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Whiplash (2014 film)
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Wikipedia article
'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.
The concept of 'Whiplash' was conceived by Chazelle, who drew upon his experiences in a "very competitive" jazz band. Chazelle would complete the script of 'Whiplash' in 2013. 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 17 days. The film explores concepts of perfectionism, dedication, 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 fulfill his childhood goals and leave a legacy like that of his idol Buddy Rich. He is recruited by Terence Fletcher, the conductor and bandleader of the Shaffer Conservatory Studio Band, to play in Fletcher's ensemble as an alternate for core drummer Carl Tanner. Andrew quickly discovers that Fletcher is relentlessly strict and ruthless to his students; he physically and verbally abuses Andrew after he fails to keep the tempo during the ensemble's rehearsal of Hank Levy's "Whiplash".
Determined to impress Fletcher, Andrew practices until his hands begin to bleed. In a jazz competition, after their first set, Andrew misplaces Carl's sheet music. When called for their second set, Carl insists that he can't play without his sheet music, but Andrew retorts that he can perform the second set from memory. After a successful performance, Fletcher promotes Andrew to the core drummer for the Studio Band. Fletcher also enlists Ryan Connolly, the core drummer from a lower-level ensemble within the conservatory.
As a result of his single-mindedness and Fletch's teaching, Andrew's relationship with his family begins to deteriorate. After Fletcher promotes Connolly to core drummer, Andrew continues practicing to his limit, breaking up with his girlfriend Nicole in order to focus solely on drumming. After a grueling five-hour practice session with Tanner and Connolly in which Fletcher repeatedly lashes out at them, Andrew eventually earns back the core position.
On the way to the next competition, the bus Andrew is riding breaks down. He rents a car but arrives late and realizes he left his sticks at the rental office. Fletcher berates Andrew, and tells him that he has 10 minutes to get his sticks. Andrew races back and retrieves them, but is unable to focus on driving and his car is hit by a truck on the way back. Severely injured, Andrew crawls from the wreckage and runs back to the theater, arriving just as the ensemble enters stage. He struggles to play "Caravan" due to his injuries, and Fletcher halts the performance to dismiss him. Enraged, Andrew attacks Fletcher on-stage, 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, a former student of Fletcher, who committed suicide by hanging due to severe emotional distress caused by Fletcher's abuse. Casey's parents want Fletcher forbidden from teaching, and Andrew agrees to testify anonymously, leading Shaffer to terminate Fletcher.
Following his expulsion, Andrew abandons drumming and begins working in a restaurant. He visits a jazz club and encounters Fletcher playing piano. Fletcher claims his methods were solely intended to motivate promising students, referencing the story of how Charlie Parker rose to fame.
Fletcher invites Andrew to perform with Fletcher's band at the JVC Jazz Festival, assuring Andrew that the songs will be the same ones played by the Studio Band; Andrew hesitantly accepts. Andrew calls Nicole and invites her to the performance, apologizing for the way he ended their relationship. She is noncommittal, having started a new relationship.
Andrew arrives at JVC and the band goes onstage. Just before they begin their first piece, Fletcher reveals that he knows Andrew testified against him and got Fletcher fired from his position. As revenge, Fletcher leads the band with a song Andrew does not know, for which Andrew has not been given the sheet music.
After attempting to perform, Andrew walks off stage humiliated, but returns and cuts off Fletcher's introduction to their next piece by playing "Caravan", cueing in the band himself. Initially angered, Fletcher resumes conducting. Andrew plays his part perfectly and Fletcher begins to enjoy the piece as it goes on. As the piece finishes Andrew continues playing into an extended solo. Fletcher nods in approval of Andrew's performance before cueing the band finale.
Cast
* Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, an ambitious young jazz drummer at Shaffer
* J. K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher, a ruthless jazz instructor at Shaffer
* Paul Reiser as Jim Neiman, Andrew's father, a high school teacher
* Melissa Benoist as Nicole, a movie theater employee who is Andrew's girlfriend and later ex-girlfriend
* 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 they were pressed by Simmons. 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 17 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 Varse 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
at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 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 isnt 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." Jazz bassist Adam Neely said the film presented an inaccurate depiction of modern music education, as well as the tastes, attitudes, and subculture of actual jazz musicians, while observing that the film treats music as a sport rather than an art form.
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 Malvn 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'
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) Claudia Puig, 'USA Today'
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) Stephen Whitty, 'The Star-Ledger'
Accolades
The film received the top audience and grand jury awards in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival; Chazelle's short film of the same name took home the jury award in the U.S. fiction category one year prior. The film also took the grand prize and the audience award for favorite film at the 40th Deauville American Film Festival.
'Whiplash' was originally planned to compete for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, but on January 6, 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that the film would instead be competing in the Adapted Screenplay category to the surprise of many including Chazelle, due to Chazelle's short film of the same name premiering at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival (one year prior to the theatrical film's release), despite the fact that the feature film's script was written first and the short film was made to attract investors into producing the feature-length film. Although the Writers Guild of America categorized the screenplay as original, AMPAS classed it as an adaptation of the 2013 short version.
At the 87th Academy Awards, J. K. Simmons received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance, Tom Cross won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing and Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing. In December 2015, the score received a Grammy nomination, and the film was nominated for the NME Award for Best Film.
References
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