Whiplash (2014)

 

 Whiplash (2014)

Watching The Movie:

As a movie, Whiplash lives up to it's name. Extended periods of relatively tranquil inaction or simple dialogue that is followed by a very short, intense, and kinetic shot which at a minimum will leave the viewer slack-jawed in awe at what is on the screen and at maximum, in the case of one event in particular make the watcher exclaim "Holy Shit!" in disbelief. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons bring these characters to life in a way that I doubt any other actors could; especially in the case of Teller who is apparently a very good drummer in his personal life.

Screening the Film: 

Motivational techniques, leadership, drive, obsession, entitlement vs merit, opportunity costs (in the most heartbreaking way possible) Desire. Integrity and honor vs opportunity and deceitfulness. Accountability vs abuse Fame vs Infamy. Symbiotic vs parasitic relationships

Best Dialogue:

Uncle Frank: You got any friends, Andy?
Andrew: No.
Uncle Frank: Oh, why's that?
Andrew: I don't know, I just never really saw the use.
Uncle Frank: Well, who are you going to play with otherwise? Lennon and McCartney, they were school buddies, am I right?
Andrew: Charlie Parker didn't know anybody 'til Jo Jones threw a cymbal at his head.
Uncle Frank: So that's your idea of success, huh?
Andrew: I think being the greatest musician of the 20th century is anybody's idea of success.
Jim: Dying broke and drunk and full of heroin at the age of 34 is not exactly my idea of success.
Andrew: I'd rather die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about me than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remembered who I was.
Uncle Frank: Ah, but your friends will remember you, that's the point.
Andrew: None of us were friends with Charlie Parker. *That's* the point.
Uncle Frank: Travis and Dustin? They have plenty of friends and plenty of purpose.
Andrew: I'm sure they'll make great school board presidents someday.
Dustin: Oh, that's what this is all about? You think you're better than us?
Andrew: You catch on quick. Are you in Model UN?
Travis: I got a reply for you, Andrew. You think Carleton football's a joke? Come play with us.
Andrew: Four words you will never hear from the NFL.
Aunt Emma: Who wants dessert?

The Bottom Line:

Words cannot express how happy and grateful I am that the first write up (of a good movie anyway) for this project is Whiplash (2014). It is every bit as intense and emotional a movie and a film as you'll ever see as Teller and Simmons are masters at pulling you in and letting you see what drives them. The closest parallel I can draw from this relationship might be Meredith and Stallone from Rocky (1976), but a closer; much less effective parallel might be Voight and Van DerBeek in Varsity Blues (1999).

And that's the rub; as the film was winding down I realized that replace "being a drummer" with any other activity that comes from God given talent but is fine tuned with hard work and discipline and what you have is a story about two men obsessed with the musical arts who use each other to achieve their own ends and both end up simultaneously better and worse for it. I wasn't prepared to go the full monty with it because I wasn't sure it was a good enough movie, but writing this up I talked myself into it.

5 out of 5 - Masterpiece

 

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