Despite having no musical experience before this film, Jeremy Allen White rocks as Bruce Springsteen in the musician’s biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”
Springsteen himself selected White to play him. To prepare for the role, White learned how to play guitar and took singing lessons for six months. Thanks to his music lessons, White recorded the music you hear in the film. His passion for the role is evident throughout the film with all the detailed artistic mannerisms he portrays on screen. The film had a budget of $55 million, according to Variety. Yet, despite the film’s high budget, it debuted with a disappointing $9 million on its opening weekend. Viewers gave mixed reviews, and some film critics were not surprised by the low interest toward the movie.
The film begins in a black-and-white flashback scene of Springsteen’s childhood – a reoccurring theme throughout the film. The flashbacks often depicted childhood trauma surrounding his alcoholic father (Stephen Graham) and their estranged relationship, which is one of the core focal points of the film. The flashbacks continued to taunt him throughout the movie as the audience watches Springsteen slowly lose himself more.
The film also had its major concert scene within the first three minutes, where Springsteen sings “Born to Run.” A scene like this usually comes in the middle or end of a musical biopic, so it confused me as well as other viewers.
I went into this biopic blind, not knowing much about Springsteen himself. I was expecting it to be about his rise to fame or how he navigated his stardom, like most biopics. However, this film was about Springsteen’s creative process of making his 1982 album “Nebraska.”
Springsteen’s initial spark of inspiration for the album comes from the 1973 film “Badlands.” He initially began the lyrical process of the album writing in third person, but as more flashbacks transpired, we see him switch perspectives into the first person. “Nebraska” is a dark, moody and haunting piece of work, and it was a bold decision for Springsteen at the time.
Audiences felt this direction for the film was not the right one, as it is difficult to make a film solely on an album Springsteen wrote alone in his bedroom in New Jersey. Critics think the director, Scott Cooper, didn’t quite hit the nail on the head with it.
However, I appreciated the film for what it was. I found myself genuinely interested in the material Springsteen was creating and how hard he fought for it to be released, even against future hits like “Born in the U.S.A.”
Still, its clear the film has its flaws. The film can be seen as an overused take on the “tortured artist” trope, since childhood trauma, an identity crisis and depression are all part of that recipe. Perhaps that’s why it is falling short with certain audiences or why critics are saying it fails to do what “A Complete Unknown” – the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet – did.
While I do think the film dipped its toes into this cliché, I don’t think it faults the film enough. I had a pleasurable time watching it – a scene between Springsteen and his father at the end even got a tear out of me. I felt as if the film had a clear direction, and I never found myself lost in the plot, even if it was a little overused. The pacing wasn’t too bad either, minus a weird 10-month time skip towards the end.
White’s performance as Springsteen is certainly memorable and impressive enough to give this film a chance. After all, playing miserable and lost characters is what he does best.
