Joshua Lee

Amazing movie. I've been on a movie binge recently and I believe what separates good from great is the amount of heart one can feel from them. The acting is phenomenal and the atmosphere complements the grungy, raw emotions that the film portrays. I can see why people feel that the ending was a bit too abrupt and lacked "closure", but in my opinion the movie was never about the destination but about the trifles of the journey. Honestly I thought that the ending was such a beautiful release of the emotions the movie built up to that point. Its a little strange to me to see bad ratings for this movie for "glorifying abuse". Simmons' character is never glorified in this movie and bullying is never excused. It's like saying Avatar promotes colonialism or, god forbid, the Incredibles promotes discrimination. Simmons' role portrays the ugly side of chasing dreams, and the dangers of self-righteousness. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys raw feeling dramas - the kind that makes you feel the ups and downs of the human experience even if you've never played an instrument in your life. A mature and engaging movie, Whiplash went above and beyond.