A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 98 wins & 145 nominations total
Videos10
- Director
- Writer
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Nineteen year old Andrew Niemann wants to be the greatest jazz drummer in the world, in a league with Buddy Rich. This goal is despite not coming from a pedigree of greatest, musical or otherwise, with Jim, his high school teacher father, being a failed writer. Andrew is starting his first year at Shaffer Conservatory of Music, the best music school in the United States. At Shaffer, being the best means being accepted to study under Terence Fletcher and being asked to play in his studio band, which represents the school at jazz competitions. Based on their less than positive first meeting, Andrew is surprised that Fletcher asks him to join the band, albeit in the alternate drummer position which he is more than happy to do initially. Andrew quickly learns that Fletcher operates on fear and intimidation, never settling for what he considers less than the best each and every time. Being the best in Fletcher's mind does not only entail playing well, but knowing that you're playing well and if not what you're doing wrong. His modus operandi creates an atmosphere of fear and of every man or woman for him/herself within the band. Regardless, Andrew works hard to be the best. He has to figure out his life priorities and what he is willing to sacrifice to be the best. The other question becomes how much emotional abuse he will endure by Fletcher to reach that greatness, which he may believe he can only achieve with the avenues opened up by Fletcher. —Huggo
- Taglines
- The road to greatness can take you to the edge
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for strong language including some sexual references
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was shot in 19 days.
- GoofsWhen Fletcher throws the chair at Neiman, the guitarist is behind Neiman in the first shot then missing in the second, probably removed to avoid being hit by the chair.
- Quotes
Terence Fletcher: There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job".
Top review
Whiplash is a modern day masterpiece.
I don't say that often, in fact...never. There aren't enough superlatives to describe the amazingness of Whiplash. Damien Chazelle crafted not just a tense dramatic piece of cinema, but a thematic experience with layered subtext. Andrew is a college student who simply wants to be the best drummer. Terence Fletcher, a renowned teacher at said college, sees potential in Andrew and chooses him to be the drummer in his band, at the expense of emotional distress. This is a brutal character study, absolutely savage. This is about Fletcher as much as it is about Andrew. The psychological battle and the consequential emotional turmoil that follows. I've never been so compelled in a drama ever (and this is my 5th viewing). The strive for perfection amidst the continuous passion that elevates Andrew as a person and how Fletcher uses his passion in attempt to obtain the perfect musician that Andrew hopes to be. The struggle for perfection is difficult in any profession, there is no right or wrong way to achieve this; the question is: "is there a line between gently pushing someone towards a goal or inflicting emotional torture upon them?". Fletcher leans towards the latter, so much so that he actually imposes physical damage to Andrew to test whether he will be discouraged from the harsh reality of perfection or not. The internal struggle in Andrew is excellently conveyed, you can see his passion seeping through the blood, sweat and tears and yet mentally unable to cope with Fletcher's methods. A simple story, but executed with such ferocity and intelligence that it just feels fresh. Damien Chazelle directed the heck out of this. Quick cuts between the musical instruments and nice long takes of Miles Teller and J.K Simmons duelling in anger. Speaking on Simmons, the best performance I've seen in years. Both complicated and terrifying simultaneously, he deserved every award. Teller was near perfect as well, conveying innocence and vulnerability. Look, I can talk about Whiplash forever. It's a masterpiece. End of review.
helpful•16237
- TheMovieDiorama
- Mar 2, 2018
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Whiplash: Música y obsesión
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $13,092,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $135,388
- Oct 12, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $49,396,747
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content

Recently viewed
Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.