Finally catching up to my screener collection, and since the studios weren't kind enough to send out John Wick for our amusement (what? They don't see "Oscar" written all over that one?) I decided to give Whiplash a spin. As a casual drummer myself (extremely casual!), I was intrigued by the subject matter. And as a JK Simmons fan, I was intrigued to see him tackle an intriguing character. And intriguing he is! Simmons plays Terrance Fletcher, a good hearted music teacher who... oh wait, that was Richard Dreyfuss in Mister Holland's Opus. In Whiplash, Simmons plays a musical sociopath who plays brutal head games as he pits his students against one another and ultimately against him.
Miles Teller plays Andrew, a determined young jazz drummer who is taken under Fletcher's vulture-like wing. Needless to say, the fur flies, along with a chair and other objects, as Fletcher drives Andrew toward "Charlie Parker"-like perfection. Fletcher lights a fuse under Andrew, but then things take an unexpected turn.
What I really liked about Whiplash was that I really had no idea where it was going, and was surprised (in a good way) by the plot twists and turns. Until...
SPOILER.
STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!
HERE.
RIGHT HERE!
So toward the end of Whiplash, both Fletcher and Andrew have been fired/expelled from the music school and are drifting down alternate paths. When Andrew accidentally comes across Fletcher playing a jazz gig at a NYC bar, they talk, seem to patch things up, then Fletcher invites his nominal prodigy to play with Fletcher's band of professional musicians at a "JVC competition." Fletcher raises the stakes as Andrew arrives, warning his (professional) band that record labels and talent scouts are in the audience, but when they hit the stage, Andrew discovers he's been set up. Fletcher calls for a song that Andrew doesn't know, fails to provide even charts, and Andrew goes down in flames. (That's not where the movie ends, but I'll save SOMETHING for those folks who ignored my spoiler warning and read on anyway).
So here's my question. Yes, I get that Fletcher rightfully blamed Andrew for getting fired, and that he might be the sort who would seek "revenge." But would a guy this crazy-compulsive about making perfect music really throw the rest of his professional musicians under the bus to screw over his ex-student? During an actual, live, competitive show? Wouldn't the other professional musicians (not students, remember) want to take Fletcher's head off for sending them out with an unprepared drummer who ruins their set? I mean, diabolical is one thing, but self-immolation is another.
Suffice to say things "work out" to some extent, but it's interesting what's a bump for some is a feature for others....
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