Miles Teller
J. K. Simmons

Damien Chazelle

107 mins.
Drama, Music
October 10, 2014

Rated R for strong language including some sexual references. (MPAA)

Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” lives up to its name … mostly. The title comes from a song played in the film, but it really references J.K. Simmons’ jazz teacher/conductor character. While he doesn’t use an actual whip, he could have. I think that if a whip were available, he would have. He settles for chairs, instruments, and whatever else is at his disposal as his objects of intimidation, instead. Simmons’ Fletcher is the musical equivalent of Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada,” if she were a male and unpredictably unhinged. Priestly implodes whereas Fletcher explodes. But that’s not all he does. He shows his vulnerability – his humanity – on more than one occasion. But we know that’s a setup, right? Maybe not. The great thing is that Miles Teller’s young and talented drummer character doesn’t; we believe that he doesn’t. Simmons and Teller amply provide support to Chazelle. They lock in on one another; they’re in the same rhythm together. Their work is beautiful.

Much of the other elements of this film follow suit. The music is the lifeblood of the film. It’s a character in and of itself. Teller does a great job of drumming. He really gives two performances: one as a drummer, the other as an actor. He nails both without calling attention to all of the hard work he put in. He and Simmons are both admirable in that way.

To great effect, the camera stays close to the action. At times, it’s in extreme closeup: Hands, movie popcorn, drums, horns, cymbals dotted with sweat and blood, and others flash onto the screen in quick cuts. The result is a film that pulls you in. Many of its scenes echo action scenes. I felt like I was inside of the film during certain parts.

When this film lets the music guide – lets it be the focus – a ferocious power is unleashed. I found myself holding my breath during certain moments, especially during the culminating music scene. However, when Chazelle fleshed out his 18-minute short to feature-film length, he added one too many outside elements. It’s nice to know that Andrew, Teller’s character, has a family and an underdeveloped love life, but I don’t need to see them. The scenes away from the music were nice, but they didn’t quite fit. As a result, this seemed like two movies in one. It wasn’t cohesive.

I think that Chazelle should have trusted the central relationship between Andrew and Fletcher more. It really is enough; actually, it’s more than enough. There were only two scenes away from the music that added something to the film as a whole: the one showing Andrew fail to ask his movie-cashier crush out on a date (Teller nails that scene’s moments without even a hint of indicating), and the scene showing Andrew at family dinner (that scene has a musicality and sharpness that’s in keeping with what’s special about the musical parts of the film). Those two scenes would have been enough to present Andrew’s non-music life. The scenes between Andrew and Fletcher, along with their surrounding musicians, would have taken care of the rest.

I hope that Chazelle will trust the strength of his story a bit more in the future, because he’s capable of greatness. “Whiplash” is a very, very good film with great scenes and moments, but it could have been great overall. This is a minor complaint, mostly because it’s so arresting for the majority of its runtime.

Beneath the harshness of “Whiplash” is an old-school approach to arts teaching (and maybe to teaching in general) that I can relate to. I certainly wouldn’t argue for something as extreme as this, not even close, but being appropriately challenged can change you in lasting and important ways. In an effort to protect, teachers and parents can suppress the potential for their students’ and children’s excellence – the kind of excellence that transcends time. Fletcher is much too extreme to be a fitting vehicle for that argument, and, as a consequence, his actions have terrible consequences. He represents what not to do not only inside but also outside of the classroom. But that doesn’t mean that the argument for challenging instruction should be dismissed outright. This film shouldn’t be dismissed either.

Verdict: Very, Very Good

About: (Source: whiplash)

Andrew Neiman is a 19-year-old jazz drummer, dreaming of greatness but unsure if the dream will ever come true. Haunted by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew is determined to rise to the top of the country’s most elite music conservatory. One night, Terence Fletcher, a conductor equally known for his talent as he is for the terrifying method of his instruction, discovers Andrew practicing the drums. Even though Fletcher says very little to him that night, he ignites in Andrew a passion to achieve his goal. To Andrews’s surprise, the next day, Fletcher requests that he be transferred into his band. This single act changes the young man’s life forever. … A journey that can be seen alternately as a descent into madness or an ascent to greatness comes to a crescendo on the biggest platform for Andrew’s talents – the unforgiving stage of Carnegie Hall.