appropriate title

Rating: 10/10 (24 February 2015)

If you haven't seen this - the first thing you should know is that this is a relatively 'small' movie. 3 million budget, young unknown director, casts the up-n-coming Miles Teller(brag and say I predicted his future success rt after watching '21 and Over') and JK Simmons known as 'the bald farmers insurance' guy.. the script is light in weight, the film didn't do great at the box-office but wasn't in many theaters to begin with..
Before I keep going I'd like to note that I've only given 43-"10's" out of 3450 ratings since I joined IMDb in 2006.
For me, this wasn't a film that 'squeeked-in' either. It's my favorite film in a long, long time.
What I love about "Whiplash", is that despite it's meager spec- sheet, it's packs one serious punch.
That punch starts with J.K. Simmons, who deservedly brought home the Oscar for this performance. Right from his first sighting he commands the screen, and he quickly becomes one of films' most memorable antagonists.
JK's "Fletcher" is a menacing figure. He holds futures in his hands, let's you know it, and isn't afraid to abuse the privilege. But, what really sets this character apart is that we still can't figure him out when the credits role. We certainly question his methods, but does he really have these kids interest at heart? We know(or think) that he feels some guilt because of a lie he tells about the death of a former student, but other moments like a hallway scene with what looks to be a former student make us question our hatred for the character.
That's one of the amazing things about this film - the two lead characters are psychologically damaged, but driven men, and they lead us through a story that is much deeper at its' core than it is on the surface.
The film begs to ask the question, "At what price?".
This small film will linger with you for days.
"Whiplash" has a lot of other stuff going for it. There are some individual scenes here that are incredibly well-written, incredibly well-shot - the types of scenes that you won't soon forget. The break-up, the dinner scene, the early Shaffer scenes, and my God the ending. When Neiman's Dad is looking through the crack of that stage door we are mesmerized!!
If you don't like this movie - you don't have a pulse. Don't get me wrong - I knew what the critics/detractors would say before I even looked. "That's not Jazz", "It's Unrealistic"(quickly becoming the cliché I look for in negative reviews that says to me, 'WATCH IT' - well, that and negative reviews that use the word cliché'd), and musicians and teachers that feel misrepresented,.. this and that of course there's those 'sensitive whussification of America' types that say it glorifies abuse. Hogwash!
Forget that crap. Especially those giving it 1 or 2... I mean REALLY?!?!? 1 or 2??? I reserve ratings like that for "Master of Disguise" or "A Cold Day in Hell", not for good(make that great) films that you might have 'moral issues' with.
This film is a psychological kick-drum to the face. It's brisk running time and that thin script just add to the mystique. I could watch the ending 50 times, and probably will.
A week later, after chewing on everything in your head, you'll start to ask yourself if 'everything' Fletcher did was calculated. But then that would make him a decent guy? Personally, I think that he IS truly evil either way, but that is a notion that I'm still fighting with. It's that fine line between extreme motivation and abuse, and this film straddles-it for 85minutes. In the end, Fletcher loses, but doesn't ultimately lose much, and our antagonist rides into the sunset following what might be my favorite scene in film history Now, that's just one man's opinion.
I love films like this that have such an amazing impact, but yet leave so much interpretation for the viewer.
A MUST watch! 95/100 My fave since, hmmmm, Twilight Samurai or The Pianist maybe. It's been a while that's for sure.
consider the potential 1.86 redbox charge as an instant coupon and go buy it! That's what I should have done. Hope it helps.