Assignment Tiltle : Movie Review

Table Of Content:

1.0 Introduction ( Movie Picture, Movie Title, Release Date, Main

Actors, Filmmakers, Film Company )

2.0 Story Summary ( Story Retell )

3.0 Analysis Of The Movie

A. Analysis Of The Plot Elements (Starting Point, Rising Action, Climax
And Falling Action).
B. Analysis Of Creation Elements (Characters And Settings)
C. Analysis Of The Topic And Its Implementation (Viewers Understanding
Of The Topic And Relevance Of The Topic)

4.0 Opinion (Strengths And Weaknesses)

5.0 Conclusion ( Announce whether the filmmaker was successful in

his/her purpose. Explain how the motion picture have impacted you.)
1.0 INTRODUCTION

The movie that I choose for this Movie Review Assignment is ‘Whiplash’.

Release Date: Whiplash was released on 2014 in USA. It was a Drama And Music Movie.

Main Actor:

Miles Teller (as Andrew Neiman) J.K. Simmons (as Terence Fletcher)

Filmmakers:
Whiplash is a 2014 American psychological drama film written and directed by Damien
Chazelle.

Film Company:
Produced by Bold Films, Blumhouse Productions, and Right of Way Films. Sony Pictures
acquired the worldwide distribution rights, releasing the film under its Sony Pictures Classics
and Stage 6 Films Banners for its North American and international releases respectively.
2.0 STORY SUMMARY (Story Retell)

Whiplash tells the story of a jazz drummer named Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) who has very
high hopes of becoming the greatest jazz drummer known to the public. He keeps trying despite
pressure from his instructor, Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons).

It all started when Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons) who is a music teacher or better known
as the greatest music conductor in Andrew's school saw Andrew Neiman's latent talent in
playing drums and chose him to join his team which is the greatest music team in Andrew's
school.
Andrew feels happier and more confident that his dream of becoming the greatest jazz
drummer and known to the public is getting closer as soon as he is chosen by Terence Fletcher
to play and train in his school's greatest music team.
The next day, Andrew hurried to the training room of the greatest musical team in his school.
This is because, he has been told by Terence Fletcher that training starts as early as 6 am.
However, the condition of the room surprised him because there was no musician in the room.
Andrew continued to wait for them all until the clock almost showed 9 am. At that moment, the
door to the rehearsal room opened and the musicians began to prepare themselves to begin
rehearsals.
Exactly at 9 am, Terence Fletcher entered the training room. Without wasting time, he started
the practice session with the first song, 'Whiplash'. At first, the practice session went well until
Fletcher noticed that there was an instrument out of tune. At first, Fletcher just thought his ears
were mishearing. However, after it was played back, Fletcher still heard the same thing. All
began to be silent and did not dare to confess. Fletcher started looking for the player and kicked
the player out of the training room in a rude manner.
A break was given by Fletcher for 10 minutes and it was Andrew's turn to show his talent in
drumming. Before Andrew started, Fletcher told him to keep calm and have fun with the
exercise. At first Andrew played well and was liked by Fletcher. However, there was a part of
the song that caused Andrew to get it wrong so many times that Fletcher threw a chair right at
him and hit him in anger. After the end of the training, Andrew went home feeling sad and
disappointed. But Andrew's sadness and disappointment did not last long, Andrew started to
take his drum stick and practice the song 'Whiplash' non-stop until his hand started to hurt and
bleed.
A few days later, Terence Fletcher's team of musicians or better known as 'Studio Bands'
participated in a Jazz music competition named 'Overbook Jazz Competition'. Before the start of
their next performance, 'Whiplash' in the competition, there was an issue that caused Andrew to
play together with the team and then managed to win the competition.
The next day, as the session was about to begin, Fletcher chose Andrew to be the lead
drummer for the next song to be competed at Dunellen. The situation made all the members of
the team surprised. This is because, in the beginning, Andrew was just an assistant for the
team's drummer. Through that, Andrew began to feel more confident in himself.
 After the training session ended, Andrew returned to his hometown to eat with his family.
While they were eating together, there was an argument between Andrew and his family
members. This happened because, Andrew felt left out and compared to his siblings because
he was just an ordinary musician and his siblings had extraordinary talents especially in sports.
That made Andrew leave the dining table with a feeling of anger.
A few days later, the training session started again as usual. After the practice that day ended,
each of them was given a new song score. But the song is a challenge for Andrew because the
song uses the 'Double Time Swing' movement. Fletcher had known that since the first time he
saw Andrew play. Therefore, he made the choice to replace Andrew with another drummer. But
Andrew insisted that he was able to play the drum movements. Fletcher told Andrew to prove to
him that he could pick up and master the move. Finally, Andrew left the training room feeling
angry and dissatisfied.
After that, Andrew went to meet his girlfriend at a cafe. For information, Andrew has fallen in
love with a woman he met when he went to the cinema. But the love did not last long. This is
because, Andrew is too stressed to pursue his dream that he is afraid that it will damage his
relationship with his girlfriend. With that, he decided to quit and break up with his girlfriend. The
situation made him even more depressed. When he arrived home, he wasted no time continuing
his practice to master the song. Andrew continued to practice non-stop under such pressure
that his hands began to bleed. However, Andrew still continued training with an angry feeling.
The next practice time came, Fletcher entered the practice room and asked them all to put
down their instruments and listen to a song created or played by his own student, Sean Casey.
Fletcher got word this morning that Sean Casey had died yesterday as a result of being involved
in a car accident. The situation makes Fletcher sad and tells them all that Casey is a great
musician. However, the sad situation did not last long. Fletcher started practicing and stopped
practicing many times due to mistakes made by Andrew and the other drummers which were
not keeping the right tempo. Fletcher asked the instrumentalists other than the drummer to take
a break until there was a successful drummer to play the song properly. Practice continues for
drummers until midnight. All the players feel tired especially the drummers. Andrew and the
other drummers took turns playing the beat. Until it was Andrew's turn again, he began to play
the drums while enduring the pain and pressure given by Fletcher. In the end, Andrew managed
to convince Fletcher and managed to become a regular player for the song. The training ended
at 2 am. Andrew came back tired and helpless.
The next day, Andrew boarded a bus to go to Dunellen where their next competition was. On
his way there, the bus he was on broke down and stopped. Andrew decided to go back to town
to rent a car and drive to the place. When Andrew arrived at the venue, Fletcher forbade him to
play in the show because he was a few minutes late. As a result of dissatisfaction, an argument
between Andrew and Fletcher occurred. Andrew was given 10 minutes by Fletcher to get ready
and pick up his drum stick or he would be kicked out of the group. Things got worse when
Andrew had left his drumsticks where he had rented a car a while ago. He had to drive back to
town to get his drumsticks. On his way to go back to Dunellen (the place of the competition), he
was depressed and drove so fast that he had an accident. Even though he was wounded and
bleeding. However, he still managed to arrive at the competition venue and perform the song on
stage with his band members. But, as his band's performance began, Andrew made a mistake
with his playing because he was in pain from the accident. Fletcher hear the mistake that
Andrew makes and stops the show. As a result of Andrew's mistake, Fletcher tells him that he is
done. This make Andrew feel angry and without thinking he attacked Fletcher on the stage of
the competition.
As a result of the incident, Andrew was expelled from his school and he learned that
Fletcher's student who died in an accident, Sean Casey, did not actually die in an accident but
replaced himself due to stress from Fletcher's training techniques. The situation has changed
Andrew's life as a drummer. Andrew started to quit playing drums and started working in the
store as a waiter
Day after day has passed and Summer has begun. Andrew continues his life like a normal
person and has no confidence in music anymore. But, that night, Andrew saw Fletcher playing
the piano in a shop and the situation made Andrew a little emotional. Fletcher had seen Andrew
and chatted with him for a while. Fletcher tells him that he is no longer teaching because
someone has reported the bad things he has done. Fletcher also told Andrew that he would be
leading the best band for the opening of the upcoming JVC Jazz Festival and hoped that
Andrew could attend the show as a drummer in his band.
After what Fletcher said, Andrew got back into drumming and prepared for the opening
performance of the biggest JVC Jazz Festival.
Finally, the moment that Fletcher and Andrew had been waiting for arrived, which was the
opening of the JVC Jazz Festival. Before the performance of Fletcher's group started, Fletcher
told Andrew that from the beginning he knew that Andrew was the one who had reported his
wrongdoing to the superiors. The situation made Andrew more afraid and anxious. As the
show began, Andrew's playing became erratic. This is because, Andrew did not know the song
that was played which was 'Upswingin By Tim Simonec'. After the performance of the first song
ended, all the audience was silent and did not clap for a while. As a result of the mistake he
made, he felt ashamed and left the performance stage. But that didn't last long, Andrew came
back on stage and started playing drums without instructions from Fletcher. The situation made
everyone surprised especially Fletcher. Andrew started to signal the musicians to play the song
he had mastered which was 'Caravan'. At that moment, Fletcher started to smile and was
amused by Andrew's great action. The situation further amazes them all when Andrew does a
great drum solo out of the blue. Andrew's face was getting redder and he was getting more and
more tired but he was still able to play great. He gives a cover to the song and ends the story
called 'Whiplash'.
3.0 Analysis Of The Movie

A. Analysis Of The Plot Elements (Starting Point, Rising Action, Climax And Falling Action).

Starting Point.
‘Whiplash’ tells the story of a jazz drummer named Andrew Neiman (Milles Teller) who has
very high hopes of becoming the greatest jazz drummer known to the public. He keeps trying
despite pressure from his instructor, Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons).

Rising Action.
A few days later, Terence Fletcher's team of musicians or better known as 'Studio Bands'
participated in a Jazz music competition named 'Overbook Jazz Competition'. Before the start of
their next performance, 'Whiplash' in the competition, there was an issue that caused Andrew to
play together with the team and then managed to win the competition.
The next day, as the session was about to begin, Fletcher chose Andrew to be the lead
drummer for the next song to be competed at Dunellen. The situation made all the members of
the team surprised. This is because, in the beginning, Andrew was just an assistant for the
team's drummer. Through that, Andrew began to feel more confident in himself.

Climax.
Finally, the moment that Fletcher and Andrew had been waiting for arrived, which was the
opening of the JVC Jazz Festival. Before the performance of Fletcher's group started, Fletcher
told Andrew that from the beginning he knew that Andrew was the one who had reported his
wrongdoing to the superiors. The situation made Andrew more afraid and anxious. As the
show began, Andrew's playing became erratic. This is because, Andrew did not know the song
that was played which was 'Upswingin By Tim Simonec'. After the performance of the first song
ended, all the audience was silent and did not clap for a while. As a result of the mistake he
made, he felt ashamed and left the performance stage. But that didn't last long, Andrew came
back on stage and started playing drums without instructions from Fletcher. The situation made
everyone surprised especially Fletcher. Andrew started to signal the musicians to play the song
he had mastered which was 'Caravan'. At that moment, Fletcher started to smile and was
amused by Andrew's great action. The situation further amazes them all when Andrew does a
great drum solo out of the blue. Andrew's face was getting redder and he was getting more and
more tired but he was still able to play great.
Falling Action.
Day after day has passed and Summer has begun. Andrew continues his life like a normal
person and has no confidence in music anymore after the incident between him and Fletcher.
But, that night, Andrew saw Fletcher playing the piano in a shop and the situation made Andrew
a little emotional. Fletcher had seen Andrew and chatted with him for a while. Fletcher tells him
that he is no longer teaching because someone has reported the bad things he has done.
Fletcher also told Andrew that he would be leading the best band for the opening of the
upcoming JVC Jazz Festival and hoped that Andrew could attend the show as a drummer in his
band.

B. Analysis Of Creation Elements (Characters And Settings)

Characters.

Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller): A person who has talent and interest in playing drums. In
addition, he has a big dream to become one of the greatest drummers in the world. Lives at the
Shaffer Conservatory, New York. Learn to be a Jazz Drummer at his school. Often pressured by
his instructor Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons) while in training. Has a romantic relationship with
a woman he meets while going to the movies.

Terence Fletcher (J.K Simmons): A music teacher who is talented in conducting at Andrew's
school. Strict and cruel in training his students, especially Andrew. Successfully made Andrew a
great drummer.
Jim Neiman (Paul Raiser): Jim is Andrew's father, a high school teacher who is supportive and
kind to his son. In many ways, he is Fletcher's foil, providing Andrew with love and affirmation,
while Fletcher only puts himself down. Andrew belittles his father in many ways for not being an
artist. Andrew sees Jim's profession as mundane and uninteresting, but goes to him for support
at various points in the film.

Nicole (Melissa Benoist): Nicole is a Fordham student who works at the movie theater that
Andrew frequents. Andrew asks her out and they share an affectionate chemistry, even though
Andrew is condescending to her about her lack of direction in life. Andrew breaks up with her so
that he can have enough time to dedicate to his drumming. Later, when Andrew invites Nicole to
the JVC Jazz Festival, she declines and tells him she is dating someone else.

Ryan (Austin Stowell): Ryan is another first-year drummer at Shaffer. Andrew considers him to
be less talented than he is, but Fletcher pits the two against each other in order to get more out
of both of them.
Tanner (Nate Lang): Tanner is the core drummer in the Studio Band that Andrew joins. He is
condescending and dismissive towards Andrew, and only grows more contemptuous towards
the young player when he replaces him as core drummer.

Settings.
The concept of Whiplash was conceived by Chazelle, who drew upon his experiences in a "very
competitive" jazz band. Chazelle would complete the script of Whiplash in 2013. Soon after,
Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions helped Chazelle turn 15 pages of the script into
an 18-minute short film, also titled Whiplash. The short film received acclaim after debuting at
the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which attracted investors to produce the complete version of
the script. Filming took place in September 2013 throughout Los Angeles in the course of 17
days. The film explores concepts of perfectionism, dedication, success, and deconstructs the
concept of ambition.

Damien Sayre Chazelle Right Of Way Films

Blumhouse Productions
C. Analysis Of The Topic And Its Implementation (Viewers Understanding Of The Topic And
Relevance Of The Topic).

Implementation.
Whiplash is a 2014 American independent psychological drama film written and directed by
Damien Chazelle, and starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser and Melissa Benoist.
The film follows the ambitious music student and jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Teller), who is
pushed to his limit by his abusive instructor Terence Fletcher (Simmons) at the fictitious Shaffer
Conservatory in New York City. The film was produced by Bold Films, Blumhouse Productions,
and Right of Way Films. Sony Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights, releasing the
film under its Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films banners for its North American and
international releases respectively.

What Viewers Understanding About This Movie.

What the viewers has understood through this topic or story (Whiplash) is that it is not easy to
chase dreams. There are various challenges that we have to go through to become a
successful person in life. Sometimes there is no time to sleep, eat and even spend time with
loved ones.
In addition, the viewers can also see and understand the lives of musicians out there who risk
almost their entire lives just to provide the best entertainment for the people out there and give a
new color to the world. With that, the viewers can learn to appreciate and support the
performers out there
4.0 Opinion (Strengths And Weaknesses).

Strengths:
In my opinion, the strength that I found in the movie Whiplash is that it has various emotional
elements. When I watch this movie, I can feel all kinds of feelings inside. For example, feeling
sad, angry, happy, excited and others.
In addition, the strength that I found in this film also has interesting scenes that are
unexpected for the audience. This movie has sad scenes, shocking scenes, amazing scenes,
and other scenes. For example, for the sad scene 'Andrew has quit to pursue his dream of
becoming a famous drummer'.
Finally, the strength that I found in this film is featuring an interesting musical performance.
The music played and performed is not boring and interesting for the viewers to listen to. For
example, the song 'Whiplash' performed at the Overbook Jazz Competition and the song
'Caravan' performed at the opening of the JVC Jazz Festival in this Whiplash story.

Weaknesses:
In my opinion, the weaknesses and shortcomings that I have seen in this movie Whiplash is
that this movie is too short. This movie should be extended by adding more interesting scenes.
This is because, this movie can show everyone how the lives of real musicians who sacrifice
almost their entire lives to entertain others out there.
In addition, the weaknesses and shortcomings that I see in this movie are less in terms of
musical performances. The music played and performed in this movie is very interesting but not
enough. For a movie that tells about music, it must have many and interesting musical
elements. In that way, the audience will be able to enjoy the movie more.
Finally, the weaknesses and shortcomings that I have seen in the movie Whiplash is that it
has a great but unsatisfactory ending. As already known, this movie tells about an ordinary
drummer named Andrew who wants to become one of the greatest drummers in the world.
However, the ending in this Whiplash story does not look like he has succeeded in becoming
the greatest drummer in the whole world. For example, the makers of the movie Whiplash could
make a scene where Andrew presents his drumming prowess on the world stage. In that way, it
can be seen that Andrew has succeeded in achieving his dream.
5.0 Conclusion (Announce whether the filmmaker was successful in his/her purpose.
Explain how the motion picture have impacted you).

It’s the filmmaker was successful in his/her purpose?

Through this movie Whiplash, Damien Sayre Chazelle has successfully shown and taught us
that it is not easy to achieve a dream we dream of in life. There will be times when we will fall,
there will be times when we will be hurt and there will be times when we will be pressured to
achieve our dreams. However, as long as we keep trying and keep trying without stopping, we
will succeed in achieving what we have dreamed of.
In addition, through the movie Whiplash, Damien Sayre Chazelle managed to show us that the
life of a musician is actually not as easy as others say outside. Being a musician or entertainer
actually requires a lot of sacrifice in terms of time and energy. In order to entertain other people
out there and give a new color to the world, musicians or entertainers have to sacrifice time to
sleep, eat or be with their loved ones to practice. There are also times when musicians or
entertainers will be injured and stressed due to practicing for too long.
Through what I have seen in this movie, Damien Sayre Chazelle has successfully shown us
his true purpose in creating this movie.

Explain how the motion picture have impacted you.

The movie 'Whiplash' created by Damien Sayre Chazelle has had a very big and very deep
impact on me. This is because, I am also a musician and entertainer for people outside. When I
watched the movie Whiplash, I started thinking about myself and also about the musicians out
there who have to sacrifice time to practice in order to achieve their dream of being a successful
musician and known by everyone. Although I only hold the title of a Diploma Music student for
now, I feel the many challenges and difficulties I have to go through. For example, there are
times when I won't be able to sleep, eat or spend time with the people I love. This is because, I
had to spend time practicing to always be ready. In addition, I also had to go to class 1 or 2
hours early for practice in order to prepare for the assessment. At times, I feel so stressed about
my life as a music student that it makes me want to give up on music. However, I will not stop
and continue to fight in that regard because Music has chosen me and I know that being a
musician and entertainer is within me. That's why, when I see Andrew who is a main character
in the movie Whiplash who is always stressed and injured in training, scolded by his trainer and
belittled by the people around him, but still fights and finally succeeds, at the same time, I can
see and imagine that it is myself.