Compelling duo

Rating: 8/10 (31 January 2015)

The music, the shots, the way the scenes were conducted, are all fueled by great performances. It all adds up to a great and potential food for thought movie, especially to those that love music.
Through out the movie, I wasn't quite sure what to expect in the end. The complexity of Fletcher is fascinating, provided by the fact that we know little about his personal life. At a certain point, we get pushed to be sympathetic towards Andrew, who is striving for success and doesn't back away from his goal, even tho Fletcher is such an evasive person.
The true morals and feelings from which Fletcher lives by still bug me. He's a very manipulative person and is blind from his own 'dream' of finding the 'one', not caring for those who are not, and get crushed along the way. Even tho he strives for perfection, I don't think the true passion for music was there. He is very ego oriented, something that isn't plausible in the long run, and in my opinion he will always be this kind of person, you know, this 'mean' guy Fletcher. Andrew, even tho he acts by his dream and passion, showed that he does have some issues conciliating them with this normal social life that so many swear to be the right way to live by. He's young and if he takes time to reevaluate his own mistakes that he makes along the way, he will eventually succeed (whatever one might think is succeeding in life, music should be his).
I do think the movie has it's flaws.They become overshadowed by the the compelling performances, but somewhat ruined the dynamic of the movie at some point.
The final scene, is an intense and eye gluing one. The twists and turns that happen are very important to the overall judgment of the movie. We see something that may not be replicated by words. It leaves a lot to wonder in the end, and one could wish to see and know more, but that's probably why it's so intriguing.
Miles Teller and J.K Simmons (deserved Oscar nomination) provide great performances that should make one reflect on the morals of teaching and learning, and how one can strive to achieve greatness.