History Film / Whiplash

* AdultFear: [[spoiler:Watching your child push themself completely past the brink of their physical and mental health to gain the respect of (and later choosing) an abusive authority figure certainly qualifies.]]

** 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. (To be fair, this may be purposeful due to the extremely tense and competitive environment Fletcher creates.)

** 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.

** Sorry Andrew, no amount of [[{{Determinator}} blind determination]] is going to get you through a performance [[spoiler:after just getting out of a car accident.]]
** Andrew [[spoiler:hitting his RageBreakingPoint should be awesome when he attacks Fletcher for cutting him and showing NoSympathy about the fact that he walked off a bad car accident to perform. Instead, the other students pull him off because 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]].

* TranquilFury: 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 [[DisappointedInYou "You're done."]]

* UngratefulBastard: 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.[[note]][[http://screencrush.com/whiplash-damien-chazelle/ In an unscripted stinger ending discussed in an interview]], Fletcher even goes as far as to call Andrew an "Ungrateful Fucking Brat" at Andrew's funeral.[[/note]]

** According to [[WordOfGod Damien Chazelle]], they weren't. [[spoiler:In an [[http://screencrush.com/whiplash-damien-chazelle/ interview with him]], he stated that, if he were to include a stinger, he would have Andrew die of a drug overdose in his early 30s à la Charlie Parker, then have Fletcher call Andrew "[[SpeakIllOfTheDead that ungrateful fucking brat]]" at his funeral.]]

** Near the climax of the movie, Fletcher invites Andrew to play for his new band like an old friend. Just as they take the stage, he drops a bomb on him:

** During his angry rant against Fletcher, Andrew insults Connolly by calling him Johnny Utah, then 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, which he finds to be arbitrary.

''[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine The road to greatness can take you to the edge.]]]]''

'''Aunt Emma''': And Dustin heading up Model UN, soon-to-be-Rhodes-Scholar or who knows what, Jim "Teacher of the Year"... I mean, the talent at this table -- it's stunning. (''{{beat}}'') And Andrew. With his drumming.

* PapaWolf: Downplayed with Andrew's father Jim. Although he is angered greatly when [[AdultFear he realizes]] [[KickTheDog 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.

* AdultFear:
** The idea that someone can kill your dreams, just because you fail to meet impossible standards. Not helping is that Fletcher is implied to be sexist, given no female students are in his band.
** Andrew's father Jim is ''not pleased'' when he learns not only of the abuse his son endured under Fletcher, but also how [[spoiler:another parent's son committed suicide after studying under said same [[SadistTeacher teacher]] who went on to cover up said incident.]]

[Andrew resumes playing]\\

[Andrew stops playing again]\\

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine ''The road to greatness can take you to the edge.'']]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: ''[[TagLine The road to greatness can take you to the edge.'']]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: Don't slow down.]]

** According to [[WordOfGod Damien Chazelle]], they weren't. [[spoiler:In an [[http://screencrush.com/whiplash-damien-chazelle/ interview with Damien Chazelle]], the director stated that, if he were to include a stinger, he would have Andrew die of a drug overdose in his early 30s à la Charlie Parker, then have Fletcher call Andrew an "[[SpeakIllOfTheDead ungrateful fucking brat]]" at his funeral.]]

* JadedWashout: 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.

* JerkJock: Played with by 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.

** Nicole seems to be the Only Sane Woman. 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 single-minded Andrew, the manipulative Fletcher, and Andrew's unambitious father Jim.
** Andrew's Uncle Frank may be an Only Sane Man 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.

** Andrew is also fond of this at times, although his tend to be a ''lot'' shorter. "Four words you'll never hear from the NFL" and "FUCK YOU, JOHNNY UTAH, TURN MY PAGES, BITCH" qualify, although neither are really "speeches".

** However, this modification of the story could very easily be deliberate on his end as a psychological tactic and to further give credibility to his "humiliation breeds greatness" agenda.

* JerkJock: Played with by Fletcher'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.

* ColorMotif: Exhibited by Andrew. [[spoiler:His character arc is subtly symbolized through the color of his shirt. He starts the film hopeful with a [[LightIsGood pure white tee]] that contrasts Fletcher's [[DarkIsEvil 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.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: During his angry rant against Fletcher, Andrew insults Connolly by calling him Johnny Utah, then when Fletcher responds back to Andrew, he refers to Connolly as Johnny Utah as well.

** Andrew himself is introduced in a montage of furious drumming and sweat, which effectively sets his personality as a [[{{Determinator}} determinator]]. There's even a hint of smugness when Fletcher asks him why he stops playing.

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The dinner scene sets up such a dynamic with Andrew very clearly being the Zoidberg of his family, with his musical achievements being completely buried under those of his cousins and father.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Highly debatable considering [[{{Jerkass}} his character]] Fletcher seems hesitant to start the band in the second act [[spoiler:after he notices Neiman injured and covered in blood from the car accident he just got, almost as if he realized he might have pushed him too far. [[KickTheDog However, he still uses it as an opportunity to insult Neiman and ultimately kick him off the stage.]]]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Fletcher seems hesitant to start the band in the second act [[spoiler:after he notices Neiman injured and covered in blood from the car accident he just got, almost as if he realized he might have pushed him too far. [[KickTheDog However, he still uses it as an opportunity to insult Neiman and ultimately kick him off the stage.]]]]

* FootsieUnderTheTable: Nicole does this to Andrew during their first date at the pizza place.

* WasItReallyWorthIt: The audience is left to question whether Andrew's accomplishments are worth the tradeoff of alienating his friends and family, [[SanitySlippage the deterioration of his mental state]], forsaking his [[NoRespectGuy self-respect and self-worth]] [[SadistTeacher to somebody]] [[DudeWheresMyRespect who never respects him]], and [[TookALevelInJerkass becoming as callous and abrasive as the mentor training him]].

* {{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 [[spoiler:Andrew's long, extravagant drum solo]] was really worth it. Nicole calls Andrew out on this during their breakup.

** Andrew himself is introduced in a montage of furious drumming and sweat, which effectively sets his personality as a [[TheDeterminator determinator]]. There's even a hint of smugness when Fletcher asks him why he stops 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 ExtremeDoormat that lacks the resolve needed to stand up for himself.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Fletcher seems hesitant to start the band in the second act [[spoiler:after he noticed Neiman injured and covered in blood from the car accident he just got, almost as if he realized he might have pushed him too far. [[KickTheDog Although he still uses it as an opportunity to insult Neiman and ultimately kicks him off the stage.]]]]

* TheExtremistWasRight: Deconstructed. [[spoiler:[[SadistTeacher Fletcher]] ultimately succeeds in fostering the "Great Musician" he aspired to see in his lifetime, albeit at the cost [[FiredTeacher of his teaching career]] and [[SanitySlippage his own student's mental health]]]].

* FreudianSlip: Two examples are [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the [[ImpliedTrope implication]] of [[LiteralMinded literal mindedness]] [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Fletcher during Neiman's initial session with his core players. [[spoiler: 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 rentals 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". [[spoiler: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).]]
* GoneHorriblyRight: 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 ego-centrism and loss of tactfulness, which alienates Nicole for good. [[spoiler:He does end up reaching new heights at his drumming, but on the way, he alienates everyone and loses his own self-respect]].

A 2014 psychological drama written and directed by Creator/DamienChazelle, and starring Creator/MilesTeller as Andrew Neiman, a young {{jazz}} drummer with [[IJustWantToBeSpecial aspirations of becoming one of the great musicians]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whiplash14.jpg]]

A 2014 psychological drama directed by Creator/DamienChazelle and starring Creator/MilesTeller as Andrew Neiman, a young {{jazz}} drummer with [[IJustWantToBeSpecial aspirations of becoming one of the great musicians]].