Each weekend a profile on a just-opened Oscar contender. Here's abstew on this weekend's new release, a hit at Sundance that just played the New York Film Festival.
J.K. Simmons as Fletcher in Whiplash
Born: Jonathan Kimble Simmons was born January 9, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan
The Role: Writer/Director Damien Chazelle's festival hit first came to attention with its screenplay that was featured on the annual Black List in 2012. The film follows a first year drum major (Miles Teller) at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory of Music that joins the elite Jazz orchestra headed by a sadistic conductor named Terence Fletcher (Simmons). Fletcher is well respected and can make or break a young musician's career, although his methods of achieving perfection (violent outbursts, name calling, and physical abuse when he actually throws a chair at Teller) are somewhat unconventional.
To fund the feature length film, Chazelle first made an 18-minute short (an excerpt of the complete script) that was shown at Sundance in 2013, with Simmons as Fletcher, that won the Jury Award in short film. When it came time to make the full-length film, there was talk of re-casting Fletcher with a bigger name (Kevin Spacey, Kevin Kline, and Jeff Daniels were all considered), but Simmons ultimately was able to reprise the role he created. And the film received the Audience Award and top Jury Prize when it premiered at Sundance this past January.
Previous Brushes With Oscar: Simmons has been apart of every single film from Oscar-nominated writer/director Jason Reitman (who is also a producer on Whiplash). He appeared as Juno's father in the Best Picture nominated Juno and as one of the many employees fired by George Clooney in Up in the Air, which was also a Best Picture nominee. Simmons also appeared in the 1999 Best Picture nominated film The Cider House Rules which won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Michael Caine, the same award Simmons is looking to be nominated for this year.
What Critics Are Saying:
For his part, Simmons has the great good fortune for a character actor to have here found a co-lead part he can really run with, which is what he excitingly does with a man who is profane, way out of bounds and, like many a good villain, utterly compelling.
-Todd McCarthy The Hollywood Reporter
Mr. Simmons, usually relegated to portraying benevolent paternity (“Juno”) or wild eccentricity (J. Jonah Jameson in the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” series), has seldom had the opportunity or screen time to create anything as fully realized as Fletcher—or as beguilingly loathsome.
-John Anderson The Wall Street Journal
As an actor, Simmons is usually self-contained to the point of spookiness, but his Fletcher is so inscrutable he’s bloodcurdling.
-David Edelstein New York Magazine
Any fond memories you might have of a quirky Simmons ("Juno"), a whimsical Simmons, an empathetic Simmons, will cease to exist. The words "not my tempo" will strike dread, and not just in the hearts of his students. Fletcher's words carry the same fearsome power whether a whisper or a shout. He can move from punisher to benefactor, grimace morphing into approving smile in a heartbeat. Simmons has never been better.
-Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times
My Take: Caustic, abrasive, and belligerent aren't usually the words one would use to describe an effective teacher, but Simmons' Fletcher will hardly be winning any teacher of the year prizes. Believing that fear and aggression are the best way to push an artist to his potential, he manipulates students by gaining personal information about them and then using that knowledge as ammunition in his twisted head games. Completely loathsome in every way, his use of homophobic slurs kept me from ever relishing the scenery chewing that Simmons does. Instead of a villain we love to hate, I found myself just actively hating this character that has no redeeming qualities. He even falsifies his glimmers of humanity. But Simmons barrels into the role with complete gusto, giving Fletcher exactly what the film asks of him, unafraid to show the monster he is.
Fun Fact: Although his voice is scary and menacing in Whiplash, Simmons has actually been the voice of the dimwitted yellow peanut M & M since the late 90's.
Probability of a Nomination: Very Likely. Best Supporting Actor is always the hardest category to get a read on, especially with early predictions. But Simmons, since Sundance in January, has always been part of the conversation. The film is earning raves and could be a potential word-of-mouth hit (my audience burst into applause at the end of the film). Plus, Simmons is a respected character actor with the role of a lifetime, a nomination seems pretty secure.
Whiplash opened in NY and LA yesterday. Check out the film's website to see when it opens in your city.