Movie Reviews
Jeremy Allen White is a bright spot, but “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is a boring, interminable slog.
In the fall of 1981, on the precipice of a career breakout, Bruce Springsteen retreated from the spotlight to his rural New Jersey home with nothing but an outdated four-track recorder and a notebook. The resulting album, the stripped-down, anti-commercial “Nebraska,” is one of Springsteen’s most personal works and one of his greatest triumphs.
The new biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” focuses almost exclusively on the production of “Nebraska” and the personal anguish Springsteen channeled into the work. The resulting film is a faithful adaptation of Warren Zanes’ book about that period in Springsteen’s life, when he was consumed by a deep depression.
When a bevy of record executives question the commercial appeal of “Nebraska” in the movie, you can imagine director Scott Cooper facing a similar line of questioning about his vision for this film. “Deliver Me from Nowhere” tries to subvert the conventional biopic template by slowing down and telling a focused, highly personal story. But the result is a film that drags unnecessarily while still unable to break free from the trappings of its genre.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” begins with a shot of adrenaline, showing Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”) on stage as he shouts himself hoarse to “Born to Run.” It’s the end of The River Tour, and Bruce’s manager Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong, “Succession”) is eager for what’s next.
At first, Bruce seems ready to play along, after a short break in his hometown. But it quickly becomes clear that he has some issues to work through. He can’t sit still, singing night after night at the Stone Pony club in Asbury Park. He can’t connect emotionally, keeping his new love interest, Faye (Odessa Young) at an arm’s distance. And he’s unable to let go of an unspoken trauma that is holding him in place.
The prime culprit, as we learn through black and white flashbacks, is Bruce’s father (Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”). These scenes are so repetitive and nonspecific that they quickly blend together – and could honestly apply to any number of Baby Boomers raised by an emotionally unavailable alcoholic. Perhaps the vagueness is intentional because Bruce has yet to acknowledge and process his trauma. Regardless, it doesn’t make for compelling viewing.
Amidst these intrusions, Bruce begins to work on “Nebraska,” mining sob stories from movies, books, and anything else that crosses his field of vision. Springsteen superfans will likely enjoy watching the genesis of each track of the album captured on screen. (I’ll admit, I was excited to learn that Springsteen pulled inspiration from Terence Malick’s 1973 film “Badlands” for the title track.) But by the third or fourth iteration, this trick wears thin. There’s nothing particularly compelling, for example, about watching Bruce drive up to a mansion on a hill, stare at it, and then write a song called “Mansion On A Hill”.
While the film itself is poorly structured and listless, the performances at the center of “Deliver Me from Nowhere” are a bright spot. White, who relies on a mixture of Springsteen’s vocals and his own during the film’s musical performances, both looks and sounds the part.
The Emmy-winning actor has plenty of experience playing a volatile, emotionally repressed genius on “The Bear,” and his Springsteen is just the right mix of flinty and vulnerable. Watching Bruce slowly transition from telling the tragic stories of others on “Nebraska” to verbalizing his own problems is an emotionally satisfying arc, even if it takes too long to get there.
As Landau, Strong is also quite good. His and Bruce’s relationship is the only stable one in the whole film, mostly because a man in Landau’s position recognizes his primary directive is to do everything in his power to help Springsteen succeed. Unconditional support is what Bruce needs, and Jon can give it to him.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” deserves a bit of credit for attempting something unconventional. By capturing a low point in Springsteen’s life, it humanizes a rock legend and mostly avoids the pratfalls of music biopics that play like visualized Wikipedia pages. It also serves as a reminder that the debilitating power of depression can affect anyone, regardless of wealth or talent. But at the end of the day, “Deliver Me from Nowhere” feels like being stuck in a low-grade depressive episode: It’s a boring, never-ending slog in which even the most thrilling moments struggle to break through the fog.
Rating: ** (out of 4)
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is now in theaters.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
