Exceeded my expectations

Rating: 10/10 (3 September 2015)

I was surprised how truly great this film is; the story is captivating, powerful, intense and inspirational. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, something unexpected happen. Both Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons gave incredible performances. J.K.'s portrayal of Fletcher, the music instructor, was remarkable (a well deserved Oscar win).
The scene when Andrew (Miles Teller) is at the dinner table with family spoke to me. Andrew is passionate about music, but his uncle doesn't care to try to support Andrew and his music. All he seems to care about is football like the world revolves around it, which makes Andrew seem like the "black sheep" of the family (which I can relate to). Andrew will stop at nothing to accomplish his dreams.
Overall, Whiplash is quite the roller coaster of ups and downs with a great inspirational message about following your dreams and overcoming obstacles that get in your way. In my opinion Whiplash should have won the Oscar for Best Picture over Birdman. This film gave me a newfound respect for drummers. I highly recommend this film.