I respect and admire Bruce Springsteen as a musician, activist, and iconic figure in pop culture. But his genre of music is just not for me. And thus, I knew nothing of his early life or music (I’m a 90s rap and film score guy). But I was interested in what Jeremy Allen White could do portraying his most pivotal musical era: crafting the 1982 album, Nebraska.
That’s what Scott Cooper’s new film, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, is about. Springsteen is a rising star and the record label is demanding his next chart-topping hit(s). The story focuses on the artistic process of isolated songwriting and meticulous audio engineering to bring iconic songs like Born in the U.S.A. and Nebraska to life. That aspect I enjoyed. Trial and error. Sound booth arguments. Scrappy technology. Regardless of familiar tropes, it’s always fascinating to experience the artistic and collaborative mechanics that yielded iconic contributions to popular culture.
Jeremy Allen White has sky-rocketed to super stardom since his Hulu Fx series, The Bear, has dominated the television world the past few years, including the Emmys. In terms of his star status positioning, his rise and trajectory feels similar to that of Timothee Chalamet’s from a few years ago: talented young actor that everyone now wants to cast. Though unlike Chalamet’s great performance as Bob Dylan in last year’s A Complete Unknown, White does not “disappear” into the role, as the trades have claimed. He is a good actor with talent, no doubt. But his kryptonite is lack of range. Delivery, cadence, tone, aura are always the same. From Shameless, to The Bear, to Springsteen, he seemingly able to only play himself. And therefore, this film suffers from a lack of immersion into the life and times of Bruce Springsteen.
The other Jeremy in the film, Jeremy Strong, is excellent, however. Believe what you want about his controversial method acting approach to his roles, the dude always delivers. His portrayal as Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager and producer, is off-the-charts empathetic and supportive of Springsteen’s creative process. The kind of friend and collaborator that an artist could only dream of. Unconditional honesty and determination to reach the endgame of the music.
The backdrop to Springsteen’s creative process for this album in the early 80s flashes back to his childhood in the 50s and the complex relationship that Springsteen has with his abusive (yet loving?) father (played brilliantly by the excellent Stephen Graham). These memories are what drives his loneliness and depression that are the genesis of how these iconic songs turned out.
The structure is fine, and I do not want to diminish the real aspect of Springsteen’s struggles with depression as a result. But from a film standpoint, it’s all just very dull in execution. It’s hard to stay engaged when the majority of the film is White sitting alone in a room thumbing his guitar. This may be a welcomed element for diehard Springsteen fans, but for moviegoers the it is an often boring experience, unfortunately.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is well crafted and has some great performances except for White, which is the most striking indictment of the film. It’s worth watching if you’re a Brucehead, but if you were hoping for a transformative biopic to spend two hours with, look elsewhere.
