Shallow and Perverse

Rating: 1/10 (18 March 2016)

This is a shallow and perverse movie. The characters are paper thin, lacking both humanity and spirit, which of itself would guarantee their being useless musicians, let alone jazz musicians, one of the most spontaneous, warm and free spirited of all musical genres (contrary to how the film portrays it as being all about razor sharp precision).
This film must appeal to non musicians who think that corporate fascism and bullying techniques of fear based mind control apply to making good music, not just turning people into corporate slave workers. Well they're wrong. What's disturbing is that the film pulls no punches as to the abuse of the Nazi in all but name played by J.K. Simmons (in what has to be a vastly overrated performance, not helped by a very weak script) yet the moral seems to be that bullying and instilling fear in people brings out the best in them.
Well that is a false message if ever there was one.
Moreover, the characters, both 'teacher' and 'student' as well as the side musicians are totally cold and uninspiring and New York feels like a depressed ghetto. Andrew's family dinner scene is very revealing of the sad, conformist, death-like mindset of some people ensconced in the social control system without an iota of imagination, creativity or spirit.
This movie is depressing. It shows very well what is wrong with the world (namely, power abuse) without any attempt at critiquing it artistically. Instead, the film justifies and promotes it, all in the name of 'art' (what cheek!). That pathetic critics and movie goers rate this film so highly just pinpoints how tasteless and morally challenged the vast majority of the population actually are.
And I agree with another reviewer that it is sad to see all these music students start to hate on each other just to be on Fletcher's good cards - just how power works in real life. Stand up for yourselves you cowardly losers!
As I said, this film is shallow and perverse. People who like this movie must have no experience of suffering at the hands of people in positions of power. Nor can they possibly have the slightest understanding of what learning to play an instrument well entails. Their primitive minds are probably still trapped in the cliché that military 'discipline' (or rather psychological rape) is the way to treat people and 'get the most out of them'.
Pathetic.
One star.