WHIPLASH - Part 2 | Classic Movie Review
A guest post by Jake Scherer, continued
(I concluded the first part of this Whiplash review by analyzing three scenes from the first half of the movie. Heavy spoilers ahead!)
So why these three scenes? I think they show a pattern: a tendency in Andrew that draws him closer and closer to Fletcher, and likewise, that draws Fletcher to Andrew. He challenges Andrew in the first scene and rewards him when he sees the progress that was made. He challenges Andrew in the second scene and again rewards him when progress is made. Fletcher sees that Andrew has a drive to be the best that makes him particularly invested, and Andrew falls right into the palm of his hand. Andrew sees Fletcher as some kind of music god, wielding the mystical whims of musical fame and fortune, and is willing to make any sacrifice to gain his approval. He wants what Fletcher has for himself. He wants to be great. That drive puts him fully under the control of Fletcher; and Andrew realizing that is what moves us to the third act.
The third act begins after a near-death experience for Andrew. Andrew realizes with some horror that his priorities MAY have become a bit skewed. He learns that the stress Fletcher put on other students has led one of them to commit suicide, and that his testimony in a lawsuit against Fletcher would greatly aid their case. He joins. Fletcher is fired, Andrew quits drumming, and both move on with their lives. The film takes its time showing Andrew, formerly caring for nothing at all in life but his drumming, building up a life for himself. We watch him settle into an apartment, get a normal job, do all sorts of things he showed disdain for earlier in the film. He looks… content. He gets it now, how people can live like this. It seems like a bittersweet end to Andrew’s story.
However, Andrew has one more setback to overcome. He meets with Fletcher in a jazz bar, and it’s there that Fletcher explains why he treats his students the way he does: so they can rise above adversity and become great. His only regret is that none of his students have become legends. After their chat Fletcher invites Andrew to join his new ensemble and to perform in front of the New York elite. The only catch? He gives Andrew the wrong set of music. Fletcher’s revenge plot culminates in a beautiful scene where Andrew, instead of giving up and ruining his reputation, completely takes control of Fletcher’s band. He gives Fletcher a dilemma. Either follow what I am playing or both of our reputations will be destroyed. He beats Fletcher at his own game! Fletcher, defeated and unbelievably pissed off, realizes that he has just seen one of his students do EXACTLY what he has been wanting for his whole career. As this realization sets in he gets into a groove with Andrew, no longer fighting him, and in the last few seconds of the film we see Fletcher smile. Both of our characters have accomplished their goals: Andrew’s goal to become one of the greats, and Fletcher’s to find a student who can stand up after being knocked down repeatedly and achieve that greatness. An amazing final scene.
Now for my thoughts on the film. What can we take away from it? I think Whiplash fits fantastically as a cautionary tale about the pursuit of perfection. As Christians our entire lives are a journey towards perfection, that is to say, God. By making Him the center of our lives, and by striving to be more like Him in every way, each action we take slowly but surely brings us closer to Him. There are many many things that can hold us back in our journey, but Whiplash covers two things we need to keep in mind and will prevent us from straying too far off the path. We must remember who and what we are striving after.
Let’s take the example of Andrew. What was he aiming for? He was aiming to be the best drummer of his time. Simple enough. Who was he doing it for? Clearly, himself and later, Fletcher. This SOUNDS safe enough and echoes a common sentiment of the world today, “Do what is best for you.” However, people are clearly not the best judges of what is good for them. Oftentimes people will take the perceived good as the actual good, and jump fully on that boat without realizing where it is taking them. This is the case for Andrew, who rushes to improve without any other cares in the world. His judgement of what is best for himself leads to a deterioration of relationships with his friends and family as well as a physical deterioration (his bloodied and blistered hands, his living conditions).
I think that if he was simply drumming for himself, pursuing his ambition at his own pace, he would have realized what was happening and stopped at a certain point. This happens often in abusive relationships where the abuser will manipulate the other person into thinking their well-being, success, and future relies solely on them. A complete lie but something hard to break out of if you are in that situation. Andrew believes that Fletcher has the same goal of greatness in mind (not untrue) and that Fletcher is his ticket to greatness. He throws everything away to follow him. The results can be seen when Andrew eventually turns on Fletcher. He performs a complete life reset. The only person there for him is his father, who had been growing steadily more concerned for his son as time went on. The fact that this story has a “happy” ending does not justify at all the means by which we got there. The Andrew-Fletcher relationship, while it may improve over time, will always have that sour note from the beginning.
What, then, should our approach be? Personally, I think it boils down to two simple ideas. One, perfection takes time. Two, we have to try to find the objective good, not just the perceived one.
Andrew knows he’s a good drummer and that he has the potential to be great. He falls into an all-too-common trap today, and places all his eggs in one basket: “if I can get Fletcher’s approval, I will be great”. This is undoubtedly one scenario, but he has a LIFETIME of improving and opportunity ahead of him. I’ve met plenty of people in the film business (where I work) who only started their film careers in their 40s and been hugely successful! We see this in the latter part of the film, where Fletcher tells the final ensemble band that this performance can be a career-maker or killer. Every single person performing there is far older than Andrew and yet had that same opportunity he was rushing towards. The second point, about perceived goods, can be covered mainly by talking and thinking your plans out. Flaws in plans with perceived goods will raise their heads when confronted by a truly good friend, a mentor, an advisor, or by some revelatory prayer if you are lucky. It’s often good to take a step back, look at what you’ve been doing in the last couple months and think, “Is what I am doing bringing me closer to God, the good, or the people around me?” If the answer is no, you may want to reconsider what you are doing.
In conclusion, Whiplash is an amazing movie and if you have not watched it you are SERIOUSLY missing out. It is also a cautionary tale that can teach us much about what we can do to better strive after God. And after it is all said and done I hope that He can smile at us like Fletcher in those final moments of the film and tell us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
(But, like, not as an evil villain.)
Score: Whiplash gets a 10/10 from me. If you know me, you know that is a tough number to get.
Value for a Catholic audience: The value for a Catholic audience I think can be GOOD, and might be a reason why Dominic and Co. gave the movie a huge burst in popularity at our Catholic college. But, because of the intense confrontations (especially the colorful language that Fletcher uses), it is not a movie for your younglings or those who get really uncomfortable around confrontation. If you are unsure, remember you can always pause a movie and walk away!
Hello! Jacob Scherer here, friend and former post-college roommate of the creator and curator of this stack! I currently live in Atlanta with my lovely wife and horde of pets, working in and around the film industry. My favorite three movies (in no particular order) are The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and The Empire Strikes Back.