MOVIE REVIEW: WHIPLASH

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WHIPLASH

 

My quick review of this story of a college student drummer is: go see it. Whiplash is definitely a worthwhile film.

Since I never look-up the plots of films before I see them, I was a tad confused for the first forty minutes or so. I wasn’t sure what the story really was. I kept thinking that something dreadful was going to happen, and that would be the plot. But I’m telling you to just watch the story unfold. It’s an interesting one. Don’t try to guess what will happen. It’s just a young musician’s journey.

Miles Teller and JK Simmons in Whiplash.

Miles Teller and JK Simmons in Whiplash.

I do have to tell you this one thing, though, so I can discuss it: The film is basically about the boy’s relationship to his very abusive instructor, which was hard for me to watch. Even though the industry audience I saw it with laughed at the villain’s profanity-filled tirades at his students, I did not. To me, in no scenario in life is abuse like that laughable. It actually turned my stomach every time the man started in on his young charges. The only notes I wrote during the film, wonderful as it turned-out to be, were “upsetting” and “disturbing.” So, what is wrong with those other audience members?!

There’s that old saying, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” As a former teacher myself, (with both parents ones, as well,) I, of course, never believed that statement. But this movie seemed to be the poster child for it, in the form of the instructor. It had me thinking about that famous quote for a lot of the film.

In the post-screening Q-and-A with the actors, they said that the film was semi-autobiographical for newbie writer-director, Damien Chazelle. I don’t know in which way, but I’m hoping not the abusive one, though I think that’s exactly what they were talking about. And it happened to Damien in high school, not college. (By the way, he’s from my third hometown, Providence, Rhode Island, and is a fellow Capricorn, so I’m really happy for his success.)

I had heard of young actor, Miles Teller, in the last year, but hadn’t seen the few films he was in. So this was my introduction to his work. He had me riveted to the screen in this one, right from the start. It’s really early in the awards races, but he certainly is a contender. JK Simmons, who played the rotten professor, was excellent, as well. The irony is, had Whiplash been a big studio film, Simmons, who’s a character actor whom you’ll most likely recognize but not know his name, would have never gotten the part. And now, as a senior citizen, this role should finally put him on the show biz map!

The one thing I now regret about the post-screening discussion with the cast is that no one asked Miles if he was really the one we hear playing the drums in the film; perhaps, as I did, we all just assumed it was really him, because there’s no way someone can just act-out that particularly action. Especially so well! But, when I researched the film after, everything seemed to say that he was just faking it! I don’t see how that’s even possible. Miles himself said that, although he was already a drummer, he had to be trained in jazz drumming. I know we see him actually playing, but is he the one we also hear? I wish I had asked him. Or better yet, that the moderator of the discussion had. Wouldn’t she realize that we would all want to know that answer?

There is a lot to analyze about the message of this film, but I’ll leave that to other reviewers, and you potential viewers, of course. We can all figure it out on our own; you don’t need me for that. I’m just testifying as to its excellence. So, if you can stand to witness the verbal abuse, I’m totally recommending Whiplash. I don’t know how musicians will feel about it, but I have a feeling we’ll all start hearing a lot of real-life stories like this one. But will their outcomes be the same as the film’s? You’ll just have to decide for yourselves.

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