While it is still fresh in my mind I want to write about this film. Unusually for us, we went to a late afternoon show which took us almost to dinner time and I am writing this just before I have my dinner so that I don’t lose the enthusiasm for the review.
It has been a long time since I have seen a movie of such raw human emotions on display. A hard driving mentor, an ambitious mentee and jazz thrown in makes for a heady combination. Add to that, the human element of a competitive if somewhat pedestrian family background and a little bit of romance, and it makes for a perfect drama.
The movie revolves around just the two protagonists, the band leader and mentor played by J.K. Simmons in a powerful portrayal and the mentee and drummer played by Miles Teller in an equally powerful portrayal. Throw in the superb and tight direction by Damien Chazelle and you have a potent mixture that offers just short of two hours of gripping viewing of high drama.
No fights or car chases, no big romance or titillating scenes. Just plain drama and some excellent jazz music. I give it [rating=6] rating without the least hesitation and recommend it to people who are interested in jazz, and human drama.