Keeping the beat

What drives a person to success and greater? Is it talent? Something that you're born with or develop through hard work and diligence? Or is is something that can only be awoken by an outer force? There's a quote Simmons' character says that goes, "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'". This quote becomes the underlying theme throughout the whole movie. Andrew (played by the very talented Miles Teller) believes that he has the capacity to be a great drummer. He attends Shaffer Conservatory, the most prestigious music school in the country, and here he meets the hardheaded

J.K. Simmons giving a performance for the ages

conductor Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) who is known for being not only the best but also ruthless towards his students. Andrew gains the opportunity to join Fletcher's class as an alternate core drummer. Upon his first class, Andrew witnesses first hand how Fletcher is and how he treats his students; even more so when Fletcher literally throws a chair at Andrew for not keeping the right tempo on the drums as they rehearse the "Whiplash" piece. In just one class, Andrew's optimism is replaced with self-doubt from Fletcher belittling him. However, Andrew refuses to cave in, determined to not only aspire to be a great drummer but also gain Fletcher's respect as well. Whiplash is an exemplary reason why I love movies to begin with. J.K. Simmons is without question the biggest force that drives this movie; dominating every scene he's in. His character echoes similarities with R. Lee Ermey's Sergeant Hartman character from Full Metal Jacket (anyone else notice how they look alike?). From his cutthroat leer to his vulgarity, Simmon's plays the part perfectly to a dot. That's not to say it undermines the performance of Miles Teller who is a total beast on the drums (which he knows how to play in real life). Like the music they play, the movie moves at a kinetic pace, keeping the viewer glued to what's happening on-screen. Not once did I feel as if the movie purposely slowed down so it could get through certain few scenes of dialogues;

Not my tempo

constantly moving briskly like Andrew beating on the drums. You can pretty much tell from reading my review that I loved this movie. Everything about it was perfect: the characters, the music, the execution of the story and the big payoff at the climax. J.K. Simmons was definitely deserving of the Best Supporting Actor award and Miles Teller was just as brilliant. There are so many memorable scenes in this film that it's hard to pick just one; it is that damn good. Overall, Whiplash was a surprise I did not see coming and is definitely a must-see.

-Reviewed by Razor, 3/3/15