A movie more about pursuit of mastery than drums and music.

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2015)

I know little about music and less about drumming, but this movie is not about the craft, it's about the pursuit for mastery (or even perfection). If you go into it knowing nothing about jazz, I'm sure your interest will be peaked.
In this movie you follow Teller's character Andrew and Fletcher, the character played by Simmons. Both deliver fantastic performances, and considering they are both supposed to be practicing a craft on a high level, it's very impressive that they manage to do so convincingly.
The entire movie follows Andrew around, and by doing so you understand what kind of life he chose to live, and while we don't see anything, what we see is sufficient to fill in the rest. The girl he dates is only seen in a couple of scenes, but you completely understand the relationship and Andrew's thoughts on it from them. The same when it comes to his position on friends and family. Simmons portrayal of Fletcher is very successful, in that he is a beast, but you find yourself rooting for him despite it.
And to end with the ending: I am still having a bit of a hard time saying if it's a happy or ending or not, but I really did enjoy it.