Bringing the story behind the making of ‘Nebraska’ along with the ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ album was as harrowing as Scott Cooper (The Pale Blue Eye, Antlers) trying to capture this era of Bruce Springsteen’s life in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Telling this haunting backstory was as bold as when Springsteen first released the album ‘Nebraska’ with no marketing, press, or tour. This film told an emotionally deeper story about the man nicknamed “The Boss,” whose mental health as a rising star struggled to find itself amid the noise.
Based on the 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere by Warren Zanes, the film chronicles the making of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska when he was a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past—heavily influenced by his complicated relationship with his father.
Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works—a stark, sombre acoustic record portraying the lives of blue-collar workers who try to succeed in life but fail at every turn, while searching for a deliverance that never comes.
“To deep-cut Springsteen fans, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere probably did not tell a new story—but this was still a riveting watch to see Jeremy Allen White play the rock and roll icon.”
To deep-cut Springsteen fans, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere probably did not tell a new story—but this was still a riveting watch to see Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, The Iron Claw) play the rock and roll icon. White is known for taking on protagonists in deep pain, and he laid it all out bare with his depiction of Springsteen. While he did not bear much resemblance to the real-life man, I felt the musician’s pain through White’s portrayal. Strangely enough, it perturbed me how he looked more like a young Leonard Cohen than Springsteen.
In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter held a Comedy Actor roundtable with Jim Carrey, Henry Winkler, Ted Danson, Don Cheadle, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Timothy Simons. One of the conversations that resonated with me was when Carrey mentioned how, when a creative is in pain or hurt, they do not tend to lash out. A hurt artist will try to turn that pain into something creative, and Carrey wished people could see what he created when he was hurt and painting to cope with the pain.
Scott captured Carrey’s sentiments for this small piece of Springsteen’s life, but it showed how pivotal this time in Springsteen’s life was. The deeper perspective from Jon Landau (played by Jeremy Strong) was also a thoughtful touch, showing a record manager/producer struggling to keep his talent from going over the edge. Strong captured the feeling of a friend/work collaborator who has to be very careful with how he talks to someone on the verge of mental collapse, and it showed how a producer had to deal with the studio and investors.
Even the love interest, Faye (played by Odessa Young), could not pull Springsteen out of his own dread. Young perfectly acted as the female lead of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, matching White’s acting level and tone. She felt like a real, down-to-earth woman searching for love, but not at the expense of her own happiness and ethics.
The cinematography by Masanobu Takayanagi throughout this film was sublime. The colour grading and on-location shooting were this film’s major strengths, aside from the acting. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere captured a raw, intimate look down memory lane for Springsteen, all across New Jersey. From his home in Colts Neck to every location between his home and Atlantic City, the camerawork made this film feel like it was shot on someone’s personal camcorder.
Despite Scott’s great direction around this biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere was not a perfect film in terms of entertainment value. Whether you are a new or old fan of Springsteen’s work, this movie successfully translates the events of 1982. However, certain scenes and details could have been cut out to speed up the movie. It was cool to see the efforts to preserve the cassette recordings and the vinyl being made, but arguably could have been trimmed to make room for other parts.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere was a great movie, with okay pacing and a decent focus on a story integral to Springsteen’s life.”
More specifically, some beats were too long and could have added to the agonizing pain of sitting through an artist’s creatively painful time in their life. Additionally, the film drove home two or three themes that became evident around the halfway point. I understood Scott’s vision of how Springsteen was haunted by ghosts of his past, but the back half could have used some edits. The only consolation was that the scenes were shot beautifully, and Stephen Graham nailed the terrifying role of Springsteen’s father suffering from substance abuse. Graham’s deadpan, deep black eyes looked even more grim in black and white.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere was a great movie, with okay pacing and a decent focus on a story integral to Springsteen’s life. The family and mental health aspects felt real and made a strong point by showing how one of history’s greatest musical artists put in the effort to recognize they needed help.
By the end of this movie, I wondered whether White needed a well-being check to get immersed in this dark space, too. The bottom line is this was a well-produced theatrical biopic, but it brought nothing cinematically revelatory. Much like Springsteen was as isolated as he ever was in this period of his life, this was a movie that could have comfortably come out on streaming and would be better enjoyed on a home theatre system.
