Whiplash (2014)

[arc]

Damien Chazelle wrote and directed; Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons star.

 

It's weird, on one hand I distinctly thought to myself about halfway through that it was well acted and written and directed but somehow I felt a kind of emotional remove from the onscreen proceedings that I'm sure was not quite intended.

 

But then again, by the last quarter of the film, starting with him being late to the competition, I was so gripped by the movie that I had to remind myself to breathe.

 

It's compelling -- and I always think about that Oscar Peterson quote I heard somewhere, that he wished he'd started a family later in life because his music was that much more important to him* -- but I don't think I agree with the sentiment that genius is best evoked by brutal bullying.  I will say that this has been one of the few films that make me go out afterwards and devour additional content, like filmmaker interviews and good reviews, and one thing I came across was that the Charlie Parker anecdote was kind of twisted to fit the film. In real life, Jo Jones didn't "nearly decapitate" Bird, he (playfully?) humiliated him. And as a New Yorker piece points out, Bird spent that year of work practicing, yes, but also listening to music and studying music. Not just technique, but the performance and point of music.

 

That said, as much as I think Brody (of the New Yorker) and Wickman (of Slate) are correct, I liked the movie a lot and would recommend it to anyone.  The initial rehearsal scene, when Neyman is first called up to studio band, and the final performance scene, are as gripping as anything.

 

* I'm probably butchering the sentiment from memory, but last time I tried to find the quote online, I couldn't.

[absnow54]

I went into this movie a few weeks ago after only seeing the trailer and I didn't know at all what to expect. If you explain the premise, the film seems so simple and mundane, but my God, JK Simmons performance is so gentle yet menacing, every single scene left me on edge because I had no idea what he was going to do next. And Miles Teller's quest for his approval was so hard to watch because it was so relateable and even though I was begging for him to get out, I was also rooting so much for him to win. This movie was such a roller coaster. I had more anxiety watching it than any high action thriller I've seen in years. Amazing performances. Amazing overall. 

[Laurie4H]

What a great movie. Intense with great performances. I really hope it gets some more publicity and hopefully Oscar buzz.

[Rick Kitchen]

New York Film Critics picked JK SImmons for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash.

[arc]

Making of 'Whiplash': How a Twentysomething Shot His Harrowing Script in Just 19 Days

There was just one catch: Teller's earliest opening to shoot the project was in September 2013, just a few months before Sundance's submission deadline in November. If Chazelle cast Teller, he'd have 19 days to shoot the picture (all the budget allowed for), then only about a month in the editing room to assemble a cut in time to enter it at Sundance, which Chazelle was absolutely determined to do. It was going to require an insanely tight production and postproduction schedule. [...]

When filming commenced in Santa Clarita, Calif., the cast and crew worked 18-hour days, rushing to finish on time. Chazelle had meticulously outlined every scene, hand-drawing 150 storyboards, to keep the production moving like clockwork, shooting as many as 100 setups a day. The pace was beyond feverish, with every set change turning into a mad dash. At one point, during the third week of production, Chazelle got in an accident that totaled his car and sent him to the hospital with a possible concussion. He was back on the set the next morning. "There was no room for error," he says. "Every day was walking a tightrope between really getting something special and utter, crushing disaster."

Edited December 9, 2014 by arc

[Rick Kitchen]

It would be great if Chazelle got an Oscar nom. 

[Notwisconsin]

JK SImmons was AMAZING.

[KittyS]

JK Simmons was born to play this part! I know he has been in a million things - mainstream, indie, commercials, so it would be so cool to see him get major recognition at this point in his career. Also, nice guns. Mikes Teller was pretty great too. I have a really hard time relating to this subject matter, never having possessed great talent nor having experienced that type of abuse. Regardless, that final scene was unforgettable.

[CherryMalotte]

This is my near top movie of the year.  Like Fruitvale Station last year, this one has lingered with me after seeing it, more so than any other film this year, and because of the performances.  I know there's a lot of talk about Edward Norton with the Supporting Actor Oscar, and he was great in Birdman, but I sure hope JK gets nommed and brings it home.  He's fantastic.  Miles was great as well.  I agree KittyS - that last scene is intense, best of the year. 

[purplemonkey]

I finally caught this in the theater, and I'm so glad I did, mostly to enjoy the music via the in-house sound system. My spouse and I are both professional musicians, and most of the topic matter was absolutely spot on. (The abuse was a little far-fetched, and in my opinion only served as a device to set up the duo's relationship, plus it illustrated the lengths people will go to for art.) I heard the NPR pop culture guys/gals complaining about how little artistic expression was involved in the music-making here. What I think is misunderstood is how technically good a player has to be in order to share said expression with an audience. Whiplash stands in contrast to a lot of movies about artists I've seen where there is all the emphasis on expression and very little on the technique. Anyway, Whiplash was difficult to watch. My spouse said "I can see why he (Andrew) kept going back, and that was the hardest part". Loved it. Highly recommend!

[Schweedie]

Anyway, Whiplash was difficult to watch.

It really was. I was so on edge and uncomfortable all the way through - it was so tense, somehow. Simmons was fantastic, just awesomely menacing, and I think in another year Miles Teller would've gotten some buzz, too.

 

The last scene was incredibly well done. The whole film was gorgeously shot, but the last scene was dizzying and claustrophobic and stressful all at once.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Schweedie

[Gulielma]

I loved the scene early on in which Simmons seems to be reassuring Teller--and skillfully gets the insecurities he'll use to abuse Teller later on.

[arc]

netw3rk on Whiplash:

Now I’ve seen it and can say this: Nothing that happens in Whiplash would ever happen at a music school or at a gig or at any rehearsal for any gig, ever, anywhere. From a musical standpoint, Whiplash is a caricature at best. I don’t mean the actual music, which is fine, and “Caravan” will forever be the hotness. J.K. Simmons is fucking hypnotic as the living embodiment of the Buddy Rich tapes crossed with King Joffrey. But, in my time studying music, I never encountered an instructor who even remotely resembled Terence Fletcher. The idea that a music professor at an institution students pay (trust me on this) absurdly large amounts of money to attend could hurl racial epithets at those students or put hands on those students and somehow remain employed for any amount of time is a total fantasy on par with The Hobbit.

 

Yet Whiplash rang true for me. It’s a neat trick, which comes off because Whiplash is no more a movie about music than The Karate Kid is a movie about martial arts. Whiplash is a movie about blinding, idealistic determination and wanting to be great at something. Moreover, it’s a movie about wanting to be recognized as being great at something, which, believe me, is quite a different beast.

[purplemonkey]

Thanks, I enjoyed that review. It's true that Fletcher could never hold a job acting like that, so that was indeed ludicrous. For me, it wasn't about the abuse, but overcoming the abuse because he wanted so badly to play at that very high level, with high level being a goal and nothing short of it.

[Shannon L.]

I just got back from seeing this and I really liked it.  I didn't know what to expect except that it was about a young man who wanted to be a musician and an abusive instructor--which, is about the size of it--such a simplistic plot, yet it was turned into such a powerful film.  I can understand and completely agree with JK Simmons nomination and the fact that he's the front runner right now. The way he could change from polite and almost kind to a kind of monster was amazing. 

 

 

For me, it wasn't about the abuse, but overcoming the abuse because he wanted so badly to play at that very high level, with high level being a goal and nothing short of it.

This is the only thing that I'm struggling with.  On one hand, I loved the fact that Andrew overcame the abuse and pretty much gave him the middle finger right there on stage by playing so well, but God, I hated that Terrance obviously felt like he, himself, was victorious.  I just wanted to tell him to wipe the damned smile off of his face.  Unless I read the intent of the scene wrong. 

Edited February 19, 2015 by Shannon L.

[NoWillToResist]

This movie has really stayed with me. Fabulous acting and very tense atmosphere.

 

I honestly did not know what to expect in that last scene. I bounced from "he'll quit" to "he'll emerge victorious" to "he'll kill himself" to "he'll kill Fletcher" and ALL of them seemed equally plausible to me! :)

 

I found some things a bit ridiculous. I utterly refuse to believe that all his students accepted his abuse as their due and never reported him, even after they were booted.

 

I'd have liked the unfettered truth about the past student who hanged himself. Fletcher lied about how he died, so was everything else he said a lie too? Had the kid been accepted to the whatever orchestra and advanced to 1st seat? If so, why would he kill himself THEN? Or was this a student who had recently been thrown out and killed himself? And I couldn't believe that Andrew honestly thought for even a nanosecond that Fletcher wouldn't know that he was the one who supported and contributed to the civil suit against him. Naive, much?

 

I couldn't help but give reluctant kudos for the total bitch move that Fletcher pulled on Andrew at the end. Getting him up in front of people who can make or break music careers and then so beautifully sabotaging him by choosing a song he hadn't told Andrew about was so awesomely evil and Machiavellian that I had to begrudgingly respect the asshole move.  :)

 

I really could have done without all the homophobic slurs and whatnot though. Too bad not a single performer ever thought to record their sessions. Fletcher would have been fired so fucking fast, it wouldn't even be funny. The PR nightmare that would have ensued had such a recording been made public would have ruined the school...

 

I was completely under JK's spell when he was explaining his teaching approach and philosophy to Andrew after Fletcher had "left" the academy. He was just so sure that he was doing the right thing to encourage greatness. It almost convinced me. But considering that he lied about how that previous student had died, I think he's kind of full of shit. Why not just say that the kid killed himself because he couldn't hack the pressure? That the kid hadn't been made of the 'right stuff' for greatness or whatever?

 

And I am really torn on the final image of the film; the close ups of their eyes as they look at each other - both exultant and proud. Should I be happy? Fearful?

[Rick Kitchen]

Whew.  What a couple of fine performances in this movie.  Miles Teller impresses me in everything he does.  And JK Simmons has scared me since "Oz".  I can understand why people let Fletcher get away with his behavior, because he's in a position of authority and can make or break their careers.

 

What is even more impressive is that the actors actually performed the music.  JK Simmons at the piano in the jazz club and Miles Teller throughout. He did his own drumming.  That's impressive in and of itself.  The blood was really his in some of the scenes.

 

Melissa Benoist was better in this than in "Glee", maybe because she wasn't called on to sing.

 

I was surprised that the small theater I saw the Saturday morning showing of, was practically sold out, even as long as this film has been in the theater.

[Mrs. P.]

I was surprised that the small theater I saw the Saturday morning showing of was practically sold out, even as long as this film has been in tththeater.

I saw it at an afternnon matinee on Monday. I was expecting to see maybe five people in the theater besides me, but it was easily 3/4 full. I was glad to see that people are paying attention to the acclaim the film is receiving.

[NoWillToResist]

  I can understand why people let Fletcher get away with his behavior, because he's in a position of authority and can make or break their careers.

 

 

But what about those who were cast out? The kid who received all those taunts about his weight, was publicly humiliated and then kicked to the curb by Fletcher...he has no position/relationship with Fletcher to protect. Why wouldn't he have reported Fletcher?

[Rick Kitchen]

It would be dismissed as sour grapes.  It was only the musician who actually had a successful career going after surviving Fletcher who came back to bite him.

[thuganomics85]

Congrats to Whiplash for it's three Oscar wins!  Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.  Not bad for a little movie like this.

 

Especially thrilled for J.K. Simmons.  He is one of my favorite character actors ever, and I thought he was fantastic here, and I'm glad he got recognition for the role.

[NoWillToResist]

It would be dismissed as sour grapes.  It was only the musician who actually had a successful career going after surviving Fletcher who came back to bite him.

 

Did the lawyer representing the family confirm Fletcher's story about the kid's success?

 

Also, wasn't it the kid's family, not the kid himself since he'd committed suicide? How did the family know to go after Fletcher after all this time? Did the kid leave a note? And why kill himself now after achieving his musical success?

[emjohnson03]

What a great film. It finally was onDemand so I watched it this morning. I didn't hear much about it but after JK Simmons win, I had to check it out.

 

I like how Fletcher played so many sides. You always wondered his own life and I thought it was interesting alot of the blanks had to be filled in by the person watching but not in a annoyning way. It was up to you if he really helped Andrew or in spite of him that Andrew achieved his final greatness. Some of it was extreme, but that only built on the idea that Fletcher was playing "both sides." Every move he made was calculated for Andrew to fail or to succeed and I was so amazed at just when you think Fletcher gives an olive branch he yanks it away millions and millions of times over.

 

I'm not a jazz fan but it was so well done. I like when you get to see these kind of films succeed, maybe not in money at the box office but in your head and your mind. I like that it was a thinking kind of movie in that you knew Fletcher's methods were madness but in some weird way, in made sense. (not that it was right).

 

Amazing film. I would totally watch it again to see if my mind changes at all. You just never really knew where it was going to end up and I think that's awesome. Put more power in the person watching.

[arc]

Also, wasn't it the kid's family, not the kid himself since he'd committed suicide? How did the family know to go after Fletcher after all this time? Did the kid leave a note? And why kill himself now after achieving his musical success?

Andrew's dad knew about Fletcher's abusive behavior, so maybe the other kid's family did too.

[NoWillToResist]

Andrew's dad knew about Fletcher's abusive behavior, so maybe the other kid's family did too.

 

It just all seemed so strange to me. Even though Fletcher lied about how the kid died, if he was telling the truth about the kid's career, why/how would the family go after Fletcher now? I'm just trying to understand the legal action taken against Fletcher: "x years ago, you were abusive towards our son. We didn't say anything at the time, but now that he's killed himself, we're coming after you!" ?

 

I still think the film was great; it's just that this tiny plot point really confuses me.   I think I'm over-thinking it. :)

[spaceytraci1208]

I think all the performances are excellent, but I struggled with this movie. It was just too heavy-handed with the Evil!Teacher and obsessively dedicated student for me. I almost cut it off when Andrew got into the car wreck, because ridiculous as it was, I knew he'd still somehow end up on stage. He failed miserably, but the fact that he made it in the first place annoyed me.

Edited March 3, 2015 by spaceytraci1208

[BetterButter]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2SNSqvfecI

[beetnemesis]

GREAT movie. Love how they brought an actor in that has a true, real talent, and used in him in the story line. for whom it may concern (or not), Miles Teller was really playing the drums. its not "edited" in there. I just love that.

[paramitch]

I finally just caught this, and thought it was really stunning. JK Simmons was just extraordinary -- magnetic, ferocious, brutal, and terrifying, but also capable of that silky disarming softness, as if he almost really was just a driven, good guy underneath (yeah: no). Simmons also does one of the best jobs I've seen at directing music onscreen -- he evidently has some real-life experience with this, and it showed -- I also loved that he got to play piano in the film (beautifully). And actingwise, I thought Teller was incredible, and Reiser just totally evoked this soft, funny, warm persona as Andrew's dad, as well.

And that final sequence on "Whiplash" -- horrifying and gorgeous. I love the fact that the entire final piece is first a battle, then a genuine duet between the two -- Fletcher at first enraged, but then gradually becoming tacitly and then actually subtly, visibly, more supportive, actively directing Andrew through that final solo and into the close of the piece.

I loved the way the lighting goes up and down on JK Simmons there, too, as well as the visceral shots of the sweat and blood on the drums, the way the audio fades in and out, and the wonderful blocking of the scene -- the way Fletcher is almost the devil in the end, a pale figure emerging out of the darkness and then fading back into the shadows. And then that moment of true kinship between the two, the smile that was so much more than "good job." 

The ending can be read as incredibly exciting and triumphant -- or tragic. And I kind of love that. I mean, part of me loved that smile between the two in the end, that total euphoria and connection. And yet, of course, it wasn't worth the brutality or the cost. But wow.

I'm a longtime occasional musician (mediocre jazz singer, cellist, early music musician), so I know just enough to be dangerous. While many music teachers are notoriously tough (and I know he was somewhat based on Chazelle's real-life teacher at one point), I do think Fletcher is ultimately a kind of nightmarish exaggeration that wouldn't actually work (or fly) in real life. There's a reason there aren't more Fletcher types out there -- his way of teaching, to me, would have the students so tense that you'd never ever get their best work out of them -- they'd actually be worse performers, not better, because of his teaching style. Which would be counterproductive in the school's competition setting.

On 8/28/2015 at 1:21 AM, beetnemesis said:

for whom it may concern (or not), Miles Teller was really playing the drums. its not "edited" in there. I just love that.

That's not entirely accurate. My understanding of Teller's drumming in the film is that the soundtrack itself was 60% prerecorded, 20% recorded live, and 20% recorded after the fact, with the performances of more than one drummer actually doing the drumming we hear on the soundtrack.

Teller then had to do the onscreen drumming to match that, and by almost all accounts did the vast majority of it. In the few instances in which Teller couldn't equal the musicianship, they used a few shots of a hand double, and in further rare moments, the editor had use editing (removing frames, etc.) to make sure the rhythms matched perfectly.

But in terms of the soundtrack, I think only about 20% of Teller's drumming is actually heard. And that's no slight on him -- the guy did a fantastic job.

What I am a little bummed about is that the movie used more than one drummer for the actual soundtrack, but then didn't actually credit those musicians on the soundtrack, and to me that's ironic, and a real disservice, in a movie about music and musicianship. I wondered if part of the reason they weren't identified was to perpetuate the myth that Teller did all the drumming, which I think is really just unnecessary -- he did a fantastic job in the film either way.

Here are some good discussions of the technical aspects of the drumming and sound behind the scenes:

Oscar-winner Ben Wilkins on Whiplash’s audio mix, edit
http://postperspective.com/oscar-nominee-ben-wilkins-whiplashs-audio-mix-edit/

'Whiplash': Editing Miles Teller's Drumming, 'French Connection' Inspiration
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/whiplash-editing-miles-tellers-drumming-751403

Peter Erskine on "Whiplash"
https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/drummer-peter-erskine-on-jazz-flick-whiplash

Edited August 26, 2016 by paramitch
link fix! (and oops, typo in director's name...

[rmontro]

I watched this again last night, right now it's free for everyone on Tubi.  So if anyone wants to see it, now's your chance, you don't even have to register.  I'm not sure how many times I've seen this exactly, but I do believe it's one of my favorite movies.  

I guess the main thing that struck me this time through is that Fletcher's method apparently did work on Andrew.  He likely wouldn't have reached the same level without Fletcher pushing him.  In fact, he might not have achieved the same level if even his girlfriend would have taken him back at the end.  I had forgotten Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) was in this.

It kind of annoys me that you can't see what Fletcher says to him at the end.  It almost has to be "Good job", but I don't see the point in leaving it ambiguous.  I also thought it might have been interesting to see his dad tell him "Good job" at the end, which would prompt him to go back onstage, but whatever.  I guess they were saving that for Fletcher, but it would have been an interesting dichotomy of meanings.

Anyway, great movie.  I have an interest in music, although I'm not a big jazz fan.  I don't think you have to be interested in music to appreciate this movie though.