Is Miles Teller the new Tom Hanks?

First a housekeeping note. I don't intend to post any photos on this blog. Not one. The reason is I just read someone else's blog about being sued for using a photo, and she thought she had taken every precaution necessary, so since I'm just doing this for fun, and not trying to make money, nor do I even care how big of an audience I get (it's meant for my family and friends more than anything), it's not worth of hassle of trying to post safely. 

Now, back to the promised headline subject. Comparing Miles Teller to Tom Hanks could be a compliment or not...I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. I happened to watch three of his (Teller's) movies this week, and there were some things to observe. First, he's got real acting chops, which is best evident in Whiplash. Of course J.K. Simmons got a zillion awards, and Miles Teller didn't get any that I know of. He should have at least gotten an MTV award for heaven's sake. That drumming was his, and I swear when you look at his face in those intense drumming scenes, it really does feel like you're looking into someone's soul. (I thought about saying "tortured soul", but that only applies part of the time. There are actually many different emotional layers.)  The other thing that makes him like Hanks is that he's not super-duper attractive, and yet he's good enough looking with a suave charm that is very appealing. He comes across as someone you might actually know, which is not something you can say for all the model Hollywood types out there. 

The Spectacular Now and Two Night Stand are both what I would call "millennial romances", the latter being a romantic comedy. I had already seen The Spectacular Now, but I saw it before Shailene Woodley was ever on my radar from The Fault in Our Stars and the inferior dystopian teen angst sci-fi melodrama, Divergent Series (which happens to also feature Teller; apparently they're friends in real life). So especially after seeing Teller in Whiplash, I wanted to give it a second look. And it turns out that while The Spectacular Now is the real deal--great script, wonderful cast, beautifully directed--it presents Miles Teller with a dangerous prospect of being typecast as this sort of carefree, cool cat-type of guy who appears shallow on the surface, but eventually surprises you with tenderness and emotional depth. I say this because that's what you get in Two Night Stand as well: a very similar character, but not nearly as developed. 

But the one worth talking about is Whiplash. In our house, we use VOD (video on demand) and not usually until it's free, so I ended up waiting a long time to see this one. Yes, Simmons deserved every one of those awards. A fascinating character in a fascinating film. You don't really know if he's a complete sociopathic monster, or if there's a human being hiding somewhere in there. There are times you think you know the answer, and then the rug gets pulled out from under you. In the end, it was pretty ambiguous to me. It was unclear whether the Teller character won his personal battle or lost it. Did he have to lose his soul to get his drive of greatness? When the credits roll, I wasn't sure if the two rivals were still bitter enemies, or if there was a possible friendship. At the very least, there was some kind of connection, but what exactly was at the heart of that? These were all very compelling issues, and it took two incredible actors to create that dramatic symphony, not only one.

(Sorry, I'll dispense with the obvious metaphors from now on.)  I did have a few problems with the script. I thought it was under-developed, which is surprising, considering it was extended from what was initially a short. Teller's relationship with his dad was a little confusing; sometimes the dad seemed supportive; other times aloof. There are scenes that don't make a lot of sense, such as the family dinner scene, where Teller and some other men his age are sparring over whose accomplishments are the most impressive. It felt irrelevant to me because there had been no establishment of their relationship before in the film, and there would be none later. So why even bother with those characters at all?  I wasn't even clear on who they were...his brothers, I assume? Similarly, there is the matter of the extremely brief romantic relationship that basically ends as soon as it begins. There is no middle. There is no exploring what these two people mean to each other, which is why the breakup doesn't have the impact that it should. There ought to have been one more scene exploring the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the two characters. I feel like there were crucial scenes that must have been left on the cutting room floor. I don't have the DVD, so I don't know. 

But in spite of its imperfections, I was glad to finally see Whiplash, and Teller at his best. It's a movie that will make you think and feel. And at the end, you may not even be sure what it is exactly that you're feeling.