Reviews
Springsteen: Deliver me from nowhere
If you have seen one musical biopic in the past five years, you have seen them all. That was the only thought that crossed my mind as I left the cinema after watching Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. The film is not bad in itself, but it does not offer anything new or particularly interesting. If you tried to guess the storyline based on other recent biopics, you would probably be right.
Coming from writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere adapts Warren Zanes’ book of the same name and centres on Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) as he writes the now-iconic album Nebraska in 1982. After completing a hugely successful tour, Springsteen finds himself in a confused creative state that drives him into relative seclusion. He retreats to a remote house in New Jersey near his childhood home, where he is forced to confront past trauma and an intensifying struggle with depression. Throughout this period, his empathetic manager and producer Jon (Jeremy Strong) remains a steady presence, doing everything possible to ensure the record gets made.
The film also explores Springsteen’s personal life at the time. Sporadic flashbacks reveal a complex and often troubled upbringing, showing a father (Stephen Graham) who could be abusive, alongside a patient mother (Gaby Hoffman) who consistently has Bruce’s best interests at heart. Springsteen’s tentative romantic relationship with Faye (Odessa Young), the younger sister of a high school acquaintance, adds another dimension, though their connection at times feels more like a staged meet-cute orchestrated by a devoted fan than a fully formed romance.
There are multiple angles and avenues that Cooper attempts to explore in the film, all of which are interesting but ultimately feel underdeveloped. The dynamics between Springsteen and his father, as well as his relationship with his manager Jon, present potentially pivotal and life-altering moments, yet they are never examined in any real depth. Instead, the film spends more time on the romance with Faye than on these crucial relationships. The same issue arises with Springsteen’s mental health struggles. While his depression and inner turmoil are clearly part of the story, they are never explored with the detail and nuance needed to make the film emotionally resonant, particularly for men navigating struggles similar to those Springsteen faced.
Jeremy Allen White is very good as Springsteen. Much of the pre-release buzz has focused on his awards potential, and for good reason. There is an intensity to his performance that, despite the forgettable nature of many parts of the narrative, ensures that his portrayal never feels diminished. I was particularly impressed with his emotional range, capturing Springsteen’s struggles in an incredibly believable way. His musical performances are also stellar, which was a pleasant surprise, as I did not know he had that skill in his repertoire.
Jeremy Strong also deserves just as much recognition as White. Every film he appears in, he elevates, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is no exception. Playing a sympathetic manager who is also a shrewd businessman is not an easy task, particularly when balancing genuine empathy, yet Strong makes it feel completely natural. His performance is quietly commanding, and he may well deserve as much awards buzz as White for his work here.
Visually, the film has some spectacular sequences, particularly in the second half. I am an absolute sucker for wide, sprawling shots of nature and beautiful scenery, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere delivers several of those while maintaining an authentic 1980s aesthetic. As expected, the soundtrack is fantastic, though with Bruce Springsteen’s music, that is really the bare minimum anyone could reasonably hope for.
And yet, despite all its strengths, I cannot help but feel a little disappointed and underwhelmed. The film feels remarkably similar to last year’s Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. It goes through the motions, doing nothing to challenge, offend, or stand out, simply following the expected formula. Fans of Springsteen will likely appreciate the detailed look into a specific period of his life and struggles, but I am not sure the film will do much to entice new audiences to the cinema.
