Whiplash (Starring Miles Teller & J.K. Simmons) Movie Review

Whiplash starring Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, and Melissa Benoist is reviewed by Christy Lemire (www.ChristieLemire.com), William Bibbiani (Crave Online), and Tim Grierson (Screen International, Deadspin)
See what other critics are saying: www.rottentomat...
Andrew Neyman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite east coast music conservatory. Plagued by the failed writing career of his father, Andrew hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher, an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young man's life. Andrew's passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher continues to push him to the brink of both his ability-and his sanity. (C) Sony Classics
/ williambibbiani
/ christylemire
/ timgrierson
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[@abbreviateddisc]

It's not ridiculous at all. It's the best movie of the year.

[@MichaelLTXEllis]

This is one of the few times, where I find myself heavily disagreeing with some of you. This movie is a masterpiece. My pick for best movie of 2014.

[@eviola11]

I didn't find JK Simmons' character to be "cartoonish" at all. Wtf.

[@felicianofrontado3134]

Terence Fletcher wouldn't have lasted a week in any real world institute, it is simply absurd to think nobody would find out he was abusing his students.

[@eviola11]

Feliciano Frontado but how does that mean he's being "cartoonish"? And wasn't he only physically abusive to 2 students? The one who killed himself and Andrew i.e., the ones he saw something special in.

[@felicianofrontado3134]

Eric Viola Physical abuse isn't the only kind of abuse, he yelled at his students, insulted them, and put them all under excessive stress; no professor in any institution would last as long as he did without being fired.

[@eviola11]

Feliciano Frontado Fine he was unrealistic character. How does that mean cartoonish?

[@felicianofrontado3134]

Eric Viola I think the reviewers were using the term interchangeably, in the sense that Terence Fletcher was any student's exaggerated vision of what a strict music teacher would be.

[@artistryartistry7239]

"I don't want to spoil the story here, but Miles Teller achieves greatness." Talk about your oxymoron. Isn't the central question of the movie, whether he actually becomes great? As much as I love these reviews, I clearly have to stop watching this fucking channel for movies I haven't seen yet. If you start a sentence with "I don't want to spoil the story...", that's a pretty good indicator that you're giving too much away. I'm pissed.

[@chordicalaus6128]

I know.... Fuck her.

[@BarleydawgReviews]

That's why I watch these reviews after I've seen the movie, the only time I don't is when it's a movie I don't plan on seeing and don't care about.

[@spidavenom4]

Seriously. They get too comfortable when they're in their group and feel like nothing with major detail is not a spoiler. Alonzo is the absolute worst though. Can't count how many times he's given a key death or result from a movie plot and was like "I'm not spoiling anything here." Other reviewers on here avoid spoilers so easily, idk why it's so hard for them.

[@djmane1]

Umm....Who watches the review before watching the movie?

[@artistryartistry7239]

djmaneone Uh, millions of people I'd imagine? Ever hear of a little show called Siskel and Ebert at the movies? This was a popular show where -- gasp -- they reviewed a movie and managed not to give away the ending or include spoilers. They discussed whether the movie was good, whether the directing/acting, etc was good, the impact of the movie, etc. Newsflash, it's possible to review a movie without spoiling it.

[@pandabear104]

7 and 7.2? Those reviewers are a joke.

[@whattheflickshow]

pandabear104 sorry to disappoint, what did you think?

[@twndomn]

***** It's people like you. When they finally make something that's different, something that stands out, you decide to give it a rating reserved for Transformer. Directors won't make good films if you don't award them accordingly.

[@TheSwagnostic]

twan domnat "Rating reserved for Transformer"? A 7/7.2 is a good score.

[@TheBandy98]

10/10 easily, damn it!

[@lakemasterex7582]

It's actually ridiculous. Whiplash deserves a 9.2 at the very very least

[@MattCipolla]

WHAT THE FUCK. "This isn't a spoiler, but..." [says ending of movie] Are you kidding me?!

[@phuckewe178]

One of the better endings I've seen in a movie.

[@richfictionfighter]

What spoilers are you talking about?

[@MattCipolla]

richfictionfighter "Miles Teller achieves greatness."

[@richfictionfighter]

+Matt Cipolla That's a vague spoiler that doesn't go into detail. They never mention that Andrew gets kicked out of music school, Fletcher gets fired, Fletxher gives him a gig at that jazz concert, Fletcher tricks Andrew and humiliates at the concert. I think vague spoilers are okay if you keep them brief and don't get too specific. "Miles Teller achieved greatness", that's just 4 words

[@MattCipolla]

richfictionfighter But it does spoil whether or not the protagonist achieves his goal. It may give away the rest of the movie or the thematic resolution, but it still says how the ending ends and whether or not Fletcher finally admires Andrew.

[@fluff975]

christy and tim are talking about a scene which is completely plausible and i actually know someone who's been in a similar situation in real life and had the same outcome due to her mentality. Don't underestimate a person's power when he/she has the will and drive to do something. its totally realistic. its just shocking.

[@eviola11]

The car accident? What scene are they talking about?

[@fluff975]

Eric Viola yes im almost certain. just wanted to avoid spoilers but the movie's been out long enough by now.

[@suffern63]

Eric Viola must be,that was just stupid.

[@fluff975]

suffern63 the scene or what tim and christy said?

[@suffern63]

Mobley Hernandez the scene

[@katiehirsekorn3484]

I think in the "implausible" scene ya'll are talking about is actually plausible, because, when adrenaline kicks in, especially with what was going on in his mind, you will do anything and he obviously was hurt, which was shown when he could barely hold his drumsticks. Also, not all car crashes are as dramatic as in movies. I had a friend who flipped her car, full of people and another ruining a red light and not one person was harmed.

[@icu812a]

I didn't see the downside to JK Simmons's performance that Christy & Tim alluded to; they treated his over-the-top nature as a manipulation by the movie, but I saw it as a manipulation by the character - and it was completely convincing. This movie is amazing.

[@Kasino80]

Especially considering the scene where Andrew sees Fletcher talk to a former student and his daughter. He is a completely different person then. It hints that he has layers. They're just not shown to his students while they're in the program.

[@Prog-Radio]

Saw Whiplash tonight. It was awesome. 10 out of 10 for me. Great acting, story and filming/editing.

[@basquat76]

We push our kids so they can win gold at the Olympics. Great, then what? Does that gold medal really inrich their lives so much?

[@honestabe2726]

"Winners go home and F*ck the prom queen"-Sean Connery

[@basquat76]

Austin Haygood He also beats her up -Sean Connery.

[@hopperthemarxist8533]

its not about the medal its about proving that you can get the medal.. and actually the larger point is that it is deeply inspiring to see someone work that hard.. olympic athletes prove what humanity is capable of.. they inspire people.. the more you give the more you get in this life.

[@basquat76]

Josiah Coney Yes it is, which is why we shouldn't rob our kids of that journey by pushing them them forward like this.

[@basquat76]

Josiah Coney That it's inspiring to other people? So we should push our kids beyond their own will so they can inspire strangers. See that's the problem right there. We're so busy looking for respect, that even strangers respect is enough to shape our lives. Our kids should laern to aspire and be ambitious. It will enrichen their lives. But there's a big difference between aspire and Work ethics and to push our kids so they can win medals and get a false sense of greatness.

[@davidg.3617]

How the hell does your praise throughout the review equate to a 7.2? If it's a 7.2 for you I can respect that but you can't talk about the movie like it's a 9 or a 10 and then say it's only a 7.2

[@XmynameislameX]

Only 7/10?!?! This movie is a fucking masterpiece. 10/10

[@21ballack]

The happiness on his face for giving a 7 to a great movie. bleh, make me vomit.. Fantastic movie, the ending is superb.

[@leosanalien9904]

I've heard someone on AMC say that some teachers in real life are actually worse than Simmons's character. Anyway I can't wait.

[@luciferfaust]

One band instructor I had used to throw music stands and chairs when he was mad, but never at students.

[@ds37]

Lucifer Faust In sports it's the same, I had a soccer/football coach who would require us to run suicides (you go from the goal line to the 16 meters line, you go back, then to the middle line and go back) until we were all on our knees puking out our intestines. He said that he wanted to make us the kind of players a football scout would have interest into. 15 years laters, I'm no professional football player, went to college instead. Guess I wasn't willing to bleed and sweat enough.

[@Generalbas1972]

ds37 The difference between sports and beeing a musician is, in sports you can do what you're suppose to and still make a good performance. As a musician (if you wanna be a good one that gets gigs) you need to be able to improvise and think on the fly and have a creative mind, and nothing kills your creative mind and demotivates you more than a teacher like that.

[@Generalbas1972]

which is total BS, if you can name ONE teacher that's working and gets away with beeing like that or worse, well then i'll take my Words back but you can't cause they don't exsist

[@leosanalien9904]

The persons fitting the description might not be working anymore, doesn't mean they didn't exist

[@RuToob]

SPOILER ALERT If the theme of this movie is really what this panel says it is, then the stupid female gives away the ending. She says, "No spoiler here, but..." and then she proceeds to spoil the hell out of the movie. Thanks. Thanks a lot for this "review."

[@richfictionfighter]

When did they spoil the movie?

[@slyjokerg]

Whiplash was a god awful pile of crap. I want that 107 minutes of my life back. The movie consisted of Simmons' character being a dick and nodding his head to music while they showed people playing it. Wow. What a thrill. It was a nothing story with utterly uninteresting characters, about whom I cared zero. And what a ridiculous "twist" to have Simmons' set up the Teller character to fail IN SIMMONS' band's performance. That guy would never do that in a billion years. He was a total egomaniac. The whole movie was awful. I am stunned that people like it at all. It is the "The Wolf of Wall Street" of 2014, but even worse.

[@sanyrub]

Terrific film! You only need raw talent, a great screenplay, music and two leading actors who prove how great they are and you have probably the best film of 2014. It´s flawless. Top 3 of the year at the very least.

[@schmoab]

This movie is unbelievable. It's a 10. Great discussion of the themes in this review. The implausible moments and flat characters are beside the point. No movie has ever shown the very real drive for greatness like Whiplash. I stumbled out of the theater in a daze from the incredible ending and started bawling. I haven't cared so much or felt emotions like that in a movie in a long time. My Best Picture 2014.

[@Gravitationalist]

A 7 and a 7.2? Are you friggin kidding me? And again with the spoilers. Christy even did it right off the bat when she mentioned bleeding. WTF has become a joke. They rate shitty movies high and phenomenal movies a 7. I bet they rated GOTG better than this and that's a mindless childrens movie.

[@seal3081]

like the new guy Tim Grierson. Keep him on please

[@dturull]

10/10 Amazing Film!

[@justinjaeger1554]

WARNING: Don't read the comments or watch the video if you don't want this movie spoiled. It's great just go watch it.

[@heartandtroll9993]

Justin Jaeger WARNING: Never read KZbin comments. They are stupid.

[@rbrtchng]

this movie is fking amazing! best movie of 2014 for sure

[@jackdraper8558]

I can listen to Gibbs talk about film all fucking day, love that guy

[@xxWickedLifexx]

Bibs is so right. This was one of, if not the, best movie of 2014.

[@TVMaster89]

Can we keep these two as regular bench players.

[@cjjb]

First time ever I've strongly disagreed with the score at the end of one your reviews. I agree with most of what you said but a 7 seems insanely low for what is easily an 8.5+ film. I'd love to see what the two reviewers who handed out this score think is an 8+!

[@DrumdumsOfficial]

Check out the Drumdums review of Whiplash... and subscribe if you like it! Whiplash Movie Review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a33NmZWfbLV4eLs

[@edgarmirth5020]

dangerous minds? yikes. bad bad not good.

[@alexxbrown8165]

I've never been into playing piano even after five years of playing, until I switched to a piano teacher who had graduated from Julliard. She was as harsh as J.K. Simmons in character as Fletcher, with physical violence turned down a notch. I learned so much from her in the few months I learned from her. After that, I broke down and quit because I couldn't stand the "abuse". Now I am the first chair, advanced alto saxophonist and a flautist. She opened up the door for my musical future. All I had to do is go through. Some teachers have violent methods of teaching, and there is a line, I believe, but there is a method everyone learns best by. Not all people can be taught the same.

[@MrAkashvj96]

SPOILERS!!!! The movie glosses over reality on so many occasions that it's hard to take it seriously. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons give great performances but they're both oversimplified characters. Simmons just plays a comic book villain. How no one filed a complaint against him in his time at chauffeur is beyond me. Moreover how did he get a job as the conductor of a pro band despite the fact that he's been accused of emotionally torturing a boy to the point where he committed suicide? Shouldn't Fletcher be in jail? How is he walking free. Moreover some of his actions don't even make sense. He expels a student from the band who is in tune because he didn't know whether he was off tune but doesn't even take action against the one who's out of tune, even though he's completely oblivious to that fact as well? I'm sorry is it just me or is that a contradiction. Car accidents don't seem to bother our protagonist too much. That's the least of his problems. He just couldn't afford any scars at that time so he didn't get any. "There's no to words more harmful than Good Job"? Really? That's not dark, that's not bleak, that's just stupid and simplistic. Whiplash is a film about the pain that accompanies passion, and the blood that's shed on the road to perfection. But sadly, it doesn't execute well. The movie has some tense scenes but the overall result is contrived and unsatisfying. It has a few twists but ultimately it's the same conventional story about the tough love shared by the arrogant apprentice and the abusive master. But when the fpm works, it really works. The tension it builds is great. I'd give it a 7/10.

[@goclbert]

Obviously Fletcher was accused but not sentenced. I imagine a man like him with his reputation and accomplishments would have enough connections to land a gig as a pro band conductor. Also many people emerge unscathed from worse car accidents. There's a video somewhere on here where half this guy's car is crushed but he still crawls out of the window perfectly fine.

[@MrAkashvj96]

goclbert He's a music teacher not the goddamn mafia.

[@goclbert]

Nameless Paladin Everyone makes connections. That's career building 101.

[@MrAkashvj96]

goclbert And by connections you mean a judge? Are you actually going to defend the fact that a man, who has just been accused of emotionally torturing and psychologically scarring a child to the point where he committed suicide, had charges dropped against him because he made some "connections". In countries like Japan, you can get a death sentence for such acts.

[@goclbert]

Nameless Paladin When you said mafia I thought you were referencing me saying he had the connections to get a job as a pro band instructor. As for the whole judge thing, the person who committed suicide had been Fletcher's student 2 years prior. That is a very large gap. I'm sure the accusations got him fired but there was no damming evidence result in his arrest. There are plenty of 17-18 year old bullies who arguably drove people to suicide but were able to avoid charges despite having far more evidence against them than Fletcher does.

[@kevind814]

Unfortunately, the trailer only shows that Simmons' character is an ahole whose only method of teaching is physical abuse and intimidation. Hopefully he actually has some wisdom / instruction to impart that actually warrants him being an instructor in the first place. As of now, I won't see unless I hear that the instructor gets his comeuppance and is himself destroyed by his own ahole-ness.

[@oldmoviemusic]

Wow, so essentially you won't see a movie unless "the good guy prevails, and the bad guy is beaten and shown what a truly bad guy he is"? So in every movie there must always be a black and white moral divide, and the bad must not go unpunished, ever?? Wow, what a narrow viewpoint, you must not enjoy complexity very much. But hey, before the film censorship laws were lifted in the late 50s, there were lots of decent movies made that were regulated to end with the bad guy always losing and the good guy always winning....Perhaps you should go watch some of those, cause I think Whiplash may not be for you.

[@steveleeart]

Yea you nail the character arc. It's funny because a person in the review says this is the anti- Dead Poets Society, and I agree with that, and actually said that to someone after seeing it tonight. The movie is worth seeing.

[@kevind814]

oldmoviemusic Not sure how you got complexity out of some ahole character. I have no problem with an ahole being complex. But as Grace herself mentioned, the message of the character was that it takes negative abuse to bring out greatness in a person. Since that is a terrible message, I'm not for promoting a movie that glorifies it. Complexity would actually be welcome by showing the consequences of being an ahole, which is what I said more simplistically in my prior message. Interpret as you like. See the movie if you like.

[@robinvik1]

oldmoviemusic From the trailer it looks like it's about an asshole teacher who abuses his students. What is appealing about that? here might be more to it, but from the trailer I don't see any reason to go see it.

[@RareBirdGames]

It's good, just shut up and watch it. It will surprise you in many ways you probably didn't expect. I've seen it twice, and plan on seeing it every chance I get. Don't be that pretentious filmgoer who thinks they figured shit out before watching the movie. It's amazing. Leave your baggage at the fucking door for once. Both times I've seen it, the crowd applauded as soon as it cut to black. Best Editing, Best Acting, Best Screenplay, and Best Soundtrack and Ending.

[@MultiplexShow]

Great review, really touches on some of what made this movie work so well -- it's easily one of my favorites of the year so far! The way it's shot, the way it's edited is so kinetic and chaotic, similar to Christie's comment that it's emblematic of jazz.

[@pureuncutlakers1010]

This was a great movie. Saw it for the first time a week ago, watched it twice since. Excellent. The people who think Simmons was a cartoon, I question if they ever got really good at something and I don't mean that maliciously. When you get to a certain level, shit absolutely gets intense.

[@webstercat]

Throwing chairs does not a great drummer make.Enjoy the movie but no truth to it. Also Miles Teller was not doing all the drumming. Go to the sources. Search BUDDY RICH IMPOSSIBLE DRUM SOLO *HQ* Buddy became who he was because he was kid prodigy at 4 years old. If anyone had ever, ever, ever, ever spoken to Buddy like that he would have killed them on the spot!

[@Generalbas1972]

First of all......WOOOOOW we found a movie that Mr. Negative William Bibbiani likes (that doesn't say much) Second.. When you make a statement you should have the facts right. Miles Teller did 70% of the drumming NOT all of it! Third: it's a great FICTION of a movie. Let me repeat that FICTION!!! If you actually thinks that the way you become a great jazz musician is this way, then you need to hang out with REAL musicians more often. If you teach people to play this way you will end up with a Military-musician. Which someone who is great at what he or she's suppose to do, but they don't have any creative mind of their own....... And at last. You totally diss a unrealistic action movie saying that's not possible and you would like to see more realism in those movies. Well NOTHING gets more unrealistic than this movie, in terms of how music is taught. but now we know it takes an unrealistic-that has nothing to do with how Things are in the real music World-movie to get William Bibbiani to be positive. Thank god i don't know him, his life must be really sad!

[@RachelsReviews]

I thought it was good but a little over the top and I didn't feel I got enough of Andrew's motivation. Why did he want to be the greatest? I thought Simmons was a psychopath and he destroys greatness that's why he has never had a student who was great. But it was a very entertaining movie with great performances. 54disneyreviews.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/whiplash-a-review/

[@phuckewe178]

Were you Russian or Dragon?

[@BandVersus]

Whiplash should've one Best Picture. The film is a deep examination of passion, of how far one will go for what they love, not completely unlike the film that did win, Birdman. It, and Boyhood, will be the only two films from 2014 that are remembered in 20 years.

[@greeeenmachine]

why does she have a sippie cup?

[@meriland19]

(SPOILER) there are only two scenes that seemed a little off to me. The massive car accident scene and him walking away from it with only cuts, and the lack of anything formulating between him and that chick. It almost seemed pointless to add a GF in the movie. They went on one date, he dumped her, then he called her a hour later into the movie but she already had a bf.. that was literally all that happened between them. Just seemed like omitting that wouldn't have affected the film at all.

[@batteryleg3432]

lol if I had a dime where they spoil something and say it isn't a spoiler but actually is. He achieves greatest and thats not a spoiler??? That is the last scene of the film lol.

[@ddrruummmmeerr]

Bibbiani is an excellent reviewer from what i can see, he really goes into detail but is also very passionate about films. Grierson is a great addition as well. Matt and Alonso better be careful...also Ben! (not that he watches the movies lol)

[@whitketchum]

you guys are incredibly sensitive about this movie. I really loved it but they are movie reviewers so I'm glad they don't rate everything about a 6 or 7. If you liked it fine but don't call them pretentious because you don't see eye to eye. THEY GET PAID TO DO THIS SO THEY DON'T JUST SPEW SHIT OUT

[@jimijaam2591]

SPOILER Alert... !! Enter at your Own Risk..... Is this movie a Peter Built diesel Truck violently smashes into Andrew's rent-a-car on the driver's side, because he is trying to speed his way back on stage after forgetting his drum sticks at the car rental place. If REAL LIFE, Andrew would more likely be dead or be in a severe coma after a collision of that magnitude! That part of the movie was totally reckless, ridiculous and absurd. Meanwhile, when people are born with natural talent and greatness, there is no need to enforce a Full Metal Jacket Drill Sergeant type of personality just to teach and convey the message that strict practice and dedication yields better results. Instructors can teach firm objectives and sufficient guide lines to follow, but they don't need to implement extreme overkill extending from radical mental issues just to drive the student's talent to home base. No one had to throw a Cymbal at Jimi Hendrix or Oscar Peterson's head. And what about Muddy Waters... who threw a cymbal at his head? FLETCHER was suppose to be a Movie Monster, and that was obviously intentional. This movie does not promote Academic Teachers to use such extreme unorthodox methods to put their talented and best students through rude, vulgar, ridiculously insane, and psychological nightmares. The joke is on anyone thinking teachers need to be like Fletcher to bring out greatness in people which already contain the natural talent and skills inside them.

[@matchesmalone2625]

I watched this movie in the theater, and didn’t like it. I found myself thinking about it for the next 3 days, so I decided to watch it again. I thought it was good. But I found myself thinking about it constantly. Fast forward 2 years after release I was trying to get everyone to watch it. This is now one of my 5 favorite films that I’ve ever seen. I watch it once or twice a year now

[@JozieLeePro]

Interesting premise . . . like the Tiger Mom . . . push the kid without restraint so they live up to their god-given talent. But what if you're wrong . . . the talent isn't really there and you break the kid. Unlike the movies, you can't UnDo and DoOver. Dicey game to play with someone's life. Then maybe I'm wrong and that's how winners are made. I'd rather err on the side of letting the kid enjoy life. Good argument about gymnasts (Grierson). . . Bela & Martha Karolyi squeezed performances out of those tiny bodies. The kids don't seem any worse for wear today. The movie looks sensation. A must see.

[@exyiaevox]

These channel needs more subs - forget all this new age youtuber movie reviewer shit. They're so incapable of reviewing a movie past... "___ was so good in this" "____ was so fun" "____ really worked for me" Love this channel. actual depth to the discussion

[@Rally4Life1982]

Watched this last night. Amazing with a capital A. Never thought I would ever be into a movie like this.

[@NicolasTylerDoyle]

but... what is Success ? many in life today would say their success would be to have a table with some food on it, and maybe a laptop with youtube playing while they eat. some would say that is success ? humans never stop to want for themselves. and miles tellers character is no different than his "settling dad" . in a way, the dad is aged, experienced and doesnt need to grow and be "successful". because he see's there is no point. that no matter what he will always want more, and that enough is never enough. basically im saying jut be thankful for what we all have. and what you have is already good enough. stop thinking you need to be more.

[@cjwright79]

William says it's dangerous, the message the movie sends. Well, not really, if you remember that Fletcher gets fired from Schaffer academy. So, go nuts if you want, cross all the lines you like, but that's not going to fly in today's climate, not to mention with everyone having a cellphone to record your sadism. You're not going to last very long in your career if you justify cruelty here the way Fletcher does.

[@noimain3910]

Why, after all the in depth conversations you guys had about the film, do you put a score on it? It just really takes away from the actual analysis....While you all say some really interesting things about the film, a score just takes away from the conversation and boils it down to "This film got an 8 and this one a 7, therefore this film is better than that." Why even put a score on it if you;'re not gonna explain why that score makes sense to you. All the context is missing for the score.

[@subplayscod7786]

Those two people that rated it a 7 are the only people that I have seen that has rated it under a 9. There rating In my opinion is fucking shit because this is a 10/10 movie and critics agree as they gave the film 5 stars along with best supporting role to jk Simmons a few other oscars that I can't remember off the top of my head. None the less perfect movie one that can relate and even have you rooting for our characters which I'm sad to say few movies can do. Along with just about every else I rate the movie 10/10👌

[@w4vezf9a]

Spoiler alert. Also, watch the movie. It's great. What do you mean the movie argues for their aggressive teaching? They have a student that killed himself because he got pushed too hard, they even went to great lengths to show that the student went through, not just work one has to go through to get really good, but had the protagonist character make illogical choices to the point of fanatisism to prove that he could be one of the greats. Although he does good at the end, I wouldn't say he achieved that "greatness" he was working to achieve. He couldn't play the song he hadn't practice, and instead took command of the band and did it flawlessly. It's a large step, but he definitely hasn't reached his goal.

[@RiledPassenger]

I feel like she doesn't know the meaning of implausible, she used it like it meant impossible. Ironically the disparity of those two words is a great message from the film. Having experienced said dramatic event myself, I would say it's possible to do what he did.

[@cliffjr7512]

Its interesting seeing people talk about this movie clearly having no real experience in a truly competitive environment at an extremely high level. Speaking from expirirence when it comes to success at that particular level whether it be music or sports JK Simmons character is 100% believable.

[@seal3081]

Lol I would give this movie a 10, but come on people, everyone has different opinions. So a critique gives the movie a 7, who the hell cares.

[@enriquegomeziv]

If you guys really think people this egotistical, self-absorbed and overall evil don't exist you clearly didn't go to music school...

[@lpr5269]

The movie references Charlie Parker, the great jazz saxophone player, as an example. Fletcher references that someone threw a cymbal at his head and THAT'S why he was so great. WRONG! He practiced 15 hours a day for 3 to 4 years. THAT'S WHY HE WAS SO GREAT. Shocker HUH? Just like Eddie Van Halen. Eddie was a great rock guitar player because he would practice all night long while his brother Alex went out drinking and picking up chicks. The premise of this movie is ridiculous.

[@MrKJ444]

did you miss the story about being laughed off stage after the cymbal throw? And that's what motivated him to work so hard to never be laughed off again

[@lpr5269]

MrKJ444 OK, so every great musician has to have an embarrassing experience to be great? They can't just attain that through desire and hard work? That's my point. It was thrown at his feet by the way, not his head like the movie said. He was a bit humiliated, I imagine. I don't think though that that alone can motivate. There has to be a burning desire to be the best. He was 16 when that happened. If you read Malcolm Gladwell, he clearly states that all talented people need 10,000 hours to master something. Even Mozart's original symphonies when he was younger were not that great. Only when he was older did he start writing masterpieces.

[@SuperJBrowne]

Nail on the head there dude, most non musicians don't understand this.

[@davidbacamusic]

thats not the premise of the movie… its the premise of JK Simmons' character in the movie. Or at least the premise of his technique. The movie never even takes a stance as to whether the Parker story is true or not. Simmons could feasibly be lying…. to say thats the premise of the movie is a bit off base.

[@gordo2456]

Seriously man, you've totally missed the point.

[@lkrauss100]

I couldn't get past how bad the music was (as a jazz musician) and Simmons was too unrealistic when it comes to a actual band leaders.

[@JoshuaLoftis]

Incredible movie. JK Simmons is astounding and Miles Teller is one of my favorite young actors, so great combo.

[@ClockworkCaptain]

Law and Order? You mean Oz. Some fan you are :P

[@Horsebeef647]

He was on Law and Order

[@TheyCallMeGawd]

He was the shrink in Law and Order for several seasons, replaced by B.D. Wong.

[@JCW80]

I wish they had talked about everything they wanted to talk about instead of saying "well I don't want to ruin it" a few times in there. I don't ever come watch WTF reviews until after I've watched the movie/show, because I'm interested in their takeaways. Oh well. The review was good, I just wanted to hear more detail from professional critics.

[@richfictionfighter]

When do they ruin the film?

[@cubingandstuff]

I think that the impossible part of the moving that they're talking about is that miles hands just start bleeding after drumming for a long time and believe me, it is extremely possible. The amount of time that the character puts into practicing drumming at an intense dynamic and tempo will definitely result in a bloody hand with skin just falling off. I once practiced for around 3-5 hours straight and my hand had a huge blister that hurt like hell.

[@DihStyle69]

*spoiler alert* i'm pretty sure they were talking about the car accident, that was a bit too convenient for the story to keep going.. it didn't bother me all that much, though.

[@RizzoKingPrawnRat]

alonso matt christie ben is the golden lineup. these 2 goons are goons

[@horneybadger86]

The moment you gave those reviews.. You lose my respect as 'film critics'... I say this on behalf of everyone else

[@suffern63]

So,was he dragging or rushing it?Sounded alright to me,not bad,good effort

[@Kasino80]

I don't think he was either actually. Fletcher just wanted him to up his game. That talk they had before that scene was Fletcher's way of giving him false security on purpose.

[@LuxDiabolico]

that "I'll give it a 7" is still in my head years later

[@jeffapellido1959]

I've had a lot of teachers in my life, but I've only ever had music teachers just outright say to me that what I did was terrible and needed to be better.

[@steveleeart]

That's true - my music teachers as a kid were brutally honest. And I have had writing teachers be as honest about what's good and about what sucks. But none were crazy scary like Simmons is here but you get glimpses that he's normal and you do get insight into why he's the way he is. I'm a mature fine art student who in my younger days did a business degree first. I sometimes wish I had someone who pushed me harder. But it comes down to instilling a drive, a desire, a want in the student to pump out work and try to get better.

[@richfictionfighter]

How are they spoiling the movie in this review? I don't understand these comments

[@SimonBishop779]

Between about 6:20 and 6:50, they utterly give away the ending, the suspense and half the controversy. This is a thought-provoking movie that really begs to be discussed - but not without some serious spoiler-alertage.

[@dustinrainey1678]

7's?!?! NOT MY FUCKING TEMPO!!

[@bgrobbins]

This was a great film with a really great ending.

[@michaelfoley6279]

The guy in blue is such a hack reviewer

[@davidbacamusic]

Interesting thought I had when after watching was… Is the movie even real at all? It seems to teeter the line between reality and fiction. Maybe its simply a commentary on an individuals intensity and drive towards a singular goal and the consequences of that drive. Maybe the characters and scenes etc. are not intended to be realistic. Thus making Simmons character or the scene they're referring to simply intentional symbolistic hyperbole (does that even make sense? lol). Maybe thats reaching but it was a thought I had after the movie… or maybe the director is posing that question for us to ponder. could this be real? who knows. I understand their hesitance. the last scene is killer tho.

[@eviola11]

What scene are they referring to? I honestly can't think of it lol.

[@davidbacamusic]

Eric Viola when he gets in the car crash and bolts out of the car bloody to get to the concert. prettttyyyy inconceivable haha

[@eviola11]

Oh that's the scene I figured. Yeah ok I guess that's fair?

[@BrunoFernandes-zs8hc]

What the hell is jesse cox doing here

[@Shutter-Writer]

But were you dragging

[@danielmcdermott138]

Wonder what that 10 was...

[@anilnuruyt]

"the editing itself feels like jazz to me" "the editing is almost percussive itself" Only movie critics who are up their own ass can say fake ass things like this. Movie was awesome.

[@jordanpressler3325]

That's a really ignorant complaint to level against these wonderful critics. That's how they convey their passion for film. If they dumbed themselves down and only made broad, basic remarks like "Movie was awesome!", that would make for such a fucking boring review that a 12-year-old could make. Film criticism is all about expressing yourself freely and explaining specifically why you loved a movie, not just giving a basic reaction. That's what makes film criticism an art form.

[@maloperverso8118]

10 out of fucking 10

[@kponly]

good, but not great

[@tyrota]

CARTOON? my ass

[@PhantasmagoricSplend]

Loved this. So intense. It really kept me on the edge of my seat and JK totally deserved his Oscar. I could actually get my bf to pay attention and he never watches movies with me. I loved the slapping lol.

[@darkmantlestudios]

Seems like that teachers method is more likely to create monsters.

[@johnsobkowiak3725]

there lies the argument and the question, do the ends justify the means? this movie really leaves that open for interpretation

[@DAVA653]

A bad ass monster

[@ibstrd]

7.2 AHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@lebronston]

Tim Grierson does not annunciate at all.

[@edgarmirth5020]

Well, when you're nearly a god, you can enunciate however the fuck you want. cuz you're the movie god.

[@lebronston]

If I could actually understand what he was saying then I might actually agree with you...but I can't do that because you can't understand what the fuck he is saying.

[@theartofwar7806]

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