There are two worse words in the English language more harmful than “Good Job” according to this film, and to be honest after watching it, there are two more words which spring to mind – “F**k off.”

In the latest of the recent glut of those award seeking Oscar baiting films to trundle out from Hollywood, we find ourselves remarking on the wave of something where we see how being obsessed with a goal, can pretty much mess you up. Next for your watching consideration, we present Whiplash (Or Blood on the Drum Kit, not Dance floor….)

So our little drummer boy on his whirlwind adventure of being the best drummer in the world and the universe is Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who is a first-year jazz student at the prestigious Shaffer music school in New York.

We discover Neiman during the very first scene in a practice room, which you would be forgiven for thinking this was the behind the scenes look at where Birdman’s drumming comes from. This is where we also meet Terence Fletcher, played by what can be only described as a truly on form J.K. Simmons, shows up to see what Neiman can do.

Then buggers off for a bit.

Neiman has been playing drums from a young age by the looks of things and aspires to become one of the greats like various people none of us have heard of. Ol’ Fletcher wanders into Neiman’s class one day and then takes Andrew into his clearly frightened studio band as the alternate for another drummer boy who only has two emotional states, calm and angry as we later find out.

It’s during the first band practice at band camp, that we see how Fletcher is, shall we be polite and say “abusive” toward everyone in said band, in a clearly insane manner akin to suffering from rage while throwing in some tourettes syndrome for good measure (apparently that’s what a good music teacher is these days).

I love a good banging….of drums

When the band rehearses a piece called “Whiplash”, and Fletcher is not happy with our drummer boy’s time keeping, he proceed to hurls a bloody chair at the poor b******d. Why anyone would put up with this, is beyond comprehension at this point.

Basically from now on, we begin to witness the levels that Neiman will go to, simply because he wants to impress Fletcher. He practices until his hands bleed all over the drum kit, sticks and even plasters can’t stop the flow of blood at times (which means he’s a medical marvel and needs to submit himself for examination) and proceeds to break up with his lovely and grounded girlfriend Nicole, believing she will distract him.

Now it has been pointed out that some musicians would play until they couldn’t play no more to obtain perfection and be the best at their craft. That much, fair enough, that point should be conceded. Perhaps they fall away from people they care about, again because of the same reason. OK, I get it.

But what comes afterwards, is just pure insanity and that’s where the film starts to fall down.

Look at what you could have won little drummer boy!

Just the following would be enough to wonder who thought this would be good viewing; People get angry at losing some sheet music which go missing somehow which makes no sense, to three drummers being forced to play over and over again to get some ridiculous tempo right, in a scenario which wouldn’t be out of place in a certain little “happy” camp in Cuba run by the Americans.

Even Neiman’s big family scene where everyone’s turning their nose up at music, you would be forgiven for not liking anyone involved and you could just turn off there.

But the piste-take de resistance for this tragically over the top affair, where most of you will then proceed to write the whole thing off, is when our little drummer whose obsession with being the best little drummer boy he can, rents a car to get to a competition after a bus breaks down.

While driving around the place because of drumsticks which for some reason he couldn’t just have borrowed from someone else at the hall they all were at, gets hit and badly injured from a truck and still attempts to play, while for all purposes is bleeding out.

What the f**k?

Of course, things fall apart afterwards for everyone involved, teacher included after being fired thanks to the only people in Neiman’s life, his father and a lawyer for a dead player, basically those with a working sense of perspective forcing the issue, and we see a return to normal life for a bit.

Can you see if I have plaque?

Maybe, just maybe, it will calm down and redeem itself?

So far, this post hasn’t really talked an awful lot about anything else other than the madness surrounding what occurs during the 106 minutes of running time. But there are things worth drumming praises out for here. The music is wonderful to hear and the precision on show is excellent. Beyond reproach in fact, as with the skill of the players on screen, some of the scenes would never have worked at all.

As mentioned earlier, J.K. Simmons is fully on form, being the tyrant of a music teacher Fletcher, scaring everyone under his guidance, while showing a gentle side and more human component to his character, to give some much needed relief from all the irrational anger and messed up reasoning.

There is the moment, where we hear Fletcher about the two words no more harmful in the English language more harmful than “Good Job”, and the way he delivers that context to all the actions so far, you really believe in what he is saying, and maybe we misjudged him all this time?

Nope, he’s still an arrogant asshole and so it turns out, is Neiman.

In the end, we see a terrific music performance as a result of everything and as the film ends, the only sense of what has been witnessed is that these two f**ked up people end up with nothing other than some skills which will not be requested when they are standing on street corners asking strangers if they want a good time.

Overall this turns out to be a hateful, perhaps far more tragic film, where you couldn’t give a flying pig’s naughty part what happens and it’s very very questionable at best if it’s worth a first viewing, let alone second. But the couple of reasons to see it, J.K. Simmons giving a very much award worthy performance, and the music itself, does put it into something to see.

Just.

Ish.