What would you say if I told you that the 2014 film with the most action-packed, fast-paced scenes in it is a film about a jazz drummer?  I know, I wouldn’t believe it either, but that’s exactly what Whiplash successfully accomplishes.  It’s one of my favorite films of the year and I found myself truly surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience.

 

Reading Whiplash’s plot certainly doesn’t stand out as a film that would catch my interest, or the interest of most movie goers.  I’m not a fan of jazz music.  I don’t dislike it, I’m just indifferent towards the genre.  I also don’t have any particular interest in musicians.  I respect what they do and the talent it takes to make music, it’s just not my thing.  It would have been very easy to pass on Whiplash, to brush it off as a boring film about music.  This would have been a huge mistake and it proves that sometimes you have to take a chance on a film even if the subject matter isn’t something you are particularly interested in.

 

Whiplash tells the story of Andrew, played by Miles Teller, who plays a jazz drummer that attends a highly competitive musical school (think Juilliard) in New York City.  One day while practicing his drums, he’s overheard by a professor named Terence Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons, who is looking to recruit musicians for his jazz band that competes in tournaments around the country. Little does Andrew know that Fletcher isn’t your normal music conductor, he’s a mad maestro looking to put his subjects through a musical boot camp.

 

J.K. Simmons has made a career of being a dependable character actor.  If you don’t know him by name, you would more than likely recognize him from films like Juno and Spider-Man, or from the Farmers Insurance commercials.  It’s great to see Simmons take center stage in Whiplash.  He’s a force of nature that steals every scene and a lock for an Oscar nomination.

 

His character most closely resembles R. Lee Ermey’s performance in Full Metal Jacket.  Except instead of preparing young soldiers for the horrors of war, Fletcher is preparing musicians for the pursuit of perfection.  He’s a mentally, verbally and sometimes physically abusive person.  Often berating his students with witty barbs. The main target of his lashings is Andrew, who unlike some of the others students, doesn’t quit.  Fletcher’s actions toward Andrew only makes him work harder.  He literally gives everything he has - blood, sweat and tears.

 

Simmons’ juicy role is sure to overshadow Teller’s performance.  He’s a star in the making and has proven his acting chops in Whiplash.  Teller was great in The Spectacular Now, but his talents were wasted in the young adult adaptation Divergent.  Teller’s drive and dedication as an actor mimics that of his character to become a great musician.  While preparing for the role, Teller practiced the drums four hours a day, seven days a week for two months.

 

Teller doesn’t have the typical look of a movie star.  Even at such a young age, the scars on his face (from a childhood car accident) already characterize him as ruggedly handsome.  Teller brings life to the character of Andrew and does a great job of making him seem likeable and relatable, but driven and determined at the same time.  He really is two different people.  When he’s not drumming, he’s quiet and reserved, shy around girls and content with going to see a film with his father. When he’s on the drums, look out.  He’s a man possessed, ready to take down anything in his path and block out everything that will keep him from reaching his goal as the greatest drummer that ever lived.  This includes breaking up with his girlfriend in order to focus on the drums.

 

Andrew’s dedication to his craft begs the question, what is the cost of perfection? This is one of the main themes of the film.   At one point, Fletcher states, “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job.’”  In his mind, there’s nothing more pure than striving for perfection.  He believes that everybody should set out for greatness in whatever they do, but it’s getting harder and harder to do that in a society that is satisfied with mediocrity.

 

The highlight of Whiplash is an intense, frenzied climax that will literally have you on the edge of your seat.  That’s not just a movie review cliché line.  My butt was almost completely off the seat and my foot was tapping so hard I thought I was going to drill a hole through the floor.  The whole scene is fantastic and it has to be seen in order to truly appreciate its greatness.  The directing and the acting are perfect.  And the editing, oh, god the editing.  If Whiplash doesn’t get nominated for best editing, there’s a problem.  There must be 150 cuts alone in that final scene. Extreme close-ups of the drums and symbols are mixed with extreme close-ups of Andrew as he spastically beats on his kit, all cut to the beat.  It creates a kinetic, energetic pace that I can’t ever remember seeing in a film before, and I’m not sure I’ll see it again for a long time.

 

Whiplash is the kind of film that needs to be seen by everybody.  It features two of the best performances of the year by two actors on top of their game.  One by an actor just starting his career, and the other by an actor who has paid his dues as a supporting player.  Their volatile chemistry threatens to leap from the screen. They’re like a ticking time bomb that you can’t take your eyes off of - or your ears.