Whiplash (2014)

[baumer]

I agree with about 80% of your review but there are many examples of Fletcher being straight up mean.  Slapping him across the face several times and kicking one guy out of the band for thinking he was out of tune is another and the one kid who committed suicide is another.  Fletcher is Darth Vader meets Hitler.

[Ezen Baklattan]

There were times where he was an asshole, but I don't think that made him truly evil. I was speaking in more general terms. If nothing else, Fletcher never saw himself in such a petty way (at least, one that seemed petty to himself). He wanted to make his students great at any cost, even if it meant physically and emotionally berating and abusing them. It's interesting a tragic how the sacrifice of humanity manifests in both the teacher and the student. 

Edited December 1, 2014 by Spaghetti

[baumer]

There were times where he was an asshole, but I don't think that made him truly evil. I was speaking in more general terms. If nothing else, Fletcher never saw himself in such a petty way (at least, one that seemed petty to himself). He wanted to make his students great at any cost, even if it meant physically and emotionally berating and abusing them. It's interesting a tragic how the sacrifice of humanity manifests in both the teacher and the student. 

 

I guess I just don't see it that way.  That whole speech he gives Teller in the jazz club, was, imo, all bullshit.  He just toyed with him.  Same way he did at the beginning when he got personal info out of him and then used it against him.  He is about as evil as they come because he's an authoritative figure who holds these kids future in their hands and he knows it so he berates and beats them,  That makes him evil.  He doesn't care about them, he cares about himself.  Their greatness makes him great and that's all he cares about.

[The Futurist]

For the record Simmons isn t getting nominated for this film, he will have to buy new furniture to display some new shiny things.

[baumer]

For the record Simmons isn t getting nominated for this film, he will have to buy new furniture to display some new shiny things.

 

I don;'t see why he wouldn't get nominated.  It's a powerful performance.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I guess I just don't see it that way.  That whole speech he gives Teller in the jazz club, was, imo, all bullshit.  He just toyed with him.  Same way he did at the beginning when he got personal info out of him and then used it against him.  He is about as evil as they come because he's an authoritative figure who holds these kids future in their hands and he knows it so he berates and beats them,  That makes him evil.  He doesn't care about them, he cares about himself.  Their greatness makes him great and that's all he cares about.

You're partially right - he's not afraid to manipulate these kids into doing whatever will make himself them famous - but I still don't see him as truly evil. I assume you've had a pretty strict teacher in your life, no? I feel that most of these kinds of people basically just wish to make sure their students learn their lesson. While Fletcher is substantially harsher and more partially motivated by selfish means, I feel like his desire for greatness just overpowered his own humanity, which may have been the one reason why he connected with Andrew so much (who was in a similar boat). If anything, I felt sorry for him more than angry with him. 

[baumer]

I didn't feel sorry for him at all.  He was an egomaniac and he was a saddist, he enjoyed inflicting pain on others.  

[Letsuseournoggin]

Brilliant movie. Best of the year. I found it visceral and intense.

 

I also didn't find myself cheering in the end like so many of you, unfortunately. I guess we had different takes on it. I found the ending disturbing and sadistically twisted. Don't get me wrong, the ending was the best part of the movie where it all comes to a climactic ending in the most intense way possible, but I don't think Teller's character triumphs in the end. To a degree, sure - he beat Simmon's at his game during the performance which was cool, but beyond that, he was still looking for his approval. Even through it all, he still went back to his abuser and looked for his approval which is a really fckd up thing. Sure, Simmons gives him that smirk right before the end, indicating he finally gave Teller his approval and may have found his new Charlie Parker, but for Teller to have to go back after realizing his life was empty without drumming and seek the approval of his abuser was kind of sad. 

 

I have no complaints though.. I loved every bit of the movie and actually enjoyed that it didn't play out like some Rocky story with the hero winning in the end. To most, I think they do feel that's the story, but to me, on a personal basis, I think it was a lot more dark than others have interpreted. 

[Jake Gittes]

Yeah part of the greatness of the ending is that it's only triumphant and inspiring in a tip of the iceberg kind of way. What you're talking about is another reason why Andrew only won the battle and not the war. Realistically I imagine he's going to end up a pretty messed up individual, though to what extent is anyone's guess.

 

Damn, now I want Chazelle and Teller to make a sequel about 20 years from now, like The Color of Money to this movie's The Hustler. 

[Jake Gittes]

Hah. Chazelle is great:

 

Where do you think these two go after this movie ends? They had a moment at the end of the film, but I feel these two will always hate each other.

 

I think so. I think it’s definitely a fleeting thing. I think there’s a certain amount of damage that will always have been done. Fletcher will always think he won and Andrew will be a sad, empty shell of a person and will die in his 30s of a drug overdose. I have a very dark view of where it goes.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Jake Gittes

[baumer]

I think Simmons is a lock for a nomination and he might be the favourite to win.

[acsc1312]

It's definitely Simmons' to lose at this point.

Edited December 13, 2014 by acsc1312

[Moviedweeb]

Before I saw this, Edward Norton was my choice for Best Supporting Actor. But J.K. Simmon's performance in this is easily one of the best I have every seen period.

[Jake Gittes]

Watched the ending for a second time, and it's really more disturbing outside of an electrified theater auditorium. That moment when all the rest of the band stops playing "Caravan" and Andrew just keeps pounding the drums like a maniac, you know he just crossed the line and he ain't going back. Even Fletcher's "What the hell are you doing, man?" sounds like he's genuinely worried for the guy, although afterwards he visibly gets high on what Andrew is doing. 

[Jack Nevada]

[Plain Old Tele]

It was pretty good.

[Empire]

Saw this and I loved it! JK Simmons was really great, but Miles Teller was really good too.

Easily my favorite movie of last year. I would give it an.......

A+(99)

That is the only A+ I have given out this year.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Empire

[Joel M]

What a great movie. I second whoever said it's similar to Black Swan. Stylistically is much more tamer than Aronofsky's movie but thematically they share a lot. I think the movie is less about the abusive teacher-student relationship and who wins or loses and more about Andrew's search for perfection. The main thing I got from Whiplash is that it tried to show how it is to be a person who thinks the only thing worth living and dying for is to be perfect at the thing you love the most. For all I know maybe Andrew becomes a new Charlie Parker or ends up hanging himself a few years later like that other student or even collapsing and dying on stage after the credits rolled. But it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters (like Portman in Black Swan) is achieving that moment of greatness and perfection. Everything before and after is besides the point for him.

 

Both actors are absolutely brilliant. JK Simmons manages to be both a monstrous abusive asshole and a funny charismatic guy. In every scene I was laughing with all the new ways he was finding to abuse his students and wanted to beat him to death with the drumsticks for being such a monster. He deserves all of the dozens of awards he is going to win for this role. Milles Teller is equally impressive. I like him in every movie he's been in, even in bullshit like the Awkward Moment, but here he reaches another level. And he is so young, he has a bright future ahead of him.

 

Great, great movie.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Joel M

[Goffe]

I'm speechless 100/100

[CloneWars]

This movie was great, and it is shame it is so limited. This year was incredible for BP nominees. Anyway, one scene really sucked for me though. I disliked the car crash. The guy gets hit by a semi truck, his car flips and then he rushes to play music. My god. That is just so unrealistic on every level imaginable. I'm sorry. The rest of the movie was awesome.