it. Certainly my mother – my mother in law…anybody over a certain age was like, "Ohh, that ending. That was too much, I didn’t need to see that." I got yelled at the other day on the set here. A guy telling me, ‘Man. Why’d they do that do you at the end of Gems?’ And I have to defend that ending. It had to happen.”

The film is available on Netflix.