The music! The intensity! Whiplash (2014) IS INCREDIBLE!! First Time Watching Movie Reaction 

He lived the plot. Pretty great.

19 days???? WTF

in just 19 days

Excellent point Daniel! It is true that too often these cycles tragically perpetuate. I wonder if Andrew even realized fully what was happening.

Exactly.

@@CasualNerdReactions sadly he did not and never truly understood any of it. The ending is tragic not triumphant. He essentially went back to his abuser and is now fully committed to his toxic relationship with his abuser. It goes without saying Nehman probably turned out to be just as toxic as a musician as Fletcher. I think this is what his Dad saw during his final show...I think he realized then and there that he lost his son to his obsession and to Fletcher. It is such a tragic movie.

@@Nick_CF for me i didn't see it as tragic. in a sense, IT WAS triumphant for andrew, in his eyes. he never cared about being abused. if he did, he would have never practiced, never would have tried so hard, never would have broken up with his girlfriend, and would have just quit the studio band after the iconic "not my tempo" scene. there were plenty of scenes that hinted that neiman agreed with the jones & parker ideology (like the one where he kept nodding when fletcher told him this story, him actually knowing this story in the first place, and even trying to defend fletcher when his dad wanted him to testify against fletcher, etc.) andrew never wanted anything in life than being one of the greats and he would have done anything to achieve it. this drive is what made fletcher take him, fletcher took a chance to see if andrew could handle how he manages things. this drive is what makes andrew andrew; he doesn't care about doing the hardest things as long as he accomplishes his end goal. if you see it in this way and in his eyes, the ending was not tragic. for us the audience, it obviously is but it really depends on the perspective you're seeing it in. mans took a big big step into his career displaying a masterclass of a performance in front of the best musicians in the world and actually got the approval of the man he used to highly seek approval from, he KNEW in that moment that he was well on his path to becoming one of the greats. i think the father was outright conflicted. he saw how good of a player his son actually was and saw where his confidence and arrogance came from, but he also knew how hard neiman had to work for it and how much abuse he took and how much self-harm he had done to himself to achieve this level. it may be sad for him but i don't feel the need to pity him because he is one-dimensional and didn't see the way andrew saw life and never tried to understand it. he never understood the concept of wanting something so badly that he would do anything in the world to attain that. that's why he didn't become a successful writer and was satisfied with his boring lifestyle. don't get me wrong, i don't think the values that were shown in the movie were correct, i don't think the movie is motivational, i think everything fletcher did was bad; all the abuse, his ideology, and how he sees music as a whole. in a way, yes, the ending was very tragic in the audience's and his father's eyes, but the way i see it the movie is not about the father and the audience. the movie is about andrew, and him being on that skill level and stage in his life at that very moment means he actually has done something right in order to be closer in achieving his dream and i don't think that andrew sees that moment as not being triumphant.

That's one interpretation, others have come away saying he made him better

It was a true pice of art. It was such a 2 piece character study, no one was all great or terrible.

His performance was absolutely incredible.

I would love to see this one with an audience. Sounds like a great experience!

Well said, best comment I've read for a long time, sounds like a great night!

At least one of those was good even

Yes! The music had me hyped and I was thrilled for Andrew. I was NOT happy for fletcher at all, but definitely enjoyed watching this unfold.

@@CasualNerdReactions with you on that. the final scene feels triumphant, until you realise what it means, with his dad looking through the window, shut out, fletcher smile hidden out of frame.. its a brilliant movie.

Good point! I saw it as triumphant because it felt like what fletcher wanted was to destroy Andrew. So when Andrew went back in and then took control it felt pretty awesome. I didn’t really see it as fletcher winning, but I suppose he did which is definitely horrific. The question for me is what happens after? Does Andrew leave Fletcher and break the cycle or stay in step with him. I assumed it would be the former. Either way there are a lot of quality conversations that could come from this film.

I don't agree with the framing of this interpretation. Andrew clearly takes control of his life here and definitely scores a win for himself here. If Fletcher wins too in that process, fine, but what does that matter? The important thing is that Andrew took control of his life and achieved what he wanted. Andrew's father doesn't represent his pure path in life. This wasn't a question as to whether Andrew should wind up like Fletcher or like his father. So the fact that he left his father behind here, and the fact that Fletcher got enjoyment out of this, really is inconsequential. What's important is that Andrew seized the moment for himself and achieved what he set out for. It's not like his dream to be great was just something Fletcher implanted in him. We start the film out with him practicing and striving to be great. Andrew wins in the end. Who cares if Fletcher does too?

That’s the most fascinating part. I don’t fully know how to feel about the end because it (for me) really depends on what happens next. But that’s pretty cool.

@@CasualNerdReactions the writer/director Damien Chazelle said in an interview that he imagines Andrew would be dead at 30 of an overdose which is so dark, but rewatching with that in mind just makes Whiplash even more tragic. You really are watching a kid having the joy of playing stripped away until he's nothing but a single-minded blunt instrument for a sadist's ego.

​@@maxmccarty3131Andrew wanted to be the best and he achieved it. The movie is not only some tragic sad story, it has triumphs too. The director saying he pictures Andrew unalive at 30 doesn't mean that's what happens to him, it's a prediction.

Accurate.

Good to see you, chrisb

I think the music really gets to me.

Fitting comparison because this really is basically a sports film played off as a film about music.

@@moonlitegram 100%

Thanks so much!

Excellent descriptor!

That is truly sad. I mean I’m glad not as extreme because I HOPE no one who goes that far would be able to keep their job, but definitely a disappointment that there are directors in that vein.

Something to aspire to!

Hear! Hear!

A friend of mine was just talking about that one, it sounds really interesting!

Bro! 😂🤣😅

Bro! 😂🤣😅

Yes, I’d anyone slapped a student they should be fired. Yeesh. Thanks for the real insight into the music scene. I just love music and it such a me in. I can’t help it. Haha

@@CasualNerdReactions Off the top of my head, music--oriented: the classic satire of rock & roll: "This Is Spinal Tap" (directed by Rob Reiner, who did "Princess Bride", "Stand By Me" "A Few Good Men" and "Misery"). That is HILARIOUS and filled with music in-jokes. The first Beatles movie, "A Hard Day's Night" is a classic also!

It seems everyone who worked on this film was beyond committed to finishing the task!

They were well rewarded for their efforts. 145 nominations, with 95 wins including three Oscars. J.K. Simmons himself won 47 of those awards (one a Supporting Actor Oscar) for his role as Fletcher. And the film let's you decide if Fletcher goes too far or not.

big time. Fletcher is just another one of those losers that never made it but claim others can only do it with people like him to push them. He is a joke.

Really could.

Not really

It was alright.

Also accurate. 😅

Inarguable.

If that is what happens following the concert then definitely a tragedy. The ending moments had me so hype that I didn’t properly convey the uncertainty and conflict I felt. I did take Neuman going back out as not backing down and choosing not to let Fletcher win by destroying his career. And I DO naturally assume that Andrew would move on from that night and not go back to Fletcher. Although I am notoriously naive.