Whiplash

A young drumming prodigy, Andrew (Miles Teller), joins a prestigious music conservatory with the hopes of becoming legendary. Instead, he comes face to face with Fletcher(J.K. Simmons in his Oscar? winning role), a vicious instructor who uses extreme methods to get the most out of his students. Andrew must decide if he’s willing to pay the price that it takes to be great, or live life and simply settle on being good.

ClearPlay In Action!

There are some violent images in Whiplash, mostly bloody hands from drumming sointensely. The main reason for the movie’s R rating is language, which there is plenty of F-words, insults with sexual innuendo, salty descriptions ... ClearPlay edits the offensive profanity, but there is still a violent element to the yelling. The movie should be fine for mature teens and above.

Will I need neck support to watch Whiplash?...

The whiplash in question is a jazz piece, but the drumming IS break-neck. The performances are wonderful, the editing enthralling, and the story thought-provoking. I’m not a big jazz fan, but I loved this movie’s philosophical bent on the cost of greatness. Terrific filmmaking, and maybe my new favorite movie from last year.

Marty Nabhan, ClearPlay Shaker-can virtuoso

Rated R for strong language including some sexual references; 107 mins; Directed by Damien Chazelle