Whiplash- 4 Stars

Theatrical Release Poster

Whiplash is an intense thriller about a young jazz drummer called Andrew (Miles Teller) who is driven over the edge in his quest for greatness by his band conductor Terence Fletcher (J. K. Simmons). I watched this film several months ago but have been thinking about it again recently and so wanted to write a quick review.

There are very few problems with Whiplash but the most obvious and glaring is the role of Andrew's girlfriend who is in the film irregularly and really is not a well defined character. Her presence is slightly distracting for very little pay off. I understand that her inclusion in the film was to demonstrate Andrew's sacrifice of his personal life in his quest for professional greatness, and I suppose we do feel as if Andrew is being a dick when he dumps her (and therefore question his pursuit of greatness), but I still maintain that she needed more screen time if the conflict between their relationship and his drumming was to really have any meaning. I think in fact that this absence of a meaningful relationship strikes at the core of Whiplash's main problem- that there is only the relationship between Andrew and his teacher. We needed another relationship to tantalise us into thinking there could be a way out for Andrew and to give us a sympathetic character we could empathise with. Although the girlfriend could have fulfilled this role, I believe it would have been better to cut her out entirely and instead focus on Andrew's father. In this way we would have the clash of Andrew's two father's- his biological one and his jazz one. It would also provide an alternative- his father would represent the kind of mediocre middle class life as a music teacher that would inevitably await Andrew if he failed but he would have a family. On the other side, Fletcher represents the quest for greatness or utter anonymity and destruction (as evidenced by the suicide of his former student). I am aware that both the father and the girlfriend have several scenes in the film anyway, I would have just preferred to focus on one of them and have them more developed as a character, to contrast with Fletcher.

The final confrontation...

However, I did very much like this film, especially the ambitious and intense ending. Instead of the usual physical confrontation that one might expect in a thriller, the final set piece is one long and incredibly intense jazz drum solo. The filming of the drumming strangely reminded me of the boxing in Raging Bull in the way it was filmed- every muscle of the character aching and pounding away in the pursuit of greatness. It was a fantastically original ending to the film and it avoided any risk of a cliched final confrontation between master and student, whilst still providing the raw physicality demanded by a climatic set piece. On top of this, J.K. Simmons was very good in his role as Fletcher, although I did think he was a little overrated (but perhaps that was because it was impossible to live up to the hype). Miles Teller is also fantastically impressive as Andrew, well portraying the downward decline of his fraying mental and physical state.

J.K. Simmons' intense performance provides much of
the film's tension

But what is the film actually about? Well, quite simply, it's about greatness and the lengths we go to obtain it. Fletcher's teaching, brutal as it is, reflects the sacrifice that greatness requires- if you're not prepared to give heart and soul, and possibly a few limbs as well, then you're never going to hit the heights of the greatest. What the film asks is- is this worth it? I think the final conclusion is no, it does not. The biblical phrase 'what doth it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul' could readily apply to this film. Andrew is Faust trading his soul with Fletcher, the devil, in exchange for greatness. But why? Why does Andrew want to become a great drummer? Well, in part, the film suggests that it is purely to impress Fletcher. The final scene, where Andrew seems to win having foiled Fletcher's plan to embarrass him on stage, is actually Andrew trying to prove himself to Fletcher. Throughout the film we see Andrew trying to impress Fletcher until it comes to the point where it is unsure whether he really wants to become a great drummer, or simply wants Fletcher's acknowledgement as the best. This is Fletcher's secret method- he doesn't teach greatness, it is simply his demands for greatness that drives Andrew on to achieve his potential. By making Andrew envious of other drummers shown his attention, by belittling Andrew at every opportunity and through his constant criticism, Fletcher makes his praise golden, the ultimate prize to be obtained. In this way, Fletcher manipulates Andrew into focusing solely on him and driving him to obtain the levels he, Fletcher, demands from him, Andrew. But this draws into question Fletcher's motives- does he really want to teach greatness or simply love the attention of his pupils? I think Fletcher genuinely does want to teach greatness- he's a bastard in going about it but his final nod of approval to Andrew shows his acceptance and recognition of that greatness. Fletcher becomes an idealist- an embodiment of the requirements for being great.

In conclusion, Whiplash is a very good film but perhaps not a great one. It has intensity and a focus on an important question but I feel that the lack of that key second relationship perhaps damaged the film. Andrew is never given an alternative, never given a proper way out which cheapens the conflict slightly. This criticism is especially limiting as I think both the characters of the girlfriend and the father within the film were intended to provide this alternative, but because they were not developed enough, they could not adequately fulfill this role. I did still very much like it however, and certainly look forward to seeing Damien Chazzelle's following films.

Ratings: Entertainment:8 Technical: 5 Intelligence: 4= 17/20 ****








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