Whiplash: Another musical movie from the director of "Grand Piano"

Today, I look at the universally acclaimed adaptation of his own short film.

Whiplash:
Andrew Neiman is an aspiring young jazz drummer at a prestigious music school. Striving to be one of the "greats", like Buddy Rich, Neiman is accepted into the studio jazz band program, run by the highly respected conductor Terence Fletcher. Unfortunately for Neiman, Fletcher is a lot more intense and abusive than he expected, and pushes Andrew to the limit of his physical, emotional, and psychological capabilities for the sake of music. The two eventually enter a gut-wrenching battle of wits as Andrew tries to gain the approval of this hardened instructor.
    While sounding fairly cliche, this movie is actually a really great drama that is almost a deconstruction of the "asshole coach/mentor" character you see in many sports and music-based movies.
  Before I dive into that, I must commend the acting. Miles Teller is already a matured and competent actor at just 27 years old, and his youthful appearance is able to sell the idea that he's only 19. Teller's performance included him having to improve on his drumming skills by learning the jazz style, which he was unfamiliar with. Many of the gashes and blisters that appear on his hands during his grueling practice scenes are real, and Teller's commitment to the role was something sorely missing from a lot of young actors today. Because the director, Damien Chazelle, never yelled "Cut!" at the end of the drumming scenes, Teller was forced to play until he physically exhausted himself, making the drumming sequences fell uncomfortably real.
   J.K. Simmons is a terrific character actor, playing memorable supporting roles such as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Dr. Skoda in Law & Order, and neo-Nazi Schillinger in Oz, but I think this is the one that will gain him more starring roles. His threatening and intense on-screen presence is unquestionable, and every scene with him had me on edge, wondering what was going to set him off next. His incessant nitpicking and emotional and physical battery of his students made him a thoroughly unlikable villain, but as the film peeled back the layers of his character and revealed why he is motivated to do such things, I found myself feeling some empathy for him. I was glad Chazelle made the choice not to make Fletcher such a one-dimensional villain, but more of a misunderstood one.
   The supporting cast aren't given much to do, but Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, and Austin Stowell all serve their purpose and are the most memorable of the supporting characters.
    The music in the film is very enjoyable and I was happy to see a movie that really explores the idea of how the general public perceives musical careers as opposed to sports careers, and also the way music can bring people together or tear them apart.
   I was also intrigued with how the movie, up until maybe the ending, served as a deconstruction of the "intense teacher/coach" trope. In other films, the hero would push himself hard, but ultimately win the day. In this film, Neiman pushes himself to the limit, but in doing so is wrecking other facets of his life: he is detached from his family, he is always stressed and neurotic, he alienates his girlfriend and classmates, etc. It shows that by trying to win the approval and respect of this one asshole teacher, Neiman is destroying the relationships with people who actually care about him.
   Speaking of the ending, without giving anything away, the second act and third act of this movie have to include some of the most tense, investing, and satisfying scenes of 2014. I will say this is one of my favorite climaxes of a movie this year.
    Whiplash is emotionally gripping, provocative, and electrifying, with two of the best performances of the year. The last 15 minute should be seen on the biggest screen possible with the best sound possible, so I would recommend seeing the film in theaters, if only for that last act. Damien Chazelle has definitely marked himself as one to watch out for in the coming years, and I can't wait to see what he does next. 5/5 stars.

          (Image: Wikipedia)



Another (short) review I enjoyed that explores the music in the movie a bit more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgH3e-S9aHA