At first, the movie looks like a typical story of a promising student who wanted to do great with the help of his teacher. But as it progresses, the film takes you to something new, something more beautiful than it already is. Its little twist and turn will make your heart cry, laugh and shout for joy all at the same time.
Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons were equally great and gave life to their characters. I only remember Simmons as a funny guy in Spider-Man movies and Juno, so seeing him in this film is a 360-degrees turn of his usual role showing the actor's real potential. As for Teller, he was over-shadowed with rom-coms. He had serious role once with Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole" but this film should get him to wide-range of roles in the future (hopefully).
There are a lot of takeaways in Whiplash, but perhaps the strongest of all is that you don't limit yourself. Pushing someone beyond their capability is an absolute necessity, as Fletcher (Simmons' character) said in the film. And that must have what writer-director Damien Chazelle applied in making this gem because it transpired and visible to every take, scene by scene.
Whiplash is nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Actor in a Supporting role for J.K. Simmons.
