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Rating: 5 out of 5
Wow. Just wow! This was the exact expression I had while watching this film, and I want to tell you that J.K. Simmons was this movie and brought his A-game and then some. If you are looking for an intense film that shows how two people want greatness. One person wants perfection at any cost, while the other wants to give his all and be one of the greatest drummers around. This movie is beyond well directed and should be applauded for the story, acting, and intensity brought to it. I stood up and applauded in my apartment after watching this movie. It is that good.
We have seen movies that are dedicated to music. Sometimes we see movies where the main character is good and then reaches a new level that has never been thought imaginable. This movie right here goes in the opposite direction and shows the intensity of one man on his students and his attitude towards perfection. It is not just extreme; the main is a psychological beast towards the minds he is supposed to nurture.
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, Whiplash depicts the relationship between an ambitious jazz drummer (Teller) and an abusive perfectionist bandleader (J. K. Simmons) at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory. Nineteen-year-old Andrew Niemann wants to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world, in league with Buddy Rich. Andrew spends most of his time practicing his craft while also listening to drummers play. While playing in the basement of his new school, Shaffer, the best music school in the country, Fletcher hears him and asks him to play in a very intimidating way. Fletcher is a god in the school, and being asked to play in his band means you are the best of the best. After seemingly not impressed by Andrew, Fletcher leaves but returns to get his coat. While in class, Andrew is surprised that Fletcher asks him to join the band, albeit in the alternate drummer position, which he is more than happy to do initially. Andrew’s world is turned upside down when Andrew sees that Fletcher operates on fear and intimidation, never settling for what he considers less than the best each and every time. In Fletcher’s world, playing the best means, you know your mistakes and doing everything to perfection. With this thinking, he creates a world of fear and of every man or woman for him/herself within the band. Regardless of this new world, Andrew wants to do everything possible to be the best, even drumming until his hands bleed. Even at a young age, he tries to figure out his life priorities and what he is willing to sacrifice to reach this goal. The only question is how much emotional abuse he is willing to go through to reach the greatness he wants at Fletcher’s hands.
I don’t even know where to start with this film. It is that good. The story is good as we see inside the world of music. Like I said earlier, we have seen some music films but nothing as extreme as this. This is a very dark film in the sense the tone and atmosphere are dark. There are hardly any bright colors in this film. There are almost zero happy moments in them. When there is a happy moment, it gets crushed quickly until the very end.
Speaking of the tone, the one theme presented is that fear and intimidation rule. People try their hardest to please a teacher and achieve their dream of perfection. From the get-go, Fletcher is an intimidating person who wears nothing but black and wants perfection at every turn. Homeboy has a mouth on him that would make a drill sergeant blush from the insults. Chazelle does a fantastic job by presenting intimidation with the students as everyone has their eyes down and can’t even look at him. The class waits on the slightest movement of his hands and starts playing whiplash. Nothing seems good enough for anyone. One scene that stands out is when he hears someone off-key, and he strolls around the class listening to each note until he finds it. When he finds the person, he insults him so bad that he leaves the class.
Another scene is when Andrew gets his chance to play. Andrew seems to not be able to get his tempo which is the common mistake that Andrew shows. After a few times, Fletcher goes ballistic and slaps Andrew a couple times, followed by insults. He even throws a chair at him. The scene is intense and yet seems familiar when people want to reach their dreams. In this instance, there is zero nurturing and only emotional abuse that can lead people down a sad path.
One of the most intense scenes is when everyone believes they should be the lead drummer. You can’t really tell them apart, but everyone has their own reasons and style. Fletcher keeps them for five hours, and it seems like they play for a second and then are called useless. The scene is intense because everyone is playing and sweating while blood is all over the place—the sacrifices of being great.
Another prominent theme is this pursuit of greatness and showing everyone that they are better than the other. Andrew wants to be like his greatest idol and willing to go to great lengths to get it. When he feels like his dream is slipping, he plays all out until his hands bleed. He even sacrifices a loving relationship for a bullshit reason. One scene is that Andrew gets into a car accident and drags himself all bloodied to the concert because he believes that his spot is on the line. After doing awful, he just loses it and attacks Fletcher.
Yet, I love the ending. The ending was just a cherry on top. I love how Andrew got his revenge but also him finally being free of everything. Just because one person says you can’t be great doesn’t mean that you can’t find another way. I just like how Andrew finally shows his worth to Fletcher and the rest of New York City.
The acting was AMAZING! Miles Teller was great as Andrew Neiman. He played Andrew in a way that makes you feel bad for him as he descends into a world that he thinks is right. You can tell he is a gentle soul that just wants to be great. You see that his family really doesn’t think highly of his musical pursuit, even though his dad is very supportive. He is an innocent kid that just wants to live his dream.
This movie goes around J.K. Simmons and his terror act as Terence Fletcher. I applaud your performance because, DAMN, it was good. From his first appearance to his last, he was terrific. Gone is the Spider-Man character J.J. The dude is a straight-up beast in this film. The dude just burst through the door of Andrew’s class like an absolute BOSS and intimidated the teacher and everyone. When he threw out insults to his band, he was straight ruthless. Like I said, it would make a drill sergeant blush. Without a doubt, Simmons deserved his Academy Award because he was that good.
Whiplash is a phenomenal movie. It is one that deals with the emotions and abuse someone goes through to be great. The path they are on can lead them to the unknown. J.K. Simmons is at his very best and gives a fantastic performance. Get ready for a ride through the world of music perfection.
