“Good Job.” According to Terrance Fletcher, conductor of the prestigious Schaffer University studio band, these are the two most harmful words to an artist. To become a great artist you must surpass the limits you thought you had. Fletcher’s manic temperament sways between a supportive just-have-fun-with-it-candor to a verbally abusive drill sergeant. It is this dichotomy of mood that gives the name of the film its tone as well: Whiplash.
Andrew (Miles Teller, The Spectacular Now) is a young artist under the tutelage of Terrance. His aspiration in life is to be one of the greats like his idol, jazz drummer, Chris Parker. Parker became famous when a disgruntled conductor threw a cymbal at his head and he was laughed off stage vowing never to be laughed out of a performance again.
The young musician believes he is inline with Fletcher’s zero tolerance for mediocrity policy, but soon begins questioning where the line is the line drawn. It becomes clear that Fletcher never stops pushing.
J.K. Simmons executes the role of Terrance Fletcher with an alarming intensity. His insults are at times hilarious, but can transition instantly to pure rage. He can act so sincerely kind that Andrew can forget that he is also a monster. Simmons’s performance is so strong that even the audience is fooled. There is no concrete answer to whether or not this guy is a good guy or not. He is an ends-justify-the-means man and the greater talent he senses the harder he pushes. Simmons embodies the range of the actor in this film with his ability to come off as repulsive and respectable in a ten minute span.
Miles Teller also brings a remarkable energy to the screen. It is so easy to sympathize with him as he practices relentlessly to be the best jazz drummer. Andy forgoes a love life in the interest of his craft and becomes immersed in practicing. Teller plays the part with equal persistence.
His frustration with Fletcher is just shy of palpable. In a gratifying moment of revenge the young actor delivers a most memorable “fuck you” to the teacher that traumatized him.
Director Damien Chazelle beautifully executes a film that puts the nature of the artist into dialogue.
Great artists appear to everyone else as the best in their field, but great artists are really in constant competition with the last best thing they did. From script to screen, Chazelle is able to conduct and capture moments of great tension. He convinces us time and time again that Fletcher is a clear antagonist, yet by the end of the film that fact becomes questionable and Fletcher becomes an enigmatic antithesis to the protagonist.
Incongruent with the story’s message as it may be, the talent in this film certainly did do a good job. Hopefully as true artists they will continue to challenge themselves and a delighted audience for many years to come.
Grade Rating: B+
