Whiplash (2014)

I first saw Whiplash and really enjoyed it but was worried about watching it again because there was a chance that the film wouldn’t be as enjoyable but thankfully that wasn’t the case. The setup is that a young drummer joins a group led by Fletcher who isnt the nicest person in the world. 

J.K. Simmons steals this movie. From the very moment he appears on screen he is fascinating to watch. His ruthlessness is something that just seems to come naturally. When he walks into rooms, people stand up and this is done within the first 10 minutes of the film. The director does a good job of making him seem imposing. There’s a scene where he picks on someone for being out of tune and then fires them and as soon as they are gone, he tells the group that he wasn’t the one out of tune but the fact he didn’t know he wasn’t out of tune was just as bad. This sense of ruthlessness is one of the reasons why I like this film. Miles Teller is one of those people that puts in inconsistent performances from film to film. He’s terrible in Fantastic Four yet really good in this as the drummer who wants to be liked by someone who emotionally abuses him. I don’t know if he could drum before this film or took lessons just before but he’s really good and whilst I am no expert, it looks difficult. 

The relationship between Andrew and Fletcher is at the heart of this film and whilst a t the beginning it seems like the film is going to be just Fletcher mentally abusing Andrew, the film then also becomes about Andrew’s determination to be the best and what he is willing to sacrifice to achieve that. He’s willing to play even after being in a rather nasty car accident and his shirt is covered in blood.

If I had to pick a fault with the film and its more nit-picking than anything else but it’s the relationship between Andrew and Nicole because whilst I don’t think that it takes anything away from the film but I just wanted Andrew to get back to Fletcher because that relationship was more interesting to me. 

The final act seems to be a reboot because it sees both Andrew and Fletcher out of the academy. After a rather nice scene between the two where they seem to start understanding one another, the film then shows its hand by making it obvious that Fletcher wants to screw with Andrew at the Jazz festival because he knows its was Andrew that grassed him up. What this leads to is a great 9 minute drumming sequence and about half of that is Andrew doing it solo. That’s what I like about the ending of the film cause it doesn’t end up with Fletcher being taken away or some sort of verbal fight but with Andrew showing he is the person that Fletcher has been looking for.

I really enjoyed Whiplash. I thought that the story was very good but the performances are strong, the directing is done in such a way that you will be amazed that watching someone drumming is entertaining. This is definitely a film that should be seen.