Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: "Begin Again" & "Inside Llewlyn Davis"

The Good, the Bad and the Teacher from Hell:

It has been a while since we've seen a good, no, great movie where the hero struggles to overcome the odds against him. At most times, those movies are laden with cliches and are inescapably sappy, but... [Drumroll] not "Whiplash"! Please, for the sake of J.K. Simmons' character, you want to be anything but a cliche!

There is no one who ignites heart-pounding fear for the lead (student jazz drummer played by Miles Teller) each time he's faced with his adversary on screen as effectively as Simmons' character, Terence Fletcher, the no-nonsense, chair flipping, drum throwing, curses-spewing locomotion of a jazz maestro instructor who demands excessive perfection from a hardworking kid who just wants to be great. Teller too finally finds a role that fits him like a glove, setting himself away from the 'smart aleck' type roles he played in "The Spectacular Now" and "That Awkward Moment" for a stubborn yet eager beaver we can relate to and whom is literally willing to play until his hands bleed all over the drum kit to appease Fletcher.

The movie shows that an abusive relationship comes in many forms, and that of a student and perfectionist teacher is no different. The ending is done perfect with a high tension finale delivering a new found respect for the art if you thought drumming was just beating around stuff with a pair of sticks.

Trivia:

Miles Teller is also a rock drummer in real life for the band, The Mutes. He will be playing Mr. Fantastic next in the "Fantastic Four" reboot.

Cinema Online, 13 January 2015