Review of Whiplash (2014) by Keanex — 21 Jul 2018

I had been recommended Whiplash about 4 years ago now, for some odd reason I thought it was a movie about women's roller derby, so it was quite a surprise when I showed my girlfriend the trailer to decide what to watch for the night. Nonetheless, the trailer looked intense, but most of all I loved that it centered around jazz drums. I'm not much of a musician, but as a failed musician I can fully respect how difficult jazz drums are and fully appreciate the craft.

This movie is intense. There were times I was on the edge of my seat, gripping my seat, and so drawn into the movie afraid of where it may or may not go. The acting is absolutely phenomenal on all fronts, Miles Teller (Andrew) and J.K. Simmons (Fletcher) *really* sell the intensity, emotion, and drama that fills the movie. This is not a "come home to relax" movie, this is a movie that demands your attention through and through.

As the movie focuses on jazz drumming, and a rigorous pace at which the teacher (J.K. Simmons) demands of his students, music is crucial to the enjoyment of this film. I couldn't help but sit and watch this movie in absolute awe through the drumming sequences and seeing the band come together in totality. The music and acting are S-tier in my opinion.

Now the bad. There are two story points that really felt underdeveloped. The "love" portion felt rushed. There are four scenes that bring it to life. The first is when we first see Andrew interact with Nicole in the movies, there's a slight flirtatious tension. The second scene is Andrew asking her out and her accepting. The third is Andrew breaking up with her at some unspecified time down the road to pursue his drumming. It's assumed that it's been at least some time because she's clearly distraught, but the time-frame is unknown and it's hard to feel invested or that it was quite an important decision due to this. Then there's the last part where he's quit drumming and tries to call her back, which we never revisit. Everything about the romance arc is rushed and abandoned. The movie is 1 hour and 45 minutes, they could have given another 5 minutes to make us feel the weight of his decision more thoroughly.

My other issue with the story is the sort of Stockholm syndrome that Andrew feels towards Fletcher. No matter how hard Fletcher pushes Andrew he still follows along sort of like a wounded puppy. Nevermind the glossed over detail that Fletcher's method of teaching pushed a kid to killing himself. They explain this, of course, through a dialog that is harped on that Fletcher felt he needed to push people past their limits to *truly* become great. I get it, but it felt a bit shallow.

With that said, I truly loved this movie despite the two issues I have with it. This was an exhilarating movie and one I won't forget for some time.