Whiplash (2014 film)

''Whiplash'' is a 2014 American independent psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, and starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser and Melissa Benoist. The film follows the ambitious music student and jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Teller), who is pushed to his limit by his abusive instructor Terence Fletcher (Simmons) at the fictitious Shaffer Conservatory in New York City. The film was produced by Bold Films, Blumhouse Productions, and Right of Way Films. Sony Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights, releasing the film under its Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films banners for its North American and international releases, respectively.

Chazelle finished writing the script in 2013, drawing upon his experiences in a "very competitive" jazz band. Soon after, Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions helped Chazelle turn 15 pages of the script into an 18-minute short film, also titled ''Whiplash''. The short film received acclaim after debuting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which attracted investors to produce the complete version of the script. Filming took place in September 2013 throughout Los Angeles in the course of 20 days. The film explores concepts of perfectionism, dedication, and success and deconstructs the concept of ambition.

''Whiplash'' premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2014, as the festival's opening film; it won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for drama. The film opened in limited release domestically in the United States and Canada on October 10, 2014, gradually expanding to over 500 screens and finally closing on March 26, 2015. The film received widespread critical acclaim for its screenplay, direction, film editing, sound mixing, and Teller's and Simmons' performances, and grossed $49 million on a $3.3 million budget, making it Chazelle's highest grossing feature until the release of ''La La Land'' (2016). The film received multiple awards and nominations, winning Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and also being nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Simmons' portrayal of Fletcher won him the Academy, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for Best Supporting Actor.

Plot

Andrew Neiman is a first-year student and jazz drummer at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in New York City, hoping to one day to leave a legacy like that of his childhood idol, jazz drummer Buddy Rich. Terence Fletcher, the conductor of the Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band, recruits him to play in the Studio ensemble as an alternate for core drummer Carl Tanner. Andrew quickly discovers that Fletcher is relentlessly strict, emotionally manipulative, and violent to his students; he physically and verbally attacks Andrew when he fails to keep tempo during the ensemble's rehearsal of Hank Levy's titular piece, "Whiplash."

Determined to impress Fletcher, Andrew practices until his hands bleed. Andrew misplaces Tanner's sheet music in a jazz competition after their first set. Tanner tells Fletcher that he can't play without the sheets, but Andrew declares he can. Before a later practice, Fletcher uncharacteristically holds back tears as he informs the class that Sean Casey, a former student whom he described as "a beautiful player," died in a car accident. After a successful performance of "Whiplash," Fletcher promotes Andrew to the core drummer for the Studio Band.

Because of his single-mindedness toward music, Andrew's relationship with his family deteriorates, and he breaks up with his girlfriend, Nicole, after Fletcher brings in Ryan Connolly, a drummer from a lower-level ensemble within the conservatory, to take the core drummer spot. After a grueling five-hour practice session with Tanner and Connolly on " Caravan," Andrew earns back the core position.

On the way to the next competition, Andrew's riding bus breaks down. He rents a car but arrives late and realizes he left his sticks at the rental office. After convincing an impatient Fletcher to wait for him, Andrew races back and retrieves them, but his car is hit by a truck on the way back. Andrew crawls from the wreckage and runs to the theater, arriving just as the ensemble enters the stage. Heavily injured, he struggles to play "Caravan," and Fletcher halts the performance to dismiss him. Enraged, Andrew attacks Fletcher onstage but is pulled away by security and expelled from Shaffer.

At his father's request, Andrew meets a lawyer representing the parents of Sean Casey, the student Fletcher claimed died in a car accident, and learns that Sean had actually committed suicide by hanging due to depression and anxiety caused by Fletcher's abuse. Casey's parents want Fletcher forbidden from teaching, and Andrew agrees to testify anonymously, leading Shaffer to terminate Fletcher.

Andrew abandons drumming, but one night he visits a jazz club and encounters Fletcher playing piano. Over a drink, Fletcher explains that his harsh teaching methods were solely intended to motivate promising students, referencing the popular story of how Charlie Parker rose to fame after being humiliated by Jo Jones. He invites Andrew to perform with his band at the JVC Jazz Festival, assuring him that the songs will be the same ones played by the Studio Band; Andrew hesitantly accepts. Andrew invites Nicole to the performance but finds out she is in a new relationship.

Onstage at JVC, before the first piece, Fletcher reveals that he knows Andrew testified against him. As revenge, Fletcher leads the band into a song Andrew does not know and doesn't have the sheet music to. After a disastrous performance, Andrew walks offstage humiliated but returns and cuts off Fletcher's introduction to the next piece by playing the intro to "Caravan", cueing in the band himself. Initially angered, Fletcher resumes conducting and notices Andrew's flawless performance along the ensemble. As the piece finishes, Andrew continues into an extended, unexpected solo. Impressed at Andrew's performance, Fletcher eventually nods in approval before cueing the finale.

Cast

* Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, an ambitious young jazz drummer at Shaffer Conservatory
* J. K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher, a ruthless jazz instructor at Shaffer
* Paul Reiser as Jim Neiman, Andrew's father, a writer turned high school teacher
* Melissa Benoist as Nicole, a movie theater employee who briefly dates Andrew
* Austin Stowell as Ryan Connolly, another drummer in Fletcher's band
* Nate Lang as Carl Tanner, another drummer in Fletcher's band
* Chris Mulkey as Uncle Frank, Andrew's uncle
* Damon Gupton as Mr. Kramer
* Suanne Spoke as Aunt Emma, Andrew's aunt
* Jayson Blair as Travis, Andrew's cousin
* Charlie Ian as Dustin, Andrew's cousin
* Henry G. Sanders as Red Henderson
* C.J. Vana as Metz, a trombonist who gets dismissed by Fletcher mid-rehearsal
* Adrian Rashad Driscoll as Reed, a trombonist

Production

While attending Princeton High School, writer-director Damien Chazelle was in a "very competitive" jazz band and drew on the dread he felt in those years. He based the conductor, Terence Fletcher, on his former band instructor (who died in 2003) but "pushed it further", adding elements of Buddy Rich and other band leaders known for their harsh treatment. Chazelle said he wrote the film "initially in frustration" while trying to get his musical ''La La Land'' off the ground.

Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions helped Chazelle turn 15 pages of his original screenplay into a short film starring Johnny Simmons as Neiman and J. K. Simmons (no relation) as Fletcher. The 18-minute short film received acclaim after debuting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, winning the short film Jury Award for fiction, which attracted investors to produce the complete version of the script. The feature-length film was financed for $3.3 million by Bold Films.

In August 2013, Miles Teller signed on to star in the role originated by Johnny Simmons; J. K. Simmons remained attached to his original role. Early on, Chazelle gave J. K. Simmons direction that "I want you to take it past what you think the normal limit would be," telling him: "I don't want to see a human being on-screen any more. I want to see a monster, a gargoyle, an animal." Many of the band members were real musicians or music students, and Chazelle tried to capture their expressions of fear and anxiety when Simmons pressed them. Chazelle said that between takes, Simmons was "as sweet as can be", which he credits for keeping "the shoot from being nightmarish".

Principal photography began in September 2013, with filming taking place throughout Los Angeles, including the Hotel Barclay, Palace Theater, and the Orpheum Theatre, with a few exterior shots filmed in New York City to create the setting. The film was shot in 20 days, with a schedule of 14 hours of filming per day. Chazelle was involved in a serious car accident in the third week of shooting and was hospitalized with possible concussion, but he returned to set the next day to finish the film on time.

Music

The soundtrack album was released on October 7, 2014, via Varèse Sarabande label. The soundtrack consists of 24 tracks divided in three different parts: original jazz pieces written for the film, original underscore parts written for the film, and classic jazz standards written by Stan Getz, Duke Ellington, and other musicians. The actual drummer was Bernie Dresel.

On March 27, 2020, an expanded deluxe edition was released on double CD and 2-LP gatefold sleeve vinyl with new cover art, and featured original music by Justin Hurwitz, plus bonus track and remixes by Timo Garcia, Opiuo, Murray A. Lightburn and more.

Reception

Box office

In North America, the film opened in a limited release on October 10, 2014, in 6 theaters, grossing $135,388 ($22,565 per theater) and finishing 34th at the box office. It expanded to 88 locations, then 419 locations. After three months on release it had earned $7 million, and finally expanded nationwide to 1000 locations to capitalize on receiving five Academy Awards nominations. ''Whiplash'' grossed $13.1 million in the U.S. and Canada and $35.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $49 million against a budget of $3.3 million.

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored 94% based on 303 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Intense, inspiring, and well-acted, ''Whiplash'' is a brilliant sophomore effort from director Damien Chazelle and a riveting vehicle for stars J. K. Simmons and Miles Teller." On Metacritic the film has a score of 88 out of 100, based on reviews from 49 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." Simmons received wide praise for his performance and won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Peter Debruge, in his review for ''Variety'', said that the film "demolishes the cliches of the musical-prodigy genre, investing the traditionally polite stages and rehearsal studios of a topnotch conservatory with all the psychological intensity of a battlefield or sports arena." Todd McCarthy of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised the performances of Teller and Simmons, writing: "Teller, who greatly impressed in last year's Sundance entry ''The Spectacular Now'', does so again in a performance that is more often simmering than volatile ... Simmons has the great good fortune for a character actor to have here found a co-lead part he can really run with, which is what he excitingly does with a man who is profane, way out of bounds and, like many a good villain, utterly compelling." ''Whiplash'' also won the 87th Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing and the 87th Academy Award for Best Film Editing.

Amber Wilkinson of ''The Daily Telegraph'' praised the direction and editing, writing: "Chazelle's film has a sharp and gripping rhythm, with shots beautifully edited by Tom Cross... often cutting to the crash of Andrew's drums." James Rocchi of Indiewire gave a positive review and said, "''Whiplash'' is ... full of bravado and swagger, uncompromising where it needs to be, informed by great performances and patient with both its characters and the things that matter to them." Henry Barnes of ''The Guardian'' gave the film a positive review, calling it a rare film "about music that professes its love for the music and its characters equally."

Forrest Wickman of '' Slate'' said the film distorted jazz history and promoted a misleading idea of genius, adding that "In all likelihood, Fletcher isn’t making a Charlie Parker. He's making the kind of musician that would throw a cymbal at him." In ''The New Yorker'', Richard Brody said,"''Whiplash'' honors neither jazz nor cinema."

Top ten lists

The film appeared on many critics’ end-of-year lists. Metacritic collected lists published by major film critics and publications and in their analysis, recorded that Whiplash appeared on 57 lists and in 1st place on 5 of those lists. Overall the film was ranked in 5th place for the year by Metacritic.

* 1st – William Bibbiani, '' CraveOnline''
* 1st – Chris Nashawaty, ''Entertainment Weekly''
* 1st – Erik Davis, ''Movies.com''
* 2nd – A. A. Dowd, ''The A.V. Club''
* 2nd – Scott Feinberg, ''The Hollywood Reporter''
* 2nd – Mara Reinstein, ''Us Weekly''
* 3rd – Tasha Robinson, ''The Dissolve''
* 3rd – Amy Taubin, ''Artforum''
* 3rd – Steve Persall, ''Tampa Bay Times''
* 3rd – Matt Singer, ''ScreenCrush''
* 3rd – Rob Hunter, ''Film School Rejects''
* 4th – Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, ''The A.V. Club''
* 4th – Kyle Smith, ''New York Post''
* 4th – Peter Hartlaub, ''San Francisco Chronicle''
* 4th – Brian Miller, ''Seattle Weekly''
* 4th – Michael Phillips, ''Chicago Tribune''
* 4th – David Edelstein, ''Vulture''
* 5th – Ty Burr, ''The Boston Globe''
* 5th – Genevieve Koski, ''The Dissolve''
* 5th – James Berardinelli, ''Reelviews''
* 5th – David Ansen, ''The Village Voice''
* 5th – Betsy Sharkey, ''Los Angeles Times'' (tied with ''Foxcatcher'')
* 6th – Peter Travers, ''Rolling Stone''
* 6th – Richard Roeper, ''Chicago Sun-Times''
* 6th – Joe Neumaier, '' New York Daily News''
* 7th – Jesse Hassenger, ''The A.V. Club''
* 7th – Rex Reed, '' New York Observer''
* 7th – Noel Murray, ''The Dissolve''
* 7th – Jocelyn Noveck, ''Associated Press''
* 7th – Wesley Morris, ''Grantland''
* 7th – Alison Willmore, '' BuzzFeed''
* 8th – Keith Phipps, ''The Dissolve''
* 8th – Mike Scott, ''The Times-Picayune''
* 8th – Rafer Guzman, '' Newsday''
* 8th – Seth Malvín Romero, ''A.V. Wire''
* 8th – Ben Kenigsberg, ''The A.V. Club''
* 8th – Barbara Vancheri, ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''
* 8th – Kristopher Tapley, ''Hitfix''
* 8th – Matthew Jacobs and Christopher Rosen, '' Huffington Post''
* 9th – Nathan Rabin, ''The Dissolve''
* 10th – Clayton Davis, Awards Circuit
* 10th – Owen Gleiberman, ''BBC
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