Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Beautiful performances especially between Stephen Graham and Jeremy Allan White.

A really sensitive look at mental health struggles in a rich rock star vs a working class dad who doesn't have access to the same resources. I had been expecting a 'boy breaking out of an abusive childhood' story so to have his dad portrayed so empathetically made this much more interesting than your usual music biopic.

Compared to something like A Complete Unknown which didn't seem to have anything interesting to say about its protagonist, this was a really interesting insight into life after being thrust into stardom.

Well I have mixed feelings about the movie. It is a great salute to being aware of mental health issues and if the film gets some people to seek help, it did its job. Not a Springsteen fan. Do like some of his music. Good acting but the film left a void. There was a line in the film that I always say to my siblings or people that have issues with parents, siblings or others. "They are doing the best job that they can". In hindsight site, I think when you're mentally far away from the situation, It doesn't take away the sting but it gives perspective. I think the film was bigger than Bruce's life. He became an Everyman for many boomers if they had similar issues. Artists are fragile, no matter what area they work in. There is a fine line between insanity and genius.

LIKES: The Setting The Visuals The Heart The Portrayal Of Depression The Creation Process At Times The Acting The Cinematography DISLIKES: The Pace The Mood Not As About The Songs As I Would Like Lots Of Plots That Feel Condensed To A Fault Depressing

Summary: As expected, this biopic accomplishes the task of bringing us back into history to feel immersed in the moment with incredible attention to detail in recreating the city in the '80s. The costume and props department has found locations, crafted fashion, and recreated studios to look like something from the past, giving you the authentic vibes of Springsteen working to make his songs come to life. I love such attention to detail, especially when the visuals just work to craft the emotions of the moment, which in this film is a key factor and focus of the director. Impressive cinematography finds the optimal presentation style to help make Bruce's struggles in songwriting a reality. I loved seeing each sequence carefully edited to use the background to sort of mimic his moods, finding an intricate use of light and filters to help almost show the transition in an indirect way. It all works in tandem to give that elevated feel, and I applaud them for such bold and creative means without the need for hi-tech CGI.

This Springsteen film is deeper than I imagined it would be, a portrayal of one man's inner mindset in finding the inspiration, drive, and perfection in his art, alongside the demons that accompany it. It's smart writing at times, adding that Hollywood sauce to spice things up and create memorable quotes that seem realistic, but not blunt. The creative scenes are my favorite, getting to hear the music belt out of the speakers, watching "Bruce" play his guitar as he belts out the classic lyrics with energy that is worthy of mimicking the boss. These moments hold the energy I love in a musical biography, and I wanted more of these sequences to the same degree I've enjoyed in other biopics. Yet, this movie chooses to put the focus on the character development, and much of the time is spent showing Bruce's depression, which he was known to have. I'll grant them more nods to their realistic portrayal of the disorder, showing these gradual transformations in behavior and mannerisms to which I found accurate and respectful. There is heart and soul to this film, and seeing such a powerful portrayal of the pressure he battled is something truly admirable when a film accomplishes this manner. Though I have to acknowledge the acting prowess of the cast, especially White's performance. The Bear actor has moved from the kitchen into the studio, and much like the drama, he has brought his A-game to portraying the music icon. His methods are stunning, and I loved watching him unleash the various emotions of the Boss to varying degrees, whether it was belting "Born In The USA" or trying to work himself up to find that missing sound, and more. The whole cast is wonderful, and with their help, take this legacy to new heights that I think many will appreciate when looking into the dramatic stories of the gifted artists we have come to admire.

Such artistic vision is welcome in terms of that Oscar-worthy atmosphere, but I think it comes at a cost. This biopic did not feel quite as widespread or music-oriented, at least in giving my ears an audio shower from the legendary tracks. As mentioned, we have a few covers and some of his works that got the royal treatment, but aside from that, the movie focused more on the artist. While this is fine to an extent, I would have liked to have some more of his actual creation and performance of the songs, similar to the styles of Rocket Man and Bohemian Rhapsody. Instead, the focus is on the mental state, taxation, and life changes, which establishes a darker mood for this film. That mood weighed heavily on me, and though tasteful and realistic, it sort of sucked my energy away and left me enjoying the film less than I had desired. This affected the pace for me, sometimes dilating ten minutes to three times the amount, and I began to feel bored as I began to drown further into the darker mindset of Bruce. And even worse, there were lots of things they seemed to address, ranging from sources of trauma, finding relief, searching for inspiration, and more. While fascinating at times, I felt this was another example of trying to condense too many things into a shorter time period, leaving many of these contesting subplots feeling short, unfinished, skirted, and summarized to a fault. I'd just be getting into one story when all of a sudden it dove to another tale, which would then cascade to another. Maybe it was factual, or maybe it was trying to manage the chaos of the time, but with the foreboding depression, these stories just felt more of a distraction when I wanted to focus on a few of the stories and maximize these tales to not feel so foreboding. If the director wanted the audience to feel this way, he accomplished it, but as an entertaining spectacle, I don't think it accomplished that element.

The VERDICT: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a spectacle worthy of Oscar attention. One of the more realistic biopics, this film has recreated the decade with stunning details, incorporating a lot of techniques, styles, and locations to bring us back into the heart of his world. Such direction deserves a nod to acknowledging Springsteen's challenging times in a way that feels more tasteful than other modalities choose to pursue. And the acting is stunning, with the lead once again amazing me with his methods of bringing such elaborate, difficult roles to life and with such talent and focus. Throw in one scene that hit my expectations on seeing a Springsteen performance pulled from the past with Hollywood's splendor, and I can't help but sing praise for these moments. Yet, the film's focus is not for audience members like me who seek a balance of music, creative fun, and drama. Instead, its storytelling is all about Bruce's hardships, a personification of his mindset brilliantly brought to life to which I nod for talent. But such foreboding depression is hard to sit through, the pace feels off as subplots fight for screentime, and there is little light to help relieve that sadness. This made the movie drag for me, and I think that might be the case for others wanting a little more show and a little less of the darker facets of The Boss's approach. When I factor all this in, I think this movie has the composure to be theater-worthy for those wanting that realistic drama piece. But for many, sticking to watching at home, where pausing can provide the breaks you need from the depression. For my scores, I give it: Dramatic/biography/Music: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.

From the outside it can look pretty straightforward to be a rock star, but this movie shows that it is nothing like it.

We tend to forget that stars are also normal people that have personal issues, relationship issues, personal struggles and backgrounds.

Allen White portrays Bruce perfectly. Casting was spot on. Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau was an excellent choice.

Bruce may be different than other rock stars in a way, but the creative process was always at the core for him. Nebraska was that moment HE needed.

Great movie!

Where you come from is gone. Where you thought you were going was never there." Flannery O'Connor

Writer/director Scott Coopeer's Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere has Flannery's dark but open celebration of life, where Bruce (Jeremy Allen White) has been-from an unsettling place with his erratic father and loving mother to Bruce's own struggles with depression. Therefore, this is an introspective take, not the bombastic but splashy Bohemian Rhapsody.

Although this bio is small by most standards of musical stories and covers only a few of his years, it gets to places in the artist's psyche only a few have ever gone. It obviates my concern that the big bios are about melodies and groupies, not the inspiring creative process of the musician. In a sense, Bob Dylan's story in A Complete Unknown (2024) came close to the interior look that Springsteen's story does.

While we witness the conflicts of birthing Nebraska and its inherent darkness, Cooper and co-writer Warren Zanes (the story is adapted from his Springsteen bio) gently and slowly hint at the life-changing song Born in the USA. They well document the Boss's struggle between promoting albums and benefiting from the hit single return, violating his prime directive to present the whole story in an album.

This biopic chooses to accompany Bruce while he emerges as a rock 'n roll legend devoted to the common man's celebration of life's smaller moments that eventually lead to where he is going.

As much as I like this minimalist approach, I still yearn for more stage singing at which White is so adept-he should be nominated-- as Chalamet was last year. I could do less of Bruce's romance with Faye (Odessa Young)-if it's even real-and more of the sterling interaction with his friend/counsel Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong).

In this fine bio, Bruce best expresses the interiority of the film's perspective:

"I just want it to feel like I'm in the room by myself." Bruce.