Member review

Whiplash Whiplash is a 2014 film directed by Damien Chazelle with actors Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons and Paul Reiser. The film has won awards for best editing, best sound mixing, and best supporting actor. However, I believe the story of the film lacked something. The film is about a teenage boy, acted by Miles Teller, trying to become a famous jazz drummer. A jazz teacher, acted by J. K. Simmons invites him into his band but is very abusive toward the members who don’t play to his standard. Andrew Neiman, the teenage drummer, is found by Terence Fletcher the jazz teacher playing the drums. Fletcher is instantly abusive to Neiman for not being able to play fast enough. Neiman is then seen practicing a lot until he is asked to join the band by Fletcher. Fletcher is hard to please and will kick members out the band for not playing perfectly. During the film Neiman asks a girl out, Nicole, but after being forced to practice the drums more and more he dumps her. At the end of the film, Neiman is chosen to play in a competition by Fletcher. He asks Nicole if she wants to come, but she says her boyfriend won't want to come. On the way to this film Neiman forgets his drum sticks so has to go and get them on the way back he crashes his car into a lorry. He then runs to get to the competition covered in blood. Fletcher then deliberately ruins it for Neiman by choosing a piece he doesn't know. Neiman the plays another song very well. The cinematography of the film is very good showing the tense atmosphere when Fletcher is angry at people for not playing properly. The music and sounds of the film are excellent. I believe though that the story is lacking, there isn't really enough of the part about Nicole to make it work effectively in the story. I also think that there is too much of Fletcher changing his mind over whether he likes Neiman's drumming or not. All the drumming sound very similar but we are told that it is rubbish sometimes and excellent the next. To conclude I believe the film Whiplash is very well made with excellent sound but the story of the film doesn’t quite work. Personally I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone unless they wanted to see excellent cinematography and sound design.