Whiplash (2014)
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Drama, Music
107 Minutes
Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) is a first-year student in a prestigious Shaffer Conservatory of Music aspiring to become a jazz drummer. His dream comes true when he gets into the best band of the school conducted by Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). However, Fletcher soon turns out as an abusive and sadistic teacher who drives Andrew to the limits of his stability berating him in front of the class and throwing chairs at his head. Still, Andrew is determined to get his teacher’s appreciation – even if it means practicing obsessively until his hands bleed, breaking up with his girlfriend or running for a gig only minutes after being hit by a truck.
The odds are that whether or not you liked jazz before, you will love it after, or at least during, this movie. I myself have never been a huge fan of the genre, but was impressed by the numerous jazz performances and found myself thinking that I might have to give jazz another chance. Because the music in this movie really is superb. Miles Teller has been playing drums since his teens and thus does all his playing scenes (which are many, obviously) himself and J.K. Simmons has a degree in conducting so there’s no question about his believability, either. Also, the other members of the band are actual music students or musicians so the film gets as real as it can music-wise.
Still, even though there is a lot of music in this film and it centers around drums, Whiplash is more about power and the need to excel. How far are you willing to go to become the best? For Andrew, it seems, there are no limits and neither are there for his teacher who is determined to beat the best out of him and whom Andrew not only admires but also almost wants to become.
J.K. Simmons does an amazing job as the band conductor from hell. Fletcher thinks that “there are no two words more harmful in the English language than ‘good job’” and the viewer will soon learn to dread the next time he’ll stop the band and announce that they are not in his tempo. Still, at the same time, Simmons manages to make you feel just a hint of sympathy towards him, when Fletcher explains how he truly believes that it is an “absolute necessity” to do whatever it takes to hammer the young musicians into brilliance. Fletcher is just an old teacher whose biggest dream is to have “the next Charlie Parker”, a student who would become the next big name in Jazz. Simmons’s performance has also been noted by the Academy Awards committee who nominated him for Best Supporting Act along with the four other nominations that the film received. Teller doesn’t quite rise to the level of Simmons but he is quite good nevertheless and it is a joy to watch the two work together.
The finale is jaw-droppingly amazing as Andrew gets back at Fletcher by showing off his improvisation skills. Seriously, you’ll want to clap. A lot. Still, one has to wonder whether Andrew’s obsession with his teacher and becoming the best jazz drummer ever really is good for him. Whiplash is intense and inspiring, well-acted and definitely worth seeing. Be warned, however – there will be blood, sweat, tears and some serious Black Swan vibes.