Plot
A promising young drummer enrolls 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.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 8.3/10 (1,170 voted)
Critic's Score: 88/100
Director: Damien Chazelle
Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist
Storyline
A promising young drummer enrolls 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.
Cast: Miles Teller -
Andrew
J.K. Simmons -
Fletcher
Paul Reiser -
Jim
Melissa Benoist -
Nicole
Austin Stowell -
Ryan
Nate Lang -
Carl
Chris Mulkey -
Uncle Frank
Damon Gupton -
Mr. Kramer
Max Kasch -
Dorm Neighbor
Suanne Spoke -
Aunt Emma
Charlie Ian -
Dustin
Jayson Blair -
Travis
Kofi Siriboe -
Bassist (Nassau)
Kavita Patil -
Assistant - Sophie
C.J. Vana -
Metz
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 16 October 2014
Filming Locations: Santa Clarita, California, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The movies was filmed, edited, and submitted into Sundance in ten weeks. See more »
Ever had a dream of being a great football player? A great dancer? A
great singer? A great musician? Our protagonist has a dream of being a
great drummer, a drummer that will be remembered forever. Maybe you are
still fighting for your dream. Maybe you have given up on greatness.
Greatness doesn't come easily, you need to practice at it. Andrew
practices until his hands bleed.
Andrew (Miles Teller) is 19-year old student at a music conservatory in
Manhattan. Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) is a teacher at the
conservatory with a ruthlessly brutal teaching style. After picking
Andrew to play in the school band, he pushes Andrew to his limits in
order to realize his full potential, at the risk of his humanity.
I had a billiards teacher at one point in my life, who was close to
becoming a pro in his craft but a grease fire accident changed all
that. His perspective changed, to paraphrase, he realized he was
becoming an asshole. He became a teacher of pool instead of becoming a
pro player. Through him, I can understand what Terrence Fletcher was
trying to instill into Andrew. My teacher would push me a little bit.
When he gave me opportunities to show him up, "run the table now," he
would tell me, I failed. It's embarrassing when that happens but it's
also a learning tool because more work needs to be done. You can't get
by on talent alone but it certainly helps. On the other side of it, I
saw a little bit of my teacher in Andrew. Losing who you are to perfect
something you love. Good thing my teacher realized before it was too
late.
I lost myself in the story. It had something to say about not settling
and asking more of yourself. Two fantastic performances from Miles
Teller and J.K. Simmons. Perhaps it will push you to maybe pick up that
guitar again, put on your ballet shoes, or hit the gym to bulk up.
Whiplash is an incredibly powerful film. And after the final shot cuts
to black, the film will stick with you for days.
My expectations: Medium. I did not expect the film to be so powerful
for me. Expectations exceeded.
Recommendation: Cinema lovers and casual movie goers, I believe will
enjoy this film.
Re-watch value: I can watch this film again and I actually can't wait
until it hits distribution.
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