...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Whiplash

534 statements
104 feature instances
33 referencing feature instances

Whiplash	type	TVTItem
Whiplash	label	Whiplash
Whiplash	page	Whiplash
Whiplash	comment	Whiplash is a 2014 psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons.Andrew Neiman (Teller) is a young jazz drummer with aspirations of becoming one of the great musicians. Attending the country's greatest music school, New York City's Shaffer Conservatory, Neiman finds himself on the radar of music conductor Terence Fletcher (Simmons), head of the top-tier band. Seeking to train under Fletcher and become a jazz legend, Neiman manages to impress him and enter the ranks. However, he soon learns that Fletcher's methods of teaching prove vicious in their perfectionism, willing to stop at nothing to push students past the limits expected of them to earn his approval.A now-famous sequence from the original script was converted into an 18-minute short film starring Johnny Simmons as Andrew and J. K. Simmons as Fletcher to secure the film's production. Upon debut at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, it was strongly received and won the short film Jury Award for fiction, convincing investors (including Jason Reitman) to produce the whole film. Miles Teller replaced Johnny Simmons while the other Simmons remained as Fletcher.The next year, Chazelle returned to Sundance with the feature version, which played to rapturous reception, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Features. It later opened up in theaters in October of the same year, earning mass acclaim on a wider scale, alongside 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (J. K. Simmons), Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.Also, it's a film that really loves music.
Whiplash	fetched	2024-02-16T22:15:17Z
Whiplash	parsed	2024-02-16T22:15:17Z
Whiplash	processingComment	Dropped link to AustinPowers: Not a Feature - ITEM
Whiplash	processingComment	Dropped link to Foil: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Whiplash	processingComment	Dropped link to PointBreak1991: Not a Feature - ITEM
Whiplash	processingComment	Dropped link to ShaggyDogStory: Not a Feature - ITEM
Whiplash	processingComment	Dropped link to technicianvsperformer: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Whiplash	processingUnknown	technicianvsperformer
Whiplash	isPartOf	DBTropes
Whiplash / int_13646b1b	type	My Friends... and Zoidberg
Whiplash / int_13646b1b	comment	My Friends... and Zoidberg: The dinner scene sets up such a dynamic with Andrew being the relative black sheep of his family, his achievements completely buried under those of his cousins and father.
Whiplash / int_13646b1b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_13646b1b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_13646b1b
Whiplash / int_14beeefd	type	Darker and Edgier
Whiplash / int_14beeefd	comment	A more morbid example, culminating with Fletcher fabricating the circumstances behind the death of a pupil to motivate his students and divert any suspicion from his detractors.
Whiplash / int_14beeefd	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_14beeefd	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_14beeefd
Whiplash / int_14c83a01	type	"The Villain Knows" Moment
Whiplash / int_14c83a01	comment	"The Villain Knows" Moment: After Andrew gets kicked out of Shaffer for assaulting Fletcher, he is convinced to testify anonymously for an investigation into Fletcher's violent and abusive conduct, which results in Fletcher also being fired. When Andrew and Fletcher cross paths later, Fletcher shares the news of his firing, with all that he knows of the situation apparently being that "some parents got a kid from Sean Casey's year, I think, to say some things about me." When Fletcher then offers Andrew a position in his band, he can't resist saying yes. But, when Andrew gets up to perform, Fletcher drops the following bomb on him, right before humiliating him by deliberately leading the band in a song he has never heard before and was not given the sheet music for.
Whiplash / int_14c83a01	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_14c83a01	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_14c83a01
Whiplash / int_15b2cab3	type	Tempting Fate
Whiplash / int_15b2cab3	comment	Tempting Fate: Carl hisses "Do not touch this kit" at Andrew after the latter lost his folder in the previous scene. Shortly after, Fletcher orders Andrew to play Carl's drums.
Whiplash / int_15b2cab3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_15b2cab3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_15b2cab3
Whiplash / int_1779f10e	type	"Well Done, Son" Guy
Whiplash / int_1779f10e	comment	"Well Done, Son" Guy: By the end, Andrew. Not for his own father, mind you — for Fletcher, who will probably never approve of him for more than two seconds at a time.
Whiplash / int_1779f10e	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1779f10e	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1779f10e
Whiplash / int_18d15922	type	Title Drop
Whiplash / int_18d15922	comment	Title Drop: Early on Fletcher's rehearsals, he introduces the namesake song with "Alright, gang...'Whiplash'." It's also the title of the song on the music sheet that is handed to Andrew in the final performance.
Whiplash / int_18d15922	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_18d15922	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_18d15922
Whiplash / int_19851b86	type	The Sociopath
Whiplash / int_19851b86	comment	The Sociopath: Fletcher. He uses physical and psychological abuse to break down his students and condition their skill to his standard. He sees his method as a necessary evil, but is indifferent to what becomes of them beyond improving his student's proficiency.
Whiplash / int_19851b86	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_19851b86	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_19851b86
Whiplash / int_1994ba0b	type	Gone Horribly Right
Whiplash / int_1994ba0b	comment	Gone Horribly Right: Andrew warns Nicole that he will hurt her the longer they stay together; at the moment he says it and by the way he expresses it, he is already showing signs of egocentrism and loss of tactfulness, which alienates Nicole for good. He does end up reaching new heights at his drumming, but in doing so he pushes everyone away and loses his own self-respect.
Whiplash / int_1994ba0b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1994ba0b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1994ba0b
Whiplash / int_1b60dcba	type	The Bully
Whiplash / int_1b60dcba	comment	The Bully: Fletcher, the main character's music teacher, teaches his students by cursing at them, flinging racial, homophobic, and ableist slurs at them, demeaning them for their mistakes, and physically abusing them.
Whiplash / int_1b60dcba	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1b60dcba	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1b60dcba
Whiplash / int_1c3464e5	type	Klingon Scientists Get No Respect
Whiplash / int_1c3464e5	comment	Klingon Scientists Get No Respect: During dinner, Andrew's musical accomplishments are overlooked in favor of his cousins Travis and Dustin's Division III football careers, much to Andrew's annoyance.
Whiplash / int_1c3464e5	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1c3464e5	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1c3464e5
Whiplash / int_1c3d047e	type	The Rival
Whiplash / int_1c3d047e	comment	The Rival: Carl Tanner, the original core drummer in Fletcher's jazz band, and Ryan Connolly, a drummer Andrew served as the alternate for in a lower level class, are in a constant competition with Andrew to maintain the position as core drummer. Enforced by Fletcher, who actively cultivates paranoia between them as a motivational tactic (Connolly is brought into the band seemingly for the sole purpose of intimidating Andrew, and it's all but stated that Andrew himself was recruited to do the same to Tanner).
Whiplash / int_1c3d047e	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1c3d047e	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1c3d047e
Whiplash / int_1cf11f13	type	No Sympathy
Whiplash / int_1cf11f13	comment	Fletcher's No Sympathy attitude seems to come to a head when he gets mad at Andrew for messing up a concert, even though Andrew was arriving to play straight from the scene of a massive car crash that he barely survived. He cuts him, driving Andrew to assault him, leading to Andrew's expulsion. The parents of a former student of Fletcher's who died by suicide find out, and they meet with Andrew, using their lawyers, to convince him to testify anonymously. This leads to Fletcher getting fired.
Whiplash / int_1cf11f13	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1cf11f13	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1cf11f13
Whiplash / int_1d77dd02	type	Motivational Lie
Whiplash / int_1d77dd02	comment	Motivational Lie: Fletcher is extremely fond of the popular myth that Jo Jones hurled a cymbal at Charlie Parker's head during a terrible performance, and uses it to intimidate/inspire his students into performing harder. The actual story, which is possibly apocryphal, is that he actually just dropped the cymbal at Parker's feet with a gong-like crash. And, while it is definitely true that Parker left the stage in humiliation, he didn't become a recluse who obsessively worked on making his hands move faster starting the next day like Andrew. In fact, he didn't touch another saxophone for about three months, and when he started playing again, he began studying jazz as an art, not as a form of aggressive competition to see who can be the best player, which is how Fletcher wants his students to treat it. At one point, Fletcher has Ryan replace Andrew as the core drummer as if to suggest that Ryan is a superior drummer to Andrew. Later, Fletcher admits that he used Ryan to stimulate Andrew into developing his skills and implies that Ryan was nowhere near Andrew's level. A more morbid example, culminating with Fletcher fabricating the circumstances behind the death of a pupil to motivate his students and divert any suspicion from his detractors.
Whiplash / int_1d77dd02	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1d77dd02	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1d77dd02
Whiplash / int_1dfd19f9	type	Papa Wolf
Whiplash / int_1dfd19f9	comment	Papa Wolf: Downplayed with Andrew's father Jim. Although he is angered greatly when he realizes the extent to which Fletcher pushes his students, and persuades Andrew to testify against his instructor, he never confronts Fletcher directly. This is made even more jarring when he attends a concert in the third act where Andrew is playing in Fletcher's new band.
Whiplash / int_1dfd19f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_1dfd19f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_1dfd19f9
Whiplash / int_24321e44	type	Only Sane Man
Whiplash / int_24321e44	comment	Only Sane Man: Nicole seems to be a female equivalent. She's a fairly normal college student who, like millions of other students, is indecisive about her future but willing to explore her options. This contrasts against the single-minded Andrew, the manipulative Fletcher, and Andrew's unambitious father Jim. Andrew's Uncle Frank may be one as well. He's a standard nuclear family man who's happily married with two sons and doesn't suffer from either too much ambition or lack thereof.
Whiplash / int_24321e44	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_24321e44	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_24321e44
Whiplash / int_25524784	type	No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Whiplash / int_25524784	comment	No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Subverted; Andrew tackles Fletcher at the end of the second act when he kicks him out of the band mid-performance, but is dragged away before the actual beating can take place.
Whiplash / int_25524784	featureApplicability	-0.3
Whiplash / int_25524784	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_25524784
Whiplash / int_2a6a8e89	type	Sadist Teacher
Whiplash / int_2a6a8e89	comment	Played straighter by the dynamic between Fletcher and Andrew's dad. Fletcher is a Sadist Teacher who motivates his students to push themselves beyond their limits through abuse whereas Andrew's dad is loving but lacking ambition and perhaps a bit too accepting of mediocrity.
Whiplash / int_2a6a8e89	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_2a6a8e89	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_2a6a8e89
Whiplash / int_2c17dca	type	Ends with a Smile
Whiplash / int_2c17dca	comment	Ends with a Smile: Zigzagged. The final shots of the movie are of Andrew and Fletcher smiling at each other as Fletcher finally shows approval for Andrew's performance. However, the scene is cut so that the audience doesn't actually see Fletcher's mouth (just the rest of his face moving). We do see Andrew smiling, though, as he continues playing.
Whiplash / int_2c17dca	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_2c17dca	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_2c17dca
Whiplash / int_2c27353f	type	Was It Really Worth It?
Whiplash / int_2c27353f	comment	Was It Really Worth It?: The audience is left to question whether Andrew's accomplishments are worth the tradeoff of alienating his friends and family, the deterioration of his mental state, forsaking his self-respect and self-worth to somebody who never respects him, and becoming as callous and abrasive as the mentor training him.
Whiplash / int_2c27353f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_2c27353f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_2c27353f
Whiplash / int_2d4fa515	type	Ax-Crazy
Whiplash / int_2d4fa515	comment	Ax-Crazy: When Fletcher gets mad, he gets mad. He's prone to kicking and throwing instruments around as if they had zero value when things don't go his way.
Whiplash / int_2d4fa515	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_2d4fa515	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_2d4fa515
Whiplash / int_2e8441c9	type	The Bad Guy Wins
Whiplash / int_2e8441c9	comment	The Bad Guy Wins: Fletcher humiliates Andrew on stage, exacting his revenge on him for getting him fired. While Andrew gets the last laugh on him, Fletcher still finds his "perfect" student.
Whiplash / int_2e8441c9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_2e8441c9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_2e8441c9
Whiplash / int_319e4a2f	type	Even Evil Has Standards
Whiplash / int_319e4a2f	comment	Even Evil Has Standards: Highly debatable considering his character, but Fletcher seems hesitant to start the band in the second act after he notices Neiman injured and covered in blood from the car accident he was just in, almost as if he realized he might have pushed him too far. He still uses it as an opportunity to insult Neiman and ultimately kick him off the stage.
Whiplash / int_319e4a2f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_319e4a2f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_319e4a2f
Whiplash / int_33f095a8	type	Jaded Washout
Whiplash / int_33f095a8	comment	Jaded Washout: Andrew certainly thinks of his father as this, a once-promising author now teaching high school, clearly regarding his family as more important than career success. Fletcher could also be considered this. He probably wanted to be a great jazz musician in his youth but never made it, settling for being a teacher, and is now determined to secure his place in history by finding and mentoring someone whom he feels is destined for greatness.
Whiplash / int_33f095a8	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_33f095a8	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_33f095a8
Whiplash / int_35a858b3	type	Cluster F-Bomb
Whiplash / int_35a858b3	comment	Cluster F-Bomb: The film's R rating comes almost exclusively from the characters' foul mouths. Terence Fletcher mixes insults, curses and slurs into a puree of hate for any student offering anything less than his standard. When Andrew is dragged off stage after tackling Fletcher, the former screams "Fuck you!" at him over and over.
Whiplash / int_35a858b3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_35a858b3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_35a858b3
Whiplash / int_37d2818	type	Title In
Whiplash / int_37d2818	comment	Title In: Early on, text on-screen informs us that we are at "Shaffer Conservatory of Music, Fall Semester".
Whiplash / int_37d2818	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_37d2818	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_37d2818
Whiplash / int_38da8916	type	Uncommon Time
Whiplash / int_38da8916	comment	Uncommon Time: The song from which the film takes its title is in 7/8. It's not the only example, either; one of the other songs is in 5/4.
Whiplash / int_38da8916	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_38da8916	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_38da8916
Whiplash / int_392372f9	type	Actor Allusion
Whiplash / int_392372f9	comment	Actor Allusion: Miles Teller has several scars on his face and neck from a car accident in 2007, where he was a passenger in a car going 80mph that lost control and flipped eight times. While likely not a purposeful allusion (and definitely not as serious as the real-life event), Teller's character winds up in a crash himself later in the film.
Whiplash / int_392372f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_392372f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_392372f9
Whiplash / int_3ac583f4	type	SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism
Whiplash / int_3ac583f4	comment	Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: The film can be seen as a cynical deconstruction of an ideal: those who aspire to greatness should push themselves beyond their limits to reap the rewards that come with such achievements. The cynicism shines in the form of the characters that strive for greatness being assholes at best and psychopathic at worst. Andrew, and to a lesser extent the other students, sacrifice their self-respect, sanity, and social kinship to become better artists from an instructor who sees even his ace students as beneath him. By the end of the film, the audience is left to conclude whether or not Andrew's achievements were worth the sacrifice. Word of God says they won't be because, in an interview with Damien Chazelle, the director stated that, if he had included a post-credits scene, he would have Andrew die of a drug overdose in his early 30s Ã la Charlie Parker, with Fletcher always thinking that he won.
Whiplash / int_3ac583f4	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_3ac583f4	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_3ac583f4
Whiplash / int_3d2c6d30	type	Skewed Priorities
Whiplash / int_3d2c6d30	comment	Skewed Priorities: Played for Drama. After being T-boned by a truck, Andrew is more concerned with retrieving his drumsticks and making it back to the stage than he is with seeking medical attention.
Whiplash / int_3d2c6d30	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_3d2c6d30	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_3d2c6d30
Whiplash / int_3ed23024	type	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
Whiplash / int_3ed23024	comment	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Sorry, Andrew — no amount of blind determination is going to get you through a performance after just having been T-boned by a truck. Andrew hitting his Rage Breaking Point should be awesome when he attacks Fletcher for cutting him and showing No Sympathy about the fact that he ran from the scene of a bad car accident to perform. Instead, the other students pull him off because while they may dislike Fletcher, they don't want him or Andrew seriously injured, or for Andrew to stoop to Fletcher's level. The conservatory also expels Andrew for assaulting a teacher, and he refuses to explain why he did so; his father has to convince him to testify anonymously in the Sean Casey case. Fletcher's abuse was bound to backfire either in the form of one of his students getting fed up with his abuse and attacking him or people seeking legal action, such as Sean Casey's parents wanting him fired. Fletcher even lampshades it at the beginning of the third act when he remarks that his actions may have made him "a few enemies". Fletcher admits that his cruel teaching style never actually managed to either mentor or lead to him finding a a great student. Andrew seems to have found a big break and made peace with Fletcher after reporting Fletcher and getting him fired. It even seems like a huge Idiot Ball moment for Fletcher, who apparently couldn't figure out that the kid who attacked him on-stage at a show was the one who turned him in. Except, as it turns out, Fletcher knew from the first moment that Andrew was the one who reported him, and he's setting up Andrew for humiliation. Fletcher is many, many things, but he's not "fucking stupid."
Whiplash / int_3ed23024	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_3ed23024	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_3ed23024
Whiplash / int_3fca462c	type	Deus ex Machina
Whiplash / int_3fca462c	comment	Deus ex Machina: The folder's disappearance. It is never explained how it could disappear right next to Neiman, but it leads to Andrew proving that he can play "Whiplash" by heart.
Whiplash / int_3fca462c	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_3fca462c	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_3fca462c
Whiplash / int_3fe2b13f	type	Ungrateful Bastard
Whiplash / int_3fe2b13f	comment	Ungrateful Bastard: Fletcher sees Andrew as this for turning on him and getting him fired, catalyzing his motive for trying to humiliate the latter in the third act.
Whiplash / int_3fe2b13f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_3fe2b13f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_3fe2b13f
Whiplash / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
Whiplash / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: Andrew finishes his stunning performance and finally wins over Fletcher, with the latter finally convinced he'll be one of the greats. However, Andrew endures losing his girlfriend and almost everything else in his personal life in order to get there, and his transformation into "the next Charlie Parker" is exactly what Fletcher wanted all along, seemingly implying that he "won" the psychological duel the two engage in over the film. Moreover, the viewer is left to wonder whether the final performance ultimately justifies Fletcher's abuse throughout the film and whether Andrew's effort was really worth it. Furthermore, Fletcher stated that the audience has a few critics and talent scouts, and Andrew's performance, while impressive, was arrogant and disruptive of the rest of the band and the concert at large, meaning his reputation and career as a drummer is still at risk. While it's not an official part of the film, Chazelle has shared in interviews that the way he personally believes his two leads will end up down the road is bleak. Andrew will live as a sad, empty shell of a man, he'll fatally overdose in his 30s, and Fletcher will always think he won. Chazelle even joked that Fletcher would be the type to turn up to Andrew's funeral just to insult him more in his eulogy.
Whiplash / int_40cc0c7e	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_40cc0c7e	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_40cc0c7e
Whiplash / int_43dc74d0	type	Sensitive Guy and Manly Man
Whiplash / int_43dc74d0	comment	Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Played with in the dynamic between Andrew and his cousins. While Andrew is a jazz musician, a field associated with artistry and emotion, and his cousins athletes, a field associated with aggression and competition, Andrew pursues his craft with a single-minded conviction to "be great" and is willing to step on others to achieve it whereas his cousins are suggested to live balanced lives outside of their sports and are explicitly stated to have many friends. This contrast is emphasized when one of the cousins questions how it is possible for a band to be declared the best if music is subjective, only for Andrew to bluntly call such an opinion wrong; the athlete can appreciate music simply for being what it is better than the musician can. Played straighter by the dynamic between Fletcher and Andrew's dad. Fletcher is a Sadist Teacher who motivates his students to push themselves beyond their limits through abuse whereas Andrew's dad is loving but lacking ambition and perhaps a bit too accepting of mediocrity.
Whiplash / int_43dc74d0	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_43dc74d0	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_43dc74d0
Whiplash / int_443b78cd	type	Tranquil Fury
Whiplash / int_443b78cd	comment	Tranquil Fury: In spite of all his tirades, Fletcher's most livid moment dawns when Andrew costs him the competition in the second act, with Fletcher looming over him, solemnly telling him, "You're done."
Whiplash / int_443b78cd	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_443b78cd	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_443b78cd
Whiplash / int_469e3e2f	type	In-Universe
Whiplash / int_469e3e2f	comment	In-Universe — Nicole says her mother used to insult her for having a "big chin."
Whiplash / int_469e3e2f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_469e3e2f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_469e3e2f
Whiplash / int_4856ac40	type	Stock Footage
Whiplash / int_4856ac40	comment	Stock Footage: The scene of Andrew's first class with Fletcher was turned into a short film before the feature entered production. As there were essentially two versions of the same scene, the feature version carries over a number of elements from the short version. Multiple shots in the feature version were lifted directly from the short, simply being given the same color grade as the rest of the scene. Many of these shots are close-ups not specific to a particular actor or setting. There are several instances of lines from Fletcher in the feature version sounding identical to how they appear in the short. One such line that was confirmed to have been reused is "If you deliberately sabotage my band, I will FUCK you like a pig!" — Chazelle actually rewrote the end of the line for the feature ("I will gut you like a fucking pig!"), but J.K. Simmons refused to say it, finding it too ridiculous. Since no new footage was shot of Fletcher saying the line, the film cuts to a close-up of Andrew instead.
Whiplash / int_4856ac40	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_4856ac40	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_4856ac40
Whiplash / int_4c455537	type	Plot-Driven Breakdown
Whiplash / int_4c455537	comment	Plot-Driven Breakdown: How the folder got lost by the vending machine. Some theorize this was invoked by Fletcher.
Whiplash / int_4c455537	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_4c455537	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_4c455537
Whiplash / int_4e7c4536	type	Wham Line
Whiplash / int_4e7c4536	comment	Wham Line: The exact line early on where Fletcher's insults and abuse escalate from severe to outright grotesque: Near the climax of the movie, Fletcher and Andrew reconvene, and Fletcher reveals that he was fired from Shaffer after Sean Casey's parents got a student to testify against him as an anonymous witness. He then invites Andrew to play for his new band like an old friend; just as they take the stage, he drops a bomb on him:
Whiplash / int_4e7c4536	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_4e7c4536	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_4e7c4536
Whiplash / int_4e7f703c	type	Wham Shot
Whiplash / int_4e7f703c	comment	Wham Shot: Fletcher hurling a chair at Andrew's head out of nowhere after making him think he'd finally fixed his mistake, giving the audience their first indicator as to who he truly is, and how much of a hellhole Andrew's officially in.
Whiplash / int_4e7f703c	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_4e7f703c	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_4e7f703c
Whiplash / int_5313c266	type	Bookends
Whiplash / int_5313c266	comment	Book Ends: The "snare liftoff", as credited on the soundtrack, is both the first and one of the last things we hear Andrew play. The film's opening and closing shots both capture the same thing: a push in on Andrew drumming.
Whiplash / int_5313c266	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_5313c266	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_5313c266
Whiplash / int_56515a39	type	Artistic License â€“ History
Whiplash / int_56515a39	comment	Artistic License â€“ History: Fletcher likes to tell of an incident that happened at the Reno Club in Kansas City when Charlie Parker sat in on a jam session and played quite poorly. House drummer Jo Jones was so disgusted with Parker's playing that (according to Fletcher) he threw a cymbal at Parker's head and nearly decapitated him, which inspired Parker to go home, practice, and become one of the greats. In fact, according to everyone who was actually there, Jones merely took the cymbal off its stand and dropped it on the floor, to indicate, "Sorry, you're not good enough for this session; come back later when you've had time to practice." However, this modification of the story could very easily be deliberate on Fletcher's end as a psychological tactic and to further give credibility to his "humiliation breeds greatness" agenda.
Whiplash / int_56515a39	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_56515a39	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_56515a39
Whiplash / int_58d31a8b	type	Body Motifs
Whiplash / int_58d31a8b	comment	Body Motifs: There's a focus on hands in this movie, especially during the drumming scenes.
Whiplash / int_58d31a8b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_58d31a8b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_58d31a8b
Whiplash / int_5a3b8032	type	The Un-Reveal
Whiplash / int_5a3b8032	comment	The Unreveal: When Fletcher smiles to Andrew at the end, seemingly finally indicating his approval, the shot is framed such that it cuts off below his nose, keeping the smile just out of frame such that we sense it more than we see it.
Whiplash / int_5a3b8032	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_5a3b8032	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_5a3b8032
Whiplash / int_5bdffefe	type	Jitter Cam
Whiplash / int_5bdffefe	comment	Jitter Cam: Present when the music becomes really frantic.
Whiplash / int_5bdffefe	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_5bdffefe	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_5bdffefe
Whiplash / int_5ce2c9c6	type	Suddenly Shouting
Whiplash / int_5ce2c9c6	comment	Suddenly Shouting: Fletcher exploding at Metz, the first time we get a glimpse of his true character.
Whiplash / int_5ce2c9c6	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_5ce2c9c6	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_5ce2c9c6
Whiplash / int_64d3ffd8	type	The Extremist Was Right
Whiplash / int_64d3ffd8	comment	The Extremist Was Right: Deconstructed. Fletcher ultimately succeeds in fostering the "great musician" he aspired to see in his lifetime, albeit at the cost of his teaching career and his own student's mental health.
Whiplash / int_64d3ffd8	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_64d3ffd8	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_64d3ffd8
Whiplash / int_6627695f	type	Author Appeal
Whiplash / int_6627695f	comment	Author Appeal: Though one might not think it considering the portrayal of the subject matter, Damien Chazelle really does love jazz music. On a side note, while Chazelle has stated he believes in pushing oneself to achieve one's dreams, the film takes it to an extreme he doesn't condone.
Whiplash / int_6627695f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_6627695f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_6627695f
Whiplash / int_6b05b601	type	Jerkass Has a Point
Whiplash / int_6b05b601	comment	Jerkass Has a Point: Deconstructed. Though the film acknowledges Fletcher's perspective of denying rewards in favor of mediocrity, reserving praise for the exceptionally talented, and persevering through hardship to succeed, the lengths to which he is willing to push his students to excel and the damage his students accumulate throughout his tutelage is depicted as so unflatteringly abhorrent, the audience to is left decide whether or not the suffering and sacrifice his students endured to reach "greatness" was worth it. J.K. Simmons was inclined to agree with Fletcher's "good job" speech, but Damien Chazelle stated that he believes this attitude will lead Andrew into an early grave. There are a few moments where Fletcher's hostility is valid, namely involving his students being lax with their sheet music, which is expensive to replace. He gets upset at someone for leaving a folder out ("If I ever find another one of these lying around again, I swear to fucking God...I will stop being so polite"), and when Tanner has to tell him the bad news that Andrew lost his folder, Fletcher pins the blame directly on Tanner since his folder "was [his] fucking responsibility", although he doesn't exactly let Andrew off the hook, either ("You give a calculator to a fucking retard, he's gonna try and turn on a TV with it"). Similarly, Andrew's cousins may be jerk jocks, but one of them makes a surprisingly pertinent point in wondering how bands win competitions, asking, "Isn't it all subjective?" Andrew wants "greatness," but that is a fluid, totally subjective concept. What he really wants is Fletcher's approval, which he has at the end, at the cost of everything else. Equally, Andrew is a total jerk about how he goes about this (and it's no excuse for his terrible treatment of Nicole), but he's also got a point when he tells everyone — especially his cousins at Thanksgiving — that he doesn't care how much jazz is derided by everyone, he will stick with it, and they at least partially don't understand his commitment to it.
Whiplash / int_6b05b601	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_6b05b601	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_6b05b601
Whiplash / int_6b35bdff	type	Serious Business
Whiplash / int_6b35bdff	comment	Serious Business: Jazz music. Fletcher admits that it's a dying genre and no other characters except jazz musicians themselves admit to appreciating it at all, but it's life itself for those musicians.
Whiplash / int_6b35bdff	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_6b35bdff	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_6b35bdff
Whiplash / int_7040b6bc	type	Understatement
Whiplash / int_7040b6bc	comment	Understatement: Fletcher states that his unorthodox methods "have made him a few enemies."
Whiplash / int_7040b6bc	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7040b6bc	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7040b6bc
Whiplash / int_7286e96d	type	Idiot Ball
Whiplash / int_7286e96d	comment	Andrew seems to have found a big break and made peace with Fletcher after reporting Fletcher and getting him fired. It even seems like a huge Idiot Ball moment for Fletcher, who apparently couldn't figure out that the kid who attacked him on-stage at a show was the one who turned him in. Except, as it turns out, Fletcher knew from the first moment that Andrew was the one who reported him, and he's setting up Andrew for humiliation. Fletcher is many, many things, but he's not "fucking stupid."
Whiplash / int_7286e96d	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7286e96d	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7286e96d
Whiplash / int_729c69f3	type	Politically Incorrect Villain
Whiplash / int_729c69f3	comment	Politically Incorrect Villain: Played with — even though many of Fletcher's insults comprise of sexist, racist, and homophobic slurs, this is probably done from a psychoanalytical approach to figure out how he can break his students rather than a reflection of actual prejudice.
Whiplash / int_729c69f3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_729c69f3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_729c69f3
Whiplash / int_7335ffa9	type	Grey-and-Gray Morality
Whiplash / int_7335ffa9	comment	Grey-and-Gray Morality: Fletcher wants his students to be more than perfect, but goes to extreme lengths more at home with the military than a jazz band. But Andrew — who considers Buddy Rich, a drummer with a known temper and a perfectionist streak, his hero — is callous towards anything that doesn't allow him to "be great," and cares nothing for things like "friends" or "love".
Whiplash / int_7335ffa9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7335ffa9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7335ffa9
Whiplash / int_79a60aec	type	For Want of a Nail
Whiplash / int_79a60aec	comment	For Want Of A Nail: Lampshaded — when Neiman asserts that the core role is his as he earned it, Fletcher points out that he's only where he is because he lost Tanner's music folder and then stood in when Tanner couldn't play "Whiplash" from memory.
Whiplash / int_79a60aec	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_79a60aec	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_79a60aec
Whiplash / int_7b6e47a5	type	Armor-Piercing Question
Whiplash / int_7b6e47a5	comment	Armor-Piercing Question: Subverted. Nicole tries to do this when she and Andrew are breaking up, but unfortunately for Andrew's physical and mental health, it doesn't strike deep enough to make a meaningful difference. Fletcher gives one immediately followed by a Wham Line when Andrew finally seems to be gaining what he wants and in a less abusive environment. Andrew gets another at Thanksgiving when his cousins respond to his claims of wanting "greatness" by asking "Isn't that subjective?", forcing him to be honest that what he really wants is Fletcher's approval.
Whiplash / int_7b6e47a5	featureApplicability	-0.3
Whiplash / int_7b6e47a5	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7b6e47a5
Whiplash / int_7d78995d	type	Blofeld Ploy
Whiplash / int_7d78995d	comment	Blofeld Ploy: Fletcher provides an inversion of this. He determines that someone in the band is out of tune, finally coming to and terrifying a student into confessing. This results in the student getting thrown out...before Fletcher addresses the student who actually was out of tune. The other one couldn't tell if he was, which was just as bad.
Whiplash / int_7d78995d	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7d78995d	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7d78995d
Whiplash / int_7d89315b	type	"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Whiplash / int_7d89315b	comment	"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Fletcher gives a bunch of these to his students in an attempt to push them to reach greatness. Andrew is also fond of this at times, although his tend to be a lot shorter. His snark to his cousins at the family dinner and his "Johnny Utah" outburst at Connolly qualify, although neither are really "speeches".
Whiplash / int_7d89315b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7d89315b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7d89315b
Whiplash / int_7febc23b	type	Establishing Character Moment
Whiplash / int_7febc23b	comment	Establishing Character Moment: In his first scene, Fletcher establishes himself as a self-important bully who seems impossible to please. He throws each of Andrew's reasonable inferences back at him, as if anything he does would be deemed the incorrect choice: Andrew himself is introduced in a montage of furious drumming and sweat, which effectively sets his personality as a Determinator. There's even a hint of smugness when Fletcher asks him why he stopped playing. Andrew's father Jim is introduced asking his son if he's doing alright after the aforementioned interaction with Fletcher, and reassures him that there will be other options if things don't work out as he had hoped. When Andrew responds by irritatedly asking what he means by "other options", he gives the vague answer of "life" and claims that he'll have a better perspective on it when he gets older. This establishes him as a foil to Fletcher, a mentor figure who is willing to unconditionally accept Andrew but unable to understand his drive to improve himself. Immediately after this, a person accidentally bumps into him from behind and he apologizes despite having had no part in why the collision occurred, establishing him as an Extreme Doormat that lacks the resolve needed to stand up for himself.
Whiplash / int_7febc23b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_7febc23b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_7febc23b
Whiplash / int_863fac26	type	Jerk Jock
Whiplash / int_863fac26	comment	Jerk Jock: Played with when it comes to Andrew's cousins. While they're both stereotypical dudebros and one is playing college football, they don't start antagonizing Andrew until after he goes out of his way to insult them. They do come across as more aloof than either his aunt or uncle even before this, however.
Whiplash / int_863fac26	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_863fac26	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_863fac26
Whiplash / int_8767b1f3	type	Black-and-Gray Morality
Whiplash / int_8767b1f3	comment	Black-and-Gray Morality: Despite his idealistic goals, Fletcher's more repugnant actionsnote namely the revelation of him lying about Sean Casey's true fate and his attempt at revenge on Andrew for testifying against him reveal him as a selfish psychopath who will stoop to any low to succeed. Though Andrew is still self-serving, he never engages in the horrid actions his mentor commits.
Whiplash / int_8767b1f3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_8767b1f3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_8767b1f3
Whiplash / int_8797239c	type	Bait-and-Switch
Whiplash / int_8797239c	comment	Bait-and-Switch: Despite being the primary song that Andrew spends the majority of the movie mastering, Whiplash doesn't figure into the finale in the way that you'd expect. Fletcher tells Andrew that it will be the song the band Fletcher hires him into will be opening with, but this is a lie used to humiliate Andrew in front of a bunch of recruiters. The actual song that forms the climax of the film is called Caravan.
Whiplash / int_8797239c	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_8797239c	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_8797239c
Whiplash / int_89a17726	type	Spell My Name with an S
Whiplash / int_89a17726	comment	Spell My Name With An S: There seems to be some question as to whether Andrew's last name is spelled "Neiman" (the more common spelling) or "Neyman" (more similar to its pronunciation) — even on this wiki. (It's spelled "Neiman" in the screenplay, but Fletcher makes sure to deliberately mispronounce it in front of the band.)
Whiplash / int_89a17726	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_89a17726	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_89a17726
Whiplash / int_8ae880f7	type	Deconstruction
Whiplash / int_8ae880f7	comment	Deconstruction: Of the Determinator trope. Andrew becomes so obsessed with becoming a great jazz drummer, he ends up hurting and alienating people close to him. Moreover, the "mentor" he looks up to for much of the film is a manipulative monster who destroys musicians who play in the studio band. By the climax of the film, jazz music literally becomes the only thing Andrew has left in his life and opinions vary on whether Andrew's long, extravagant drum solo was really worth it. Nicole calls Andrew out on this during their breakup.
Whiplash / int_8ae880f7	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_8ae880f7	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_8ae880f7
Whiplash / int_8b442f50	type	Did Not Get the Girl
Whiplash / int_8b442f50	comment	Andrew develops this mindset, starting from his snide remarks with his relatives, and it becomes the catalyst to his breakup with Nicole.
Whiplash / int_8b442f50	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_8b442f50	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_8b442f50
Whiplash / int_8cb1a369	type	Took a Level in Jerkass
Whiplash / int_8cb1a369	comment	Took a Level in Jerkass: Andrew starts to grow a bigger backbone the more time he spends with Fletcher, though he grows more elitist, competitive, and extremely arrogant as a result.
Whiplash / int_8cb1a369	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_8cb1a369	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_8cb1a369
Whiplash / int_90b330ab	type	No-Respect Guy
Whiplash / int_90b330ab	comment	No-Respect Guy: Deconstructed and Played for Drama — Fletcher berates and humiliates his students for slight errors, and sees his students as disposable, expunging any who dissatisfy him. Worse yet, none of his students oppose him, as his tutelage ingrained them with the belief that their self-worth is irrelevant to Fletcher's high standards, enabling his unethical practices to run unimpeded.
Whiplash / int_90b330ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_90b330ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_90b330ab
Whiplash / int_90e31482	type	Laser-Guided Karma
Whiplash / int_90e31482	comment	Laser-Guided Karma: While Andrew is guiding the orchestra in the final act to play "Caravan", Fletcher is taken aback by the interruption of his speech and threatens to gouge out Andrew's eyes, only for Andrew to strategically strike a cymbal and make it hit him in the chin, which forces him to step back and resume conducting. It's fitting how the sharp edge of the cymbal comes alarmingly close to Fletcher's neck, as he's immensely fond of the urban myth that Charlie Parker nearly got decapitated by an airborne cymbal. Of course, this also serves as payback for Fletcher sending a chair flying directly at Andrew's head.
Whiplash / int_90e31482	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_90e31482	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_90e31482
Whiplash / int_96a33f11	type	Riddle for the Ages
Whiplash / int_96a33f11	comment	Riddle for the Ages: The movie never says what happened to the sheet music Andrew lost at the vending machine. It's not totally unlikely that Fletcher himself had something to do with it, as a way to test both Tanner and eventually Andrew, given that by the ending, it's very clear that Fletcher will gladly risk the reputation of a whole orchestra, including his own, if that serves his motives.
Whiplash / int_96a33f11	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_96a33f11	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_96a33f11
Whiplash / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
Whiplash / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: Early on in the film, Andrew is late to his first class, rushes due to Fletcher's strictness, and gets himself hurt in the process. Near the end of the second act, another similar scenario occurs, but this time with a car involved.
Whiplash / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_9d12bbc1
Whiplash / int_9f62723d	type	Get Out!
Whiplash / int_9f62723d	comment	Get Out!: Subverted. When Andrew first asks Nicole out at her theater job, she sternly tells him to leave. When he's about to do so, genuinely shocked and remorseful, she begins laughing and says she was only joking.
Whiplash / int_9f62723d	featureApplicability	-0.3
Whiplash / int_9f62723d	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_9f62723d
Whiplash / int_a2ff4e6f	type	Single Tear
Whiplash / int_a2ff4e6f	comment	Single Tear: One of these trickles down Andrew's nose during Fletcher's first time reproaching him. Fletcher makes sure to milk out several more, admonishing him along the way for being "one of those single-tear people".
Whiplash / int_a2ff4e6f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_a2ff4e6f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_a2ff4e6f
Whiplash / int_a4905771	type	Double-Meaning Title
Whiplash / int_a4905771	comment	Double-Meaning Title: The title of the film refers to more than one thing: The first complex jazz piece Andrew learned and performed with Fletcher's band. The beating of a drum similar to the cracking or lashing of a whip. The abuse Andrew suffers under Fletcher. For that matter, the physical injury to the neck most commonly acquired in car crashes.
Whiplash / int_a4905771	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_a4905771	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_a4905771
Whiplash / int_a4c37cbe	type	Mood Whiplash
Whiplash / int_a4c37cbe	comment	Mood Whiplash: Appropriately for a film of this title. During Andrew's first practice session with the Studio Band, Fletcher stops him a couple of times to gently but firmly correct his tempo. It seems like Andrew's finally gotten it right... only for Fletcher to throw a chair at his head and start brutally berating him for getting it wrong, turning the previously relatively relaxed attitude of the scene into pure, tense terror.
Whiplash / int_a4c37cbe	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_a4c37cbe	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_a4c37cbe
Whiplash / int_acf33d00	type	Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
Whiplash / int_acf33d00	comment	Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: This happens twice with Fletcher. Fletcher's No Sympathy attitude seems to come to a head when he gets mad at Andrew for messing up a concert, even though Andrew was arriving to play straight from the scene of a massive car crash that he barely survived. He cuts him, driving Andrew to assault him, leading to Andrew's expulsion. The parents of a former student of Fletcher's who died by suicide find out, and they meet with Andrew, using their lawyers, to convince him to testify anonymously. This leads to Fletcher getting fired. The movie sets up an ending with Andrew expelled and his drums packed away. He's walking around in a funk while his dad is encouraging him to take a break from music. Then he and Fletcher meet, and Fletcher invites him to perform with his new band, with the ultimate scheme being to humiliate Andrew during a concert. Instead, Andrew rises to the task, takes over the concert performance, and earns Fletcher's respect.Â
Whiplash / int_acf33d00	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_acf33d00	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_acf33d00
Whiplash / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
Whiplash / int_ae3d6438	comment	Deadpan Snarker: Both Fletcher and Andrew have their moments. During his angry rant against Fletcher, Andrew insults Connolly by calling him Johnny Utah. When Fletcher responds back to Andrew, he refers to Connolly as Johnny Utah as well. During the scene of Andrew's family dinner, he gets quite acidic with his cousins when it becomes apparent that they value his musical passions less than their own achievements (Model UN, MVP of a Division III football team, etc.), which he finds to be arbitrary.
Whiplash / int_ae3d6438	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_ae3d6438	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_ae3d6438
Whiplash / int_aec3e0b8	type	Glory Hound
Whiplash / int_aec3e0b8	comment	In spite of what Fletcher says about his actions done for the sake of artistic integrity, seeing that he looks down on his students, will lie to cover up his misdeeds, and sabotages his own band to take revenge on a pupil, Fletcher's end goal seems less about keeping a genreâ€™s embers lit and producing greatness and more akin to attaining recognition for himself and securing a legacy in music history.
Whiplash / int_aec3e0b8	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_aec3e0b8	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_aec3e0b8
Whiplash / int_af2547c9	type	Informed Flaw
Whiplash / int_af2547c9	comment	Informed Flaw: In-Universe — Nicole says her mother used to insult her for having a "big chin." It's a key component of Fletcher's "teaching" method — finding minute performance flaws only the most discerning of musical experts would notice, then going ballistic on those who committed them. Fletcher compares Connolly to a leprechaun, and Andrew later refers to him as "that little redhead". Despite these taunts, Connolly is in fact very tall and strapping.
Whiplash / int_af2547c9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_af2547c9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_af2547c9
Whiplash / int_b3d1b7e3	type	Genius Bonus
Whiplash / int_b3d1b7e3	comment	Genius Bonus: Andrew idolizes Buddy Rich. In jazz circles, Buddy Rich was known as an abusive jerk.
Whiplash / int_b3d1b7e3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_b3d1b7e3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_b3d1b7e3
Whiplash / int_b869b5b1	type	Color Motif
Whiplash / int_b869b5b1	comment	Color Motif: Exhibited subtly by Andrew. Per the interpretation of many, his character arc is symbolized through the color of his shirt in several key scenes. He starts the film hopeful with a pure white tee that contrasts Fletcher's black outfit, but ends the film as a hardened machine in the same black as Fletcher, symbolizing his submission to Fletcher's will and his own ambition.
Whiplash / int_b869b5b1	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_b869b5b1	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_b869b5b1
Whiplash / int_b894042e	type	False Dichotomy
Whiplash / int_b894042e	comment	False Dichotomy: Fletcher's general view amounts to this as he says how praising people for the standard prevents them from going further, as evidenced in his "good job" monologue, but he goes the other extreme, offering up nothing but horrific verbal abuse. The idea that a teacher can praise a student for doing well and also push them to be better is something Fletcher doesn't seem to have ever considered, and is a sign that that he just likes being awful to people because he's a bully.
Whiplash / int_b894042e	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_b894042e	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_b894042e
Whiplash / int_bb18a227	type	It's All About Me
Whiplash / int_bb18a227	comment	It's All About Me: In spite of what Fletcher says about his actions done for the sake of artistic integrity, seeing that he looks down on his students, will lie to cover up his misdeeds, and sabotages his own band to take revenge on a pupil, Fletcher's end goal seems less about keeping a genreâ€™s embers lit and producing greatness and more akin to attaining recognition for himself and securing a legacy in music history. Andrew develops this mindset, starting from his snide remarks with his relatives, and it becomes the catalyst to his breakup with Nicole.
Whiplash / int_bb18a227	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_bb18a227	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_bb18a227
Whiplash / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
Whiplash / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: Fletcher tortures his musicians with these, offering a bit of praise or encouragement, only to immediately shift into his usual abusive method of teaching. Andrew discovers this on his first day with the Studio Band.
Whiplash / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_c3c18143
Whiplash / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
Whiplash / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: At one point during Andrew's solo at the end, he starts gradually getting slower and quieter on the snare, to the point where he practically stops playing, and then builds back up again to a thrilling speed and volume. It's something that Andrew's idol, Buddy Rich, was known to do in his solos. At one point, a short stage-hand has the misfortune to walk in during Fletcher yelling at his students. Fletcher calls him Mini-Me. "Fuck off, Johnny Utah! Turn my pages, bitch!" The movie takes clear inspiration and cues from Full Metal Jacket, with Fletcher being a civil version of the Drill Sergeant Nasty.
Whiplash / int_c75df49a	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_c75df49a	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_c75df49a
Whiplash / int_c819533b	type	Rage Breaking Point
Whiplash / int_c819533b	comment	Andrew hitting his Rage Breaking Point should be awesome when he attacks Fletcher for cutting him and showing No Sympathy about the fact that he ran from the scene of a bad car accident to perform. Instead, the other students pull him off because while they may dislike Fletcher, they don't want him or Andrew seriously injured, or for Andrew to stoop to Fletcher's level. The conservatory also expels Andrew for assaulting a teacher, and he refuses to explain why he did so; his father has to convince him to testify anonymously in the Sean Casey case.
Whiplash / int_c819533b	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_c819533b	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_c819533b
Whiplash / int_cbdd9a55	type	We ARE Struggling Together
Whiplash / int_cbdd9a55	comment	We ARE Struggling Together: The Studio Band. Rather than working together out of a love of music, desire to succeed, their shared hardship or even basic courtesy, Fletcher creates such an intense environment of competition, blame, and isolation among bandmates that they will turn on each other for the slightest mistake, just like Fletcher himself. This is best shown in the relationship Andrew has with the other two alternate drummers.
Whiplash / int_cbdd9a55	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_cbdd9a55	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_cbdd9a55
Whiplash / int_ce6487aa	type	Misery Builds Character
Whiplash / int_ce6487aa	comment	Misery Builds Character: The thesis of Fletcher's "Good Job" speech can be summed up as: "Humiliation and self-loathing drive self-improvement, while undeserved praise breeds complacency and mediocrity." This becomes deconstructed as Fletcher's regimen does improve his students' proficiency as musicians, but turns them into cutthroat jerks at best, and renders them psychologically broken at worst.
Whiplash / int_ce6487aa	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_ce6487aa	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_ce6487aa
Whiplash / int_d397657d	type	Hoist by His Own Petard
Whiplash / int_d397657d	comment	Fletcher's abuse was bound to backfire either in the form of one of his students getting fed up with his abuse and attacking him or people seeking legal action, such as Sean Casey's parents wanting him fired. Fletcher even lampshades it at the beginning of the third act when he remarks that his actions may have made him "a few enemies".
Whiplash / int_d397657d	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_d397657d	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_d397657d
Whiplash / int_d66cd0e6	type	Training from Hell
Whiplash / int_d66cd0e6	comment	Training from Hell: Fletcher's modus operandi for making students great musicians is essentially this. Most notably, in one scene, Andrew, Carl, and Ryan are put through an exhausting practice session that goes on for hours into the night.
Whiplash / int_d66cd0e6	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_d66cd0e6	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_d66cd0e6
Whiplash / int_d99a228f	type	Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Whiplash / int_d99a228f	comment	Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Fletcher, his co-players and the judges at one of the competitions all under-react to Andrew coming in covered in blood. It is one of the few times we see Fletcher off-balance, though.
Whiplash / int_d99a228f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_d99a228f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_d99a228f
Whiplash / int_dcbe8a6e	type	Chekhov's Gunman
Whiplash / int_dcbe8a6e	comment	Chekhov's Gunman: Ryan Connolly is introduced as the lower-level band's core drummer, who loses to Andrew in the auditions for Fletcher's band. Fletcher later recruits him as the core drummer over Andrew and Tanner as an incentive for Andrew to improve. A variant with Sean Casey. Fletcher refers to him quickly in passing as having died. His parents then bring a case against Fletcher for driving him to suicide.
Whiplash / int_dcbe8a6e	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_dcbe8a6e	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_dcbe8a6e
Whiplash / int_e0937841	type	Commended for Pushback
Whiplash / int_e0937841	comment	Commended for Pushback: After being sabotaged by Fletcher, Andrew walks offstage humiliated, but chooses to return to the drums and cuts off Fletcher's introduction of the next piece by starting "Caravan" and cueing the band himself. Fletcher reluctantly resumes conducting, and over the course of the song and Andrew's unexpected solo afterwards, he goes from furiously threatening to gouge Andrew's eyes out to being genuinely impressed, working alongside him, and finally giving him a nod of approval at the end.
Whiplash / int_e0937841	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e0937841	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e0937841
Whiplash / int_e2f13529	type	World of Jerkass
Whiplash / int_e2f13529	comment	World of Jerkass: The majority of the Shaffer environment we see surrounding Andrew is comprised of students of Fletcher who can be just as competitive and nasty towards each other as him.
Whiplash / int_e2f13529	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e2f13529	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e2f13529
Whiplash / int_e567510d	type	Determinator
Whiplash / int_e567510d	comment	Sorry, Andrew — no amount of blind determination is going to get you through a performance after just having been T-boned by a truck.
Whiplash / int_e567510d	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e567510d	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e567510d
Whiplash / int_e603890a	type	Artistic License â€“ Music
Whiplash / int_e603890a	comment	Artistic License â€“ Music: While the film is very popular among non-musicians, jazz musicians tend to agree that while it gets some details right, it mainly treats jazz as a vehicle to tell its story, and there are an awful lot of things it gets wrong: Fletcher's treatment of Andrew is not something that a jazz teacher in a real school would inflict on a student, because the teacher would know perfectly well that he could get fired for it. This comes to bite him in the ass later on. The "jazz" that Fletcher plays in the Greenwich Village jazz club doesn't even remotely resemble jazz you'd hear in an actual New York City jazz club, and comes off more like a parody of the "Starbucks jazz" that Fletcher supposedly dislikes. This is because composer Justin Hurwitz, on his own admission, had a background more in classical music, and had never listened to much jazz before Damien Chazelle played him some. The scene where Fletcher calls a tempo and insists that Andrew get it exactly right is not something jazz students get taught, because they don't need to have memorized tempos. What they are trained to do is keep a consistent tempo. Then again, this may be to highlight Fletcher's draconian teaching methods. It's next to impossible to punch through a snare drum head. They are designed to withstand being struck repeatedly. Andrew tries to increase his speed by 30 BPM all in one go. This is meant to be played as a result of Fletcher's psychopathic teachings, but even with that in mind, he'd never succeed like he does in the movie; trying to up the practice speed like he does (essentially just flailing his wrists at a ridiculously higher speed than he is comfortable with) would do nothing but hurt your wrists. To represent how hard he's playing, Andrew frequently starts bleeding ludicrous amounts. As real drummers noted, the only explanation for the amount of blood that comes out is that he has hemophilia; while it's possible for someone to start bleeding if they chock the cymbal or hit a rim shot wrong, there's nowhere near as much blood involved even in the worst-case scenario. Substitute drummers don't sit on stage behind the core drummer, as Andrew does, waiting for a chance to play something. Fletcher talks about someone in a band being "promoted" from third trumpet to first trumpet. The trumpet desks in a big band aren't arranged in a hierarchy like that. They have different roles, all of them equally important. So, for instance, the first trumpet player will specialize in high notes, fourth trumpet might specialize in playing the flugelhorn, and second trumpet specializes in solos. Veteran drummer Peter Erskine is not the only jazz musician to note that hardly anybody in the film seems to actually enjoy music: they treat it more like a brutal competitive sport. The student characters aren't constantly discussing great music they've checked out recently the way actual jazz students do. You can easily tell who's an actual professional musician and who's not based on who's doing the best at miming playing their instruments. The ones with speaking roles generally don't do as good a job as the others, a somewhat unavoidable case since to get a speaking role in a Hollywood production, you must be a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and most career musicians aren't going to go through the trouble of getting a union card.
Whiplash / int_e603890a	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e603890a	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e603890a
Whiplash / int_e8ca5cb3	type	Freudian Slip
Whiplash / int_e8ca5cb3	comment	Freudian Slip: Two examples are justified by the implication of literal-mindedness invoked by Fletcher during Neiman's initial session with his core players. The first slip is when Andrew loses the music sheet for "Whiplash", and the second slip is when he misplaces his drum sticks in the administration room of the car rental outlet. During Fletcher's pep talk with Andrew prior to his debut with his core players, Fletcher coaxes Andrew to acknowledge verbally that everything happens for a reason; then, during Fletcher's first constructive critique of Andrew's performance, he demands that he acknowledge verbally his state of being — that he's "upset". These two key points of dialogue partially construct a setting that fuses actions as statements: Andrew loses the sheet music because he doesn't want to be a second-call drummer, and he misplaces his drum sticks because he doesn't want to be Fletcher's core player (the regression of desire stems from Andrew's perception of Fletcher mistreating him rather than constructively criticizing him).
Whiplash / int_e8ca5cb3	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e8ca5cb3	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e8ca5cb3
Whiplash / int_e9e35e8f	type	Exact Words
Whiplash / int_e9e35e8f	comment	Exact Words: When Fletcher states that he has an out-of-tune player, he singles out the trombonists, approaches one of them (Metz), and makes two very deliberately worded statements — "Tell me it's not you." and "Do you think you're out of tune?" After Metz sheepishly says yes to the latter, to which Fletcher explodes and throws him out of the band, he casually reveals that he wasn't actually out of tune at all, but him thinking that he was out of tune was bad enough. This indicates that the whole thing was a means by Fletcher to test Metz's self-confidence more than what he was playing, although one can hardly blame Metz for folding under Fletcher's intimidation tactics.
Whiplash / int_e9e35e8f	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_e9e35e8f	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_e9e35e8f
Whiplash / int_eb8ec7c8	type	Jerkass
Whiplash / int_eb8ec7c8	comment	Jerkass: Fletcher conducts a band that plays jazz: a genre built on improvisation, experimentation, and flexibility, but he behaves like a hardcore drill instructor in and out of class who goes out of his way to personally destroy anyone trying anything different. One of our first introductions to him is holding Andrew's first class in contempt. He's a vain tyrant who, in the end of the film, sabotages his own performance in an effort to take petty vengeance on a former student. Andrew becomes one — openly mocking his uncle and cousins to their face over them asking if he's got friends, callously dumping his girlfriend to focus on his work (after growing incredibly distant and condescending towards her), calling a (now former) friend's drumming "shitty" when said friend's accepted into Fletcher's class and threatens Andrew's position, and becoming extremely arrogant. The rest of Fletcher's class, so strung out by his constant abuse, becomes a bunch of tightly wound jerks who will viciously turn on anyone who threatens them falling from their positions in the class.
Whiplash / int_eb8ec7c8	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_eb8ec7c8	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_eb8ec7c8
Whiplash / int_ee7a60e9	type	One-Steve Limit
Whiplash / int_ee7a60e9	comment	One-Steve Limit: Kind of averted. Fletcher is set on to find his next Charlie Parker and references Eugene O'Neill in his first verbal abuse of Andrew, and he also has two players named Parker and Eugene in his band.
Whiplash / int_ee7a60e9	featureApplicability	-1.0
Whiplash / int_ee7a60e9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_ee7a60e9
Whiplash / int_ef54d219	type	Footsie Under the Table
Whiplash / int_ef54d219	comment	Footsie Under the Table: Nicole gives Andrew's foot the slightest nudge under the table during their first date at the pizza place.
Whiplash / int_ef54d219	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_ef54d219	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_ef54d219
Whiplash / int_fdfd52d9	type	Gross-Up Close-Up
Whiplash / int_fdfd52d9	comment	Gross-Up Close-Up: Whenever Andrew bloodies his hands, the camera zooms in for unnerving effect. At one point, a trombone player empties the spit valve in his trombone. We're treated to a loving fountain of the stuff hitting the deck. For some reason, Andrew grimaces as if he's never seen such a thing before.
Whiplash / int_fdfd52d9	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_fdfd52d9	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_fdfd52d9
Whiplash / int_fe64d5a1	type	Evil Is Petty
Whiplash / int_fe64d5a1	comment	Evil is Petty: Fletcher is willing to sabotage an entire concert just to get back at the person who got him fired.
Whiplash / int_fe64d5a1	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_fe64d5a1	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_fe64d5a1
Whiplash / int_ff17ccf1	type	Innocently Insensitive
Whiplash / int_ff17ccf1	comment	Innocently Insensitive: Andrew's extended family come across as being dismissive of his achievements in becoming the core drummer in Fletcher's band, though more out of a lack of knowledge or understanding on the subject than pure disinterest. To their credit, they make a genuine effort to talk to him about it, and it is ultimately Andrew who comes off worse in the scene for openly calling his cousins' accomplishments as athletes lesser than his own as a musician. Andrew attempts to inquire Nicole about her major during their first date, and acts somewhat condescending when she reveals that she has yet to figure out what she wants to study. While this is one of the earliest indicators that Andrew is something of a Jerkass by nature, he is also someone who lives his life passionately pursuing a single interest and clearly did not intend to offend her with his questions.
Whiplash / int_ff17ccf1	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_ff17ccf1	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_ff17ccf1
Whiplash / int_name	type	ItemName
Whiplash / int_name	comment
Whiplash / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Whiplash / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Whiplash	hasFeature	Whiplash / int_name
Whiplash / int_name	itemName	Whiplash

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Supergirl / Comicbook	seeAlso	Whiplash
Whiplash	hasFeature	Absurdly Short Production Time / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	All Drummers Are Animals / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Anti-Mentor / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Artistic License â€“ Music / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Atomic F-Bomb / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Award Category Fraud / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Bait the Dog / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Bald of Evil / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Bested by the Inexperienced / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Blofeld Ploy / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Commended for Pushback / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Compartment Shot / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Control Freak / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Drill Sergeant Nasty / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Dumb and Drummer / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Ends with a Smile / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Evil Teacher / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	False Dichotomy / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Films of 2010â€“2014 / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Honor Thy Abuser / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Left It In / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Misery Builds Character / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Monochrome Casting / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Motivational Lie / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Revenge Before Reason / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Sadist Teacher / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Single Tear / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Smile of Approval / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	Surprise Car Crash / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	The Svengali / int_deb863bc
Whiplash	hasFeature	"The Villain Knows" Moment / int_deb863bc
Whiplash (Music)	seeAlso	Whiplash

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.