Movie Musings: Whiplash

We've been talking movies all week and today I want to introduce you to "Whiplash."

I first learned about the movie back in January when it was set to debut at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. One of my clients at work was a major sponsor of the festival and was giving tickets to the "Whiplash" screening to some VIP guests.

*SPOILER ALERT!*

The film stars Miles Teller as Andrew, a young man recently accepted to the best music school in the country. You may know Miles from his roles in Footloose, Divergent, That Awkward Moment or last summer's The Spectacular Now.

In this film, Andrew gets discovered by the music school's most infamous instructor and he's invited to audition for his ensemble. The song he is asked to play in the audition is called "Whiplash."

The crux of the entire film is about Andrew's relationship with the band leader, Fletcher. Fletcher is played by J.K. Simmons, an actor recognized mostly for his comedic roles, not for drama.

Fletcher is a tyrant. He's merciless and cruel. He enjoys embarrassing his students and continually reminding them of their inferiority.

His relationship with Andrew, who is desperate to please him, is uncomfortable to watch. There was one scene where I felt so anxious I actually thought I would throw up.

Andrew makes his entire life about impressing Fletcher. He breaks up with his girlfriend, he sleeps in his practice room and he drums and drums and drums until his hands bleed. There's a moment where the camera zooms in on him plunging his hand into a giant pitcher of ice water and you watch as the water goes quickly from clear to dark red.

In the final scene of the film, Andrew and Fletcher go head to head in a wild, angry face off. Without giving too much away, let me say that I wanted more resolution at the close of that scene. I felt like the movie just ended, without giving us an idea of what happens to Andrew. We just suffered through all that torture with him and we don't even get to know that he's ok?

Many film critics are calling this film Miles Teller's star making performance. You should see it for that reason, but please be warned, you will spend a lot of the film grimacing. You will also leave wanting to mix Raisinets into your popcorn from now on. I'll let you uncover that delicious gem yourself.

*Image sources 1, 2, 3, and 4.

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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