Whiplash Review

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2015)

Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash" is an electrifying film about the lengths someone is willing to be pushed in order to achieve greatness. Miles Teller as Andrew Neyman and J.K. Simmons as Terrence Fletcher drum up their best performances to date, as well as a pair of the best performances of 2014. Teller as Neyman is phenomenal, and the butting of heads between the leads is what drives many scenes of this film. All of the Oscar buzz behind Simmons' performance is valid; Terrence Fletcher is the ruthless music teacher at Schafer college whom Andrew Neyman strives so hard to impress. J.K. Simmons gives such a vulgar, astounding, and unrelenting acting job as Fletcher that even I felt infuriated by what he was saying while watching this film. The emotional and physical pain Neyman goes through to try and impress Fletcher is absolutely unbelievable, but the acting by Miles Teller, who has come a long way from 21 & Over, allows the pain to be understood. Damien Chazelle's directing is also very smooth, and the score is perfect for a movie about Jazz music. "Whiplash" is a fantastic film with magnificent acting, wonderful music, and a final fifteen minutes that will entice and amaze any viewer able to appreciate how far Andrew Neyman has come.