Whiplash has received critical acclaim like no other movie in 2014, and i did the mistake of going into this film with my expectations quite high, always a mistake, because while i thoroughly enjoyed this film, i can't quite say i love it. Which i don't really understand why, because everything people have been saying about this film, i whole heartedly agree with. J.K. Simmons is giving one of the best and most intense performances of the year, he makes this movie as good as it is, everything is intense with him and is one of the most memorable characters of 2014. Miles Teller is also really good in the film, he's definitely playing against type here in comparison to some of his other films over recent years and does a great job of portraying this tortured yet determined kid who just wants to be the best, he wants to be a legend, he wants people to remember his name decades later, he will do everything he has to in order to be the best drummer in the world, even if he has to go through physical and mental torture to get there. There are no bad performances here in Whiplash, they are all amazing and i could see both of these two being worthy of Oscar nominations, and J.K. Simmons most definitely has his trophy in the bag.
And it seems appropriate to talk about the music in the film, seeing as that is a heavy focus. Now of course the music is subjective to whether or not it's good, but that's not what i want to talk about (Though the music was really good). What i want to discuss is one of the themes touched upon in the film and that I wish got more development. In one scene where Andrew is having dinner with his family, he talks about a music competition and his family asks "but isn't music subjective?" and he simply responds "no it's not". Now to any normal person, this would sound like a pretentious thing to say, but if you have a passion in anything, you can probably relate to this. I for example, are passionate about film, and while yes, film & music are subjective, they're subjective opinions based on objective observations. How good a song is or how good a film is can be effected by how good they are technically, how well did the drummer play? How unique was the cinematography in that film, etc, etc. Anyone with a passion that normal people don't understand the effort or attention goes into how it's made don't understand that while the end product is subjective, there is still strategy to it on how it came to be what it was. I love films that explore this, and yet this film only had one scene like that, which is a shame.
One theme that does get a lot of focus is the theme of bettering yourself. Andrew will stop at nothing to be the very best, and Fletcher is going to drill him as much as he has too in order to make him the best. He's not doing this because he likes being an asshole, but because if you want someone to be the best, you have to see how they do at their worst. All of this is summed up in the greatest line in the film "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'Good-Job'.".
And you will have heard a lot of people talk about the final 20 minutes of the film for being one of the best climaxes of the year, it was shocking, intense, cringe-worthy, triumphant, exhilarating, entertaining and satisfying all in one scene and by the end, you just feel exhausted, like you've gone on this roller coaster of emotions. It was also the best directed scene in the entire film, the back & forth cinematography between Teller & Simmons, not a line spoken but the emotions get across perfectly and the film ends on a high note.
Whiplash was a brilliant film, it has great directing, amazing performances and I was more emotionally invested in this film than any other Oscar nominated film this year. However, should I rewatch this film when it comes out on DVD (Which I will) I can see myself skipping a whole lot of scenes and just watching the 3rd act again.
I'm giving Whiplash an 8/10.
-Danny
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