"Whiplash" I Did Not Understand This Film as a Child

 

    Rewatching Whiplash for the first time in ages, basically since I was a child, I can't help but point out the fact that frankly the only scenes I remembered was the yelling, the bloody ones, and the one where he puts raisinets in popcorn (because I've never had raisinets or seen them and thought it was pretty weird and still do). Basically, what I'm saying is that to many people, this movie is frankly a lot of style over substance, it's technically a film about jazz, but if you come in with that mindset you're going to be disappointed. There's no love letter to the greats, there's no homage to the beauty of music, or freestyling, this movie is entirely about the pursuit of greatness and the idea that friction and pressure are the tools used to mold diamonds in the rough.

    And for the most part it's pretty compelling. I'm not saying I agree with the teaching styles of Terence Fletcher, far from it. I mean when the cost of "doing business" as one might put it is the literal death of human beings than frankly the cost is too high.  I mean the "side-effects" of this greatness building business is so shameful that Fletcher, who is usually cold and callous, can't even bring himself to admit the truth that he played a part in this death of a person. But also, I mean the entire point of the film is that Andrew is completely complicit in it as well. He has multiple opportunities to walk away, and even does, but the allure of greatness always reels him back in.

    I suppose that's the real message of the movie after all. I can't believe as a child I really thought it was all so simple, that this was a real worker, someone who really sacrificed everything for his craft, his art. When in reality the truth was this was just someone with an obsession with greatness, with being seen as great in the eyes of one other man. You feel bad for Andrew when everyone in his family dismisses his achievements, yet he belittles them in the very same scene. He walks away, and finds retribution in getting Fletcher fired, yet decides to come back in and try and prove himself in the eyes of someone who very much admits that it's all just a way for him to try and squeeze greatness, not so he can be great himself, but to say that he was the one that created it.

    To that end I think the film was entertaining enough. If I'm being honest J.K. Simmons steals the show. He really does make a convincing asshole, and never lets up. He has a very good strong yell/shout, like yeah I laugh at this film, but that's just because of how serious he plays it, like he never lets it up at all. I even thought that in terms of cinematography it was solid enough as well. I mean by the last couple of scenes they really lay on the symbolism quite thick. Andrew literally meets Fletcher in a dark, seedy bar, and it's shrouded in darkness that Fletcher opens up himself for a second, while also offering Neiman his way back onto the path of greatness he had already forsaken. Then in the final scenes he's wearing all black, and it just ends on the two of them locking eyes. For better or worse they were really made for each other.

Final Score: 75/100

    I mean it's good, I can see why people like it. But I don't think it's enjoyable enough for me to want to watch it again. I mean it's not a very happy film either I don't know why I'd want to consistently re-watch someone torture themselves over and over again. I was looking at criticisms of this film ahead of this rewatch and something I noticed is that people really loved to compare it to a sports film. And I can agree it's not a particularly flattering portrayal of music, but I'd argue music is just the window dressing, the vessel in which these discussions of greatness can occur. I say it's a lot of style over substance because well the film isn't very long, nor is it hard to follow. It's just hard to portray how much Neiman is giving up without hamming it up. Like is he just going to sweat a bunch while playing the drums? That doesn't make people feel uncomfortable, that doesn't make you feel his sacrifice enough. Though I suppose as a kid I thought Neiman's thought process all made sense and that what he was doing was the right thing to do so make of that what you will.