Steve Says Whiplash Is Intense and Fantastic
Competition drives people. Even if it is while you are sitting in a movie theater watching that competition play out on the big screen. The problem is that sometimes you are watching a competition that you really don’t care about because the story just isn’t there or you really just don’t care about the characters in the competition. We all know that it takes a good story and interesting characters to get you into a competitive movie and that is what Whiplash is attempting to accomplish.
I actually didn’t go into the screening for Whiplash with elevated expectations. It’s not that I didn’t think it was going to be any good, but more so because I am just not a big jazz fan and I was afraid that I would be bored throughout the film. I heard all of the great things about Whiplash, but that is the great thing about going into a film with your own opinion.
We meet Andrew (Miles Teller) who is obsessed with jazz and more specifically the drums. He practices day and night hoping to be able to become the next big thing behind the drums. He is already in the most prestigious school in the country, but he has a lot of work to do ahead of him. He has one major obstacle in his way. That obstacle is Professor Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Fletcher is a very respected professor at the school (not necessarily for all the right reasons) and he expects only the best from his students.
The first time Andrew sat in Fletcher’s class was the beginning of a very odd relationship. Andrew was unable to match Fletcher’s pace and it was simply a disaster. It became evident at that time just how abusive the professor was. He demanded perfection and when he didn’t get it he would explode. His abuse was both physical and verbal. There was a point when Fletcher slapped Andrew several times in a row and I was just furious on his behalf. In a peculiar way, it motivated Andrew instead of discouraging and embarrassing him to the point of no return.
The abuse causes Andrew to practice day and night and by practice, I mean beat those drums until his hands bled. By practice, I mean to the point of exhaustion and to the point where the term “by any means necessary” becomes the norm in his life. Everyone has a breaking point. The question is what is Andrew’s and will he reach it?
The intensity to go along with really everything else in Whiplash is outstanding. The story and most of all, the acting was just as good as you could possibly expect. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons absolutely floored me with their performances. Simmons made me want to reach through the screen and slap him just as he was doing to his students. He was successful in making me despise him and feel sorry for Andrew. That is what acting is all about. I cared tremendously for both characters (in a far different way) and it kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Regardless of how you feel about jazz, you should take the time out to see this film.