Brutal is an understatement. He is terrifying. Old school teacher. Reminds me of a primary school teacher I used to have. Threw chairs, pencils. Foamed at the mouth when shouting. Drank rum from a hip flask in his desk. Well guess what - it fucking worked. No bullshit, everybody paid attention. I think I wet myself a couple of times during this film! Id recommend a nappy, catheter or other appropriate sanitary product for viewers with a nervous disposition.
Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an influential and ruthless tutor at the Schaffer Conservatory of Music in New York who discovers a young first year student Andrew Nieman (Miles Teller) practicing his drums and notices he has something special. Fletcher puts him through his paces (literally!) to get the best out of him. However his methods are cruel, emotionally devastating and sometimes convoluted.
As the story progresses, Nieman makes many sacrifices and alienates his family. A great scene occurs at his family's dinner table where the 'dumb jock' character is doted by his family for his minor achievements in american football, and Nieman is quickly forgotten until he bites back with a scathing assessment of what he sees as pathetic achievements in comparison to his talent, showing him at his most passionate.
Niemans evolution from extremely nervous to utmost dedication and fiery temperament is very believable. His father, played by Paul Reiser who doesn't fully understand his son, but is always there for him is also a very convincing (if only minor) performance.
Very watchable, I almost looked forward to seeing it again as soon as the last cymbal sounded out. Its impressively easy to root for the main character, and sympathise with Fletcher as he is chastised for his unorthodox teaching approach. It makes you wish you had a Fletcher in your life to motivate you to reach your full potential. Oh yeah, the drumming is pretty good too!
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