Rating: A
A compelling story about the dynamics between a mentor and his protégé in the world of competitive jazz, director Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” is as rapid-fire as the music it focuses on.
Working from an impeccable screenplay penned by Chazelle – who plays double-duty as both writer and director – J.K. Simmons executes a career-defining performance as Terrence Fletcher with Miles Teller holding his own as Andrew Neiman.
Loosely based on Chazelle’s own high school experiences as a drummer in a jazz band, the film stars up-and-comer Miles Teller as 19-year-old emerging talent Andrew Neiman. After a chance encounter in a practice room at his elite college – New York’s fictional Shaffer Conservatory – his potential catches the attention of Terrence Fletcher, the conductor of a jazz studio band.
As Neiman soon discovers to his own dismay, Terrence Fletcher is an intimidating presence, seemingly hell-bent on being as cruel as possible to his underlings. The fascinating dynamic between Neiman and Fletcher is the heart and soul of the film, and both Teller and Simmons do excellently in their respective roles.
As any young adult who’s coming of age, Teller’s Neiman alternates between stoic and passionate, meek and determined, agreeable and sardonic. While the character remains visibly collected throughout a majority of the film, the moments where his perfectionism, ambition and Fletcher’s verbal abuse overwhelm him allow Teller to emotionally erupt like a dormant volcano long overdue, effectively shattering the calm illusion presented to the world.
As Neiman, Teller personifies the anguish and frustration that accompanies every artist as they attempt to hone their craft, with Teller legitimately putting blood, sweat, and tears into his work.
Where Teller’s Neiman is familiar and relatable, Simmons’s Fletcher is downright vicious and polarizing.
In this role, someone of lesser talents could have lost themselves amidst the incessant, scathing string of profane insults, but Simmons finds Fletcher’s beat and feverishly sticks to it. His impassioned performance as Fletcher reveals that the character is more than a manipulative, foul-mouthed, bombastic tyrant, but, while Fletcher’s intentions may be misunderstood, the character is still vindictive – even to the end. Despite being one of the most brutal characters of this year’s awards season, Simmons becomes a villain so contemptibly charismatic that you can’t help but to love Fletcher.
Fletcher and Nieman define the film, with their roles as protégé and mentor constantly evolving as they challenge each other in different ways. While Teller and Simmons both deliver raw, intuitive performances, their richly layered executions would not be possible without Chazelle’s writing and directing.
Chazelle’s screenplay features some of the most cutting, vile dialogue in recent memory. His background in music is obvious, not just in the content of the story but also in the structure of his script and his approach to directing. When Fletcher goes on a rampage, the lines flow like a piece of music, undulating with its own raving rhythm. Here, Chazelle is a crazed composer with Simmons’s Fletcher as a demented jazz player, delivering every line with a mesmerizing bravado.
Everything about “Whiplash” resounds with music, as it should.
Miles Teller’s drumming scenes are riveting and impressive and demonstrate his willingness to completely immerse himself into a role. The cinematography and editing focus on the instruments during pivotal performances, with extra praise to be had for editor Tom Cross; his editing manages to match Chazelle’s swift camera work and the brisk pace of the music, which mostly features original compositions by Justin Hurwitz intermixed with jazz staples like Hank Levy’s titular “Whiplash” and Juan Tizol’s “Caravan.”
Despite being the least seen of the eight films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, “Whiplash” is no less deserving of the honor. With five total nominations, expect it to win at least one. In one of the most unforgettable performances of 2014, J.K. Simmons as Terrence Fletcher is almost certainly going to take home a well-earned Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and if he doesn’t, the shock is going to give me one serious case of whiplash.
