Whiplash
2014 · 106 min
Directed by Damien Chazelle. Written by Damien Chazelle. Starring Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist.
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
Critics 94% · audiences 94% · streaming on Netflix · $13 million in the US and Canada on its first run · $36 million elsewhere · about 1.6 million tickets sold, 0.50% of the country · 5 Oscar nominations, 3 won
What they said about Whiplash
- 2014
demolishes the cliches of the musical-prodigy genre, investing the traditionally polite stages and rehearsal studios of a topnotch conservatory with all the psychological intensity of a battlefield or sports arena.
— Peter Debruge, Variety - 2014
Teller, who greatly impressed in last year's Sundance entry The Spectacular Now, does so again in a performance that is more often simmering than volatile ...
— Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter - 2014
Chazelle's film has a sharp and gripping rhythm, with shots beautifully edited by Tom Cross... often cutting to the crash of Andrew's drums.
— Amber Wilkinson, The Daily Telegraph - 2014
about music that professes its love for the music and its characters equally.
— Henry Barnes, The Guardian - 2014
In all likelihood, Fletcher isn't making a Charlie Parker. He's making the kind of musician that would throw a cymbal at him.
— Forrest Wickman, Slate - 2014
Whiplash is full of bravado and swagger, uncompromising where it needs to be, informed by great performances and patient with both its characters and the things that matter to them.
— James Rocchi
How it got made
While attending Princeton High School, writer-director Damien Chazelle was in a "very competitive" studio band and drew on the dread he felt in those years. He based the conductor, Terence Fletcher, on his former band instructor (who died in 2003) but "pushed it further", adding elements of Buddy Rich and other band leaders known for their harsh treatment. Chazelle wrote the film "initially in frustration" while trying to get his musical La La Land off the ground.
Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions helped Chazelle turn fifteen pages of his original screenplay into a short film, Whiplash (2013), starring Johnny Simmons as Neiman and J. K. Simmons (no relation) as Fletcher. The eighteen-minute short film received acclaim after debuting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, winning the short film Jury Award for fiction, which attracted investors to produce the complete version of the script. The feature-length film was financed for $3.3 million by Bold Films.
In August 2013, Miles Teller signed on to star in the role originated by Johnny Simmons; J. K. Simmons remained attached to his original role. Early on, Chazelle gave J. K. Simmons direction that "I want you to take it past what you think the normal limit would be," telling him: "I don't want to see a human being on-screen any more. I want to see a monster, a gargoyle, an animal." Many of the band members were real musicians or music students, and Chazelle tried to capture their expressions of fear and anxiety when Simmons pressed them. Chazelle said that, between takes, Simmons was "as sweet as can be", which he credits for keeping "the shoot from being nightmarish".
At the box office
In North America, Whiplash opened in a limited release on October 10, 2014, in six theaters, grossing $135,388 ($22,565 per theater) and finishing 34th at the box office. It expanded to 88 locations, then 419 locations. After three months on release, it had earned $7 million, and finally expanded nationwide to 1000 locations to capitalize on receiving five Academy Awards nominations. As of October 3, 2024, Whiplash grossed $14 million in the U.S. and Canada and $36.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $50.4 million against a budget of $3.3 million.
Afterwards
In 2020, it ranked 13 on Empires list of "The 100 Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century" and number 51 on its 2024 list. In 2021, members of Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) ranked its screenplay 32nd in WGA's 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (so far). In 2024, it topped the list of the Sundance Film Festival's Top 10 Films of All Time as the result of a survey conducted with 500 filmmakers and critics in honor of the festival's 40th anniversary. Actors Danielle Brooks, Katie McGrath, and Tramell Tillman praised the film, with McGrath saying "There isn't one needless second in this film...every frame is perfect." For its 10th anniversary, a new 4K remaster of Whiplash was released theatrically on September 20, 2024, following a special anniversary screening at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.
In June 2025, Tom Bernard, co-President of Sony Pictures Classics, cited Whiplash as among the best films to come from the studio in the 21st century. It also ranked number 60 on The New York Times list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 19 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.