Best Picture nominee, features a young college drummer with ambitions of greatness.

Rating: Null/10 (29 March 2015)

The movie starts with a drummer in action in a band room at the end of a long, dark hallway. It is the first encounter between student Miles Teller as Andrew and teacher J.K. Simmons as Fletcher. Andrew is a student of great drummers, in a pizza joint with a girl he names the 1930s song playing and the drummer in the band. Attending this prestigious private music school in NYC is to be his springboard to greatness.
But while he knew of Fletcher he didn't know what a wild man Fletcher was. Seemingly out of control in his over-the-top criticism of musicians who may be off just a little. And using ethnic and gender slurs to berate them. Such behavior probably would never be tolerated in a real school but it is necessary for the resolution of this story.
Paul Reiser is good as the dad, Jim Neimann and cute Melissa Benoist (of Glee and the next Supergirl on TV) is Nicole, a girl Andrew starts dating but stops because he says it will not be compatible with his drive to be the best.
JK Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting actor and the movie itself was in the running for Best Picture. Many fans think it should have won over "Birdman." The movie is hard to watch at times but it all pays off in the final couple of scenes.
SPOILERS: After weeks of on-again, off-again verbal abuse Andrew snaps after failing to perform well after an automobile accident right before the performance. He rushes Fletcher on stage, tackles him, both are bloody, Andrew is kicked out of school. But a family representative of a former student who hanged himself convinced Andrew to witness to Fletcher's behavior, and he was terminated. But in an accidental meeting Fletcher asks Andrew to play drums for a gig, actually setting him up for failure by opening with a number Andrew did not know and didn't have the music for. However next Andrew began to play a hot number, stood up to Fletcher, had the other musicians come in, maybe Fletcher finally had his star.