This film shows how being pushed to the edge (and arguably beyond the edge) to achieve your dreams can force you to sacrifice the things around you. The two lead characters foil each other nicely and have perfect chemistry. Andrew Neeman (Miles Teller) is a nineteen-year-old student drummer whose persistent work ethic drives him through the hardship under his conductor, Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), who adopts an aggressive, bullying style of teaching to get the best out of his band and push this young drummer beyond the edge.
Coming from someone who grew up playing sports, you are constantly pitted with this feeling that you need to push yourself and constantly thrive to become that standout player if you want to take it to a competitive level or even a professional level. This idea alone is a lot, but when you add a bully-like coach (like you see with Terrence), it makes practicing and loving this sport so much harder.
Throughout the movie, the audience sees Andrew constantly do everything he can to become a star drummer and earn the respect of his megalomaniac instructor, Terrence. However, his instructor feels that the best way his drummers can succeed is by forcing them into tough situations, berating them with insults and criticizing their personal lives, assuming this will push them beyond the edge and unlock a near-virtuoso ability to perform any technical aspect he demands of them at the snap of his fingers. This has an inverse effect on Andrew as we see him force his way out of a relationship, slam his fist through his drum kit when his practice isn't perfect and crash a rental car under the presumption that he would lose his part in the band if he failed to show up on time and hit every note perfectly.
These actions are enough to make anyone lose their passion and drive, but not Andrew. It is already shown that he will go above and beyond to strive for greatness as a musician. The first shot in the movie is of Andrew practicing the drums on his own time, where you see how passionate and dedicated he is. This carries over into his next band rehearsal, where he tries to get creative with his fills and go beyond the technical elements expected of him. To me, this immediately shows his drive for success and shows that he wants to stand out.
His persistence at Shaffer Conservatory and on his own time allows him to excel on stage when thrust into that position after misplacing Carl's music folder. After previously saying that he doesn't want to see any more folders lying around, the culprit for this ‘theft’ is likely Terrence. I'd say this is the one moment where Terrence's teaching style benefits Andrew as Andrew steps up and tells Terrence that he can play Whiplash by memory. Terrence takes the opportunity to threaten Andrew with his position in the band as a reminder of the power he yields. An unfazed Andrew is able to put on a successful performance, cementing himself as a core member of the band.
During the second half of the movie, in my eyes, it looks like everything about Andrew's development as a drummer is quickly taken out of his own hands. Terrence's bullying of him continues when he brings in a new drummer, Ryan, whom he immediately makes the core drummer. This does push Andrew, but not in a good way. He becomes aggressive towards his conductor, incredibly aggravated and irrational, cursing towards him and dictating that the drumming role is his and his alone. Once again, Terrence pushes him in the wrong way. Andrew does eventually win the part back after a long and gruelling practice that drags on into the night. But, this new drummer adds more pressure to Andrew's position and with this constant threat of losing his position, Andrew is pushed in the wrong way again. Through a string of mistakes with a cloud of fear above his head, Andrew finds himself kicked out of the band and Shaffer Conservatory.
The final time Andrew drums in the movie is during the final performance where he is duped again and for a moment appears to be defeated. This is when we finally see Andrew successfully take control of the moment and show up his conductor by storming back onto the stage, drumming without a cue and instructing his bandmates on when to play. This is when Andrew finally shows Terrence that he is an impressive drummer and he does so by his own accord. Andrew shows Terrence who he really is as a drummer and that when he takes matters into his own hands, he can play with speed, and precision while showing perfect technique within an improvised drum solo. This finally shows Terrence that Andrew is willing to push himself beyond the edge and endure the embarrassment that Terrence bestowed upon him.
There is visible satisfaction on both characters' faces at this point as they stare at each other after the conclusion of Andrew's drum solo. During this scene, I got the sense that while both characters found their respect for each other, they both thought they were the reason for this thunderous drum solo erupting throughout the theatre. While Terrence deserves credit for inviting Andrew to the performance, everything else he did on stage only hurt him and as mentioned before, Andrew appeared defeated by these actions. All the credit for the drumming does belong to Andrew. He persevered through Terrence's antics during a live performance and came out on top.
Every part of me admires Andrew for never giving up. Yes, he struggles and breaks from here and there but he never quits. Playing baseball, I saw great athletes and teammates leave it all on the field and walk away before the bullying of an aggressive coach ever got this severe. His perseverance is admirable a great story of what you have to give up in order to achieve your dreams.
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