Despite their efforts, no studio-driven, effects-laden blockbuster this year comes close to accomplishing what Whiplash expertly achieves - on a paltry $3 million dollar budget - in terms of sheer, visceral, edge-of-your-seat thrills and suspense. Whiplash is an absolute masterpiece - a remarkable, electrifying achievement - and at this point, may very well be my favorite movie of the year. The fact that it's from a relatively unknown 29-year-old writer-director - Damien Chazelle - is even more of a shocker, and still has my head spinning.
Miles Teller plays Andrew Neyman, "a promising, 19-year-old drummer enrolled at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential." Andrew is dead set on becoming "one of the greats," at any cost. Both the lock and key to Andrew realizing that dream is Terence Fletcher, the school's callous, bloodcurdling instructor, and I can only echo what has already been stated countless times since the film's Sundance premier: J.K. Simmons is an absolute revelation in the role, bringing to screen one of the most terrifying, manipulative movie b*stards in years. The brutal, homophobic mockery and mind games Fletcher employs make for such a frightening, memorable character, you can't help but laugh nervously, when not completely terrified of what he'll do next. Really, Simmons knocks the role out of the park, and I don't care who makes their case between now and then, there's no way he isn't nominated for an Oscar come January.
Miles Teller too, is phenomenal. A drummer since he was a kid, Teller sells the role with charm, earnestness, and can't-be-faked skill. Watching his performance, I was actually reminded of The Matrix (of all things) and how the Wachowskis put their actors through months of physical training so the audience could actually see Keanu Reeves or Laurence Fishburne or Hugo Weaving - and not their stunt doubles - performing the fights in glorious, non-shaky-cam wide shots. In the current era of extreme close-ups and rapid-fire edits, I can not emphasize enough how exhilarating it is to watch the star of a movie masterfully execute the skill at which his or her character is said to be an expert, shot with a camera that actually lets us observe and appreciate the skill at hand. That believability is one of the last, great "special effects" capable of producing genuine awe, and this film has it in spades with Teller. Granted, a professional drummer is no doubt utilized for certain insert shots, but they're so subtle, and only used when absolutely necessary. Chazelle isn't trying to mask anything here, and the way he captures Teller's jaw-dropping performance invaluably heightens an already intensely compelling experience.
Sure, at just under two hours, Whiplash could have used another 10 minutes or so to flesh out the girlfriend or father-son B-plots just a bit. But that raw, laser-focused narrative - streamlined to within an inch of its life - couldn't match the film's themes any better. The same double-time rhythm Fletcher savagely demands of his students seems to be demanded of the movie itself, and, like Andrew, is potentially better for it. This is a film that examines the cost of perfection, which, for Andrew, may be everything. For us, it's simply the price of a movie ticket.
There's a sequence at the end - the film's climactic showdown between master and protege - that is such a perfect, shining example of why I go to the movies. It's moments like these why I, or any other frequent movie-goer, trudge through all the crap; in hopes of achieving this kind of high, if only every so often. Without giving anything away, the literal beat this film ends on elicited an audible roar from the audience, not unlike the roar at the end of a concert as the band plays that final, triumphant note. Whiplash builds in much the same way, with thrilling, dynamic energy, and then delivers that often-sought high in dazzling, show-stopping triumph. Truly, I don't know that I've ever been more confident in a recommendation. See this movie. You won't be disappointed.
From Sony Pictures Classics, Whiplash hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles this past weekend, and starts expanding next weekend all the way through early next year (check the release rollout here).
TPL / 'Whiplash' Is an Explosive, Riveting Masterpiece
YouTube / "Whiplash" - Official Trailer
Miles Teller plays Andrew Neyman, "a promising, 19-year-old drummer enrolled at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential." Andrew is dead set on becoming "one of the greats," at any cost. Both the lock and key to Andrew realizing that dream is Terence Fletcher, the school's callous, bloodcurdling instructor, and I can only echo what has already been stated countless times since the film's Sundance premier: J.K. Simmons is an absolute revelation in the role, bringing to screen one of the most terrifying, manipulative movie b*stards in years. The brutal, homophobic mockery and mind games Fletcher employs make for such a frightening, memorable character, you can't help but laugh nervously, when not completely terrified of what he'll do next. Really, Simmons knocks the role out of the park, and I don't care who makes their case between now and then, there's no way he isn't nominated for an Oscar come January.
Miles Teller too, is phenomenal. A drummer since he was a kid, Teller sells the role with charm, earnestness, and can't-be-faked skill. Watching his performance, I was actually reminded of The Matrix (of all things) and how the Wachowskis put their actors through months of physical training so the audience could actually see Keanu Reeves or Laurence Fishburne or Hugo Weaving - and not their stunt doubles - performing the fights in glorious, non-shaky-cam wide shots. In the current era of extreme close-ups and rapid-fire edits, I can not emphasize enough how exhilarating it is to watch the star of a movie masterfully execute the skill at which his or her character is said to be an expert, shot with a camera that actually lets us observe and appreciate the skill at hand. That believability is one of the last, great "special effects" capable of producing genuine awe, and this film has it in spades with Teller. Granted, a professional drummer is no doubt utilized for certain insert shots, but they're so subtle, and only used when absolutely necessary. Chazelle isn't trying to mask anything here, and the way he captures Teller's jaw-dropping performance invaluably heightens an already intensely compelling experience.
Sure, at just under two hours, Whiplash could have used another 10 minutes or so to flesh out the girlfriend or father-son B-plots just a bit. But that raw, laser-focused narrative - streamlined to within an inch of its life - couldn't match the film's themes any better. The same double-time rhythm Fletcher savagely demands of his students seems to be demanded of the movie itself, and, like Andrew, is potentially better for it. This is a film that examines the cost of perfection, which, for Andrew, may be everything. For us, it's simply the price of a movie ticket.
There's a sequence at the end - the film's climactic showdown between master and protege - that is such a perfect, shining example of why I go to the movies. It's moments like these why I, or any other frequent movie-goer, trudge through all the crap; in hopes of achieving this kind of high, if only every so often. Without giving anything away, the literal beat this film ends on elicited an audible roar from the audience, not unlike the roar at the end of a concert as the band plays that final, triumphant note. Whiplash builds in much the same way, with thrilling, dynamic energy, and then delivers that often-sought high in dazzling, show-stopping triumph. Truly, I don't know that I've ever been more confident in a recommendation. See this movie. You won't be disappointed.
From Sony Pictures Classics, Whiplash hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles this past weekend, and starts expanding next weekend all the way through early next year (check the release rollout here).
TPL / 'Whiplash' Is an Explosive, Riveting Masterpiece
YouTube / "Whiplash" - Official Trailer
