'Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere' review: The Boss deserves better

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

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The subgenre of “legendary musician biopics” is alive and well with writer-director Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” an unconventional if oddly assembled affair that isn’t so much about Bruce Springsteen’s expansive career as it is about the making of his haunting 1982 album “Nebraska.” It’s an inspired premise in theory — a quiet story about an artist chasing creative freedom — but an odd focal point for a movie about one of the most dynamic live performers and songwriters of all time. Then again, The Boss has always thrived on breaking from convention.

The trouble is, that rebellion doesn’t make for a compelling film. The entire narrative hinges on Springsteen’s desire to record and release “Nebraska” on his own terms, and while that creative defiance is admirable, it doesn’t exactly fuel a two-hour drama. Cooper captures the ethos of artistic struggle, but what he can’t quite capture is momentum. For a movie about one of America’s greatest storytellers, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” feels oddly inert, a stagnant dramatization where the stakes are almost entirely internal.

Jeremy Allen White, the poster child for “The Bear,” does a serviceable job channeling Springsteen’s gravelly voice and wounded soul, though he never quite transcends imitation. If you’re expecting a performance piece filled with live-wire musical energy, think again. After an early glimpse of the “Born to Run” tour, the film shifts into a somber, airless character study that never digs deep enough into the psyche it wants to explore. You can sense Springsteen’s own reluctance to expose too much, and that guardedness keeps the movie at arm’s length. There’s not enough emotional excavation, nor a towering lead performance, to elevate Cooper’s tepid, reverential screenplay.

White spends much of the movie brooding in dimly lit rooms, lost in thought while Cooper cycles through a series of recording sessions and strained heart-to-hearts. Jeremy Strong fares better as producer Jon Landau, the pragmatic voice of reason trying to convince the record label to release “Nebraska” exactly as Springsteen wants it: no singles, no press, no tour. It’s a noble artistic stand, but dramatically, it’s sluggish. 

You can see why Cooper was drawn to this period: “Nebraska” was a radical departure, a lo-fi, emotionally raw album made in the shadow of fame. But narratively, the movie keeps circling one question: so what? Cooper stages a scene where Springsteen and his band begin recording “Born in the U.S.A.” — a massive hit waiting in the wings — which only undercuts any tension the film tries to build. What happens if “Nebraska” flops? Apparently, nothing.

The director also can’t resist familiar biopic tropes. Springsteen’s battle with depression is treated like an obligatory subplot, introduced and resolved with a lazy “Ten months later” title card. For a movie supposedly about truth and authenticity, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” feels strangely sanitized, as if the real Springsteen hovered too close to the edit bay. It’s been reported he visited the set often, and that might explain why the film feels so cautious, so self-serious, when it should be visceral and alive.

Stephen Graham brings intensity to his scenes as Bruce’s stern, alcoholic father, though the recurring “drunken dad” episodes feel repetitive and overly literal. Likewise, Australian actress Odyssa Young is quite good as Faye Romano, a Jersey girl invented by the script to fill the romantic gap, but her character — a fictional composite of a woman Bruce once dated — only highlights how little emotional authenticity the film actually risks.

Ultimately, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” plays like a greatest-hits collection without the hits, a series of loosely connected moments that drift by without much dramatic payoff. You don’t need a flashy spectacle to capture Springsteen’s genius, but you do need fire, rhythm, and something to make us feel the pulse of his music. For all its reverence, Cooper’s film lacks that heartbeat.

Yes, “Nebraska” is a masterpiece worth celebrating. But by the time the film ends with a glimpse of the roaring “Born in the U.S.A.” sessions, you’re reminded of a more cinematic story — one brimming with sweat, sound, and soul — still waiting to be told. Unfortunately, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” just isn’t born to run.

Grade: C 

SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE is now playing in theaters.