Miles Davis would have hated this movie

Rating: 2/10 (2 January 2019)

This movie is, as every one of the actual musicians here has noted, completely devoid of the reality, and, more importantly, of the JOY, of being a musician. The teacher's ludicrous verbal abuse, which fluctuates between politically incorrect and downright cruel, is so unrealistic and anachronistic in a portrayal of 21st-century educational life that I found it unwatchable. Simmons' character slaps a student repeatedly across the face, with no one gasping or saying a word about it, which had me rolling my eyes, it was like they were saying 1950s movie dialogue about how "dames" are dumb and can't drive, or something. I was offended, but I also kind of felt sorry for all involved, it was so... dumb.
Beyond insulting my sensibilities as a human, it also insulted me as a musician, an artist. No credible teacher of art or music would think such negative extremes produce genius or even fine musicians. Discipline is crucial to becoming great, but so is flow, listening, and the creativity the truly exceptional experience when "in the zone" playing music with other people. This film gives zero sense of why anyone would actually want to become "Charlie Parker", I mean, does that mean famous? Parker was an innovator, a physicist of sound, not just some automaton who could play a million notes as fast as possible. It's like this movie was made by people who absolutely don't get why Coltrane makes you feel like you're inside the moon and why a Duke Ellington tune can float you away on the river of your own blood flowing in your veins. Miles Davis was famous for being able to encourage his bands to elevate their playing, I heard Herbie Hancock say that one time when he was blocked on a part Davis just listened and calmly said, "put a B in the bass". And everything flowed. No screaming, throwing, åsshølery, but something more masterful: a finely-tuned artist committed to creating greatness, communicating via his mastery of the mysterious, infinite language of music and a deep respect for the people helping him create it.
A wasted opportunity to speak to the madness of wanting to be great, to achieve, and also a waste of the dynamic and always fun to watch J.K. Simmons, Watch him in his series Counterpart instead, in a part that displays all his swagger but also the sweetness and humour he mixes in so well.