Review of Whiplash (2014) by Totomai M — 19 Jul 2015

Whiplash, a film so overly praised, given rave reviews and just put on far too high a pedestal, that you may wonder for a while, why everyone got their knickers in a twist about this clear Oscar baiting movie.

That's not to say its god awful, no chance, it actually has 2 really compelling and gripping performances by actors on 2 different sides of the spectrum, the story is intriguing if not, well completely predictable and it has a gorgeous grade to it, in what is a well paced but not entirely precise edit of above average shots.

Whiplash follows the story of Andrew, a young and budding jazz drummer, who happens to attend one of the most sought after music schools in the world. Not only is it one of the most sought after music schools, it also happens to have Terence, Satan himself, teaching within its walls.

Soon Andrew finds his way onto Terence's perfectionist band and well you can pretty much slap the rest down as a we have seen it all before story and plot development. So apart from the overlying theme of obsession over craft, lets just ignore anything else going on in this film apart from the 2 lead actors, J.

K. Simmons and Miles Teller, who really this story is all about, they are Ying and Yang, black and white, heads or tails. They essentially fuel the entire thing from start to finish with Simmons experience, mopping the floor with Teller, until the later scenes, something resonate of the characters and story arc within the piece.

As I said, this is a spanking set of performances by the duo, but lets be honest, Oscar worthy? No chance! The supporting cast are given a huge range of nothing to do, with actors like Paul Reiser, getting the most beige character i've seen in a long time.

The film does look pretty and polished, with some nice dynamic shots throughout, some of which are nice, some of which Fincher would slap the 7 shades of shit out of his DOP for allowing their inclusion.

The opening shot, for a tracking shot, seems so shakey and unstable, other shots just seem like they have been framed in the most bizarre way possible. Some of it doesnt sit well with the eye, however when the film is visually at its best is when the band are performing, with snapping cuts to close ups and peculiar low angles allow us to get a grasp on the pain and war these 2 men are going through.

I'm giving this movie a hard time, not because its terrible but because films like this, always pan out the same way, from the very beginning I knew exactly what was going on and where we would end up in 1 hours time, thats not good.

I knew every jolt, every pace, every twist and turn it had to offer and from my take on what the film is about, this film should be constantly flawless visually and emotionally and pack as many sways in story that you could possibly expect.

It is fun, its fast paced, its well acted and the music is toe tappin but useless supporting characters and a yawn inducing plot, makes for a film that should be bursting with struggle and energy, tame and temperimental.

It likes true passion, not from the actors but from the script and that is what makes this a massively underwhelming film to watch.