Problems Abound

Rating: 6/10 (5 February 2015)

Better than it appears, thanks to an entertainingly over-the-top performance from J.K. Simmons, writer-director Damien Chazelle's feature is about a first year student (Miles Teller) studying jazz drumming at a prestigious music conservatory who's terrorized by Simmons' sadistic instructor. It sounds from afar like "An Officer And A Gentleman" and, yes, personal breakthroughs are ultimately at stake, but it's precisely here where Chazelle trips up: the film's last third is filled with incredulous incidents that subvert the characters' motivations, especially at the conclusion, where a meeting of the minds effectively undercuts all that went before. And Chazelle's main character is a confusing mess: portrayed as a friendless, defensive loner, he still has no problem approaching the pretty girl (Melissa Benoist) working the concession stand at the local movie house and sparking her interest; he also has no problem dropping her shortly afterwords, rendering the subplot unnecessary. As a director, Chazelle is competent, but he seems to want to let the drumming relentlessly dictate Tom Cross' editing and it gets irritating after a while.