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By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
An American icon of the 1980s gets his time on the silver screen, and it is a lot less glamourous than viewers would expect. “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is the dramatic biopic of the Boss and is based on the 2023 book of the same name by Warren Zanes. The story depicts the musical living legend at a particular point in time and his struggles with depression, which seems to be dividing audiences.
Following the end of his tour in 1981 supporting his hit album “The River,” a fatigued Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) holes himself away to work on his next album. As he delves into deeply personal material, reflecting on his childhood and complicated relationship with his father Douglas (Stephen Graham), bouts of depression take hold. His manager and confidante Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong) does what he can to deflect pressure from the studio and help Bruce through these dark times, but the acoustic solo songs being produced may be too gloomy to sell.
Directed and co-written by Scott Cooper, this is a movie of deep reflection rather than an ode to the famous musician’s playlist. A lot of similarities can be drawn to Cooper’s first film, “Crazy Heart,” which is also about a dysfunctional musician struggling with life and love. Focusing the movie on the creation of Bruce’s solo album, “Nebraska,” instead of “Born in the U.S.A.,” which catapulted the rocker to global stardom, is a bold choice that tells viewers this is more of a personal look at the artist. In this way, Cooper explores the musician’s mentality, however dark it may be, to give fans and newcomers alike an insight into who he is as a person and what motivated him to write the songs.
While the subject matter may be too saddening and unappealing for some, Cooper very carefully presents this brief snippet of the Boss’ life as honestly as possible. As he transitions to Bruce’s childhood memories with his father, he strips away the color, showing those flashback scenes in black and white to evoke a melancholic mood of character’s past. However, Cooper purposefully shows his father in those scenes in an almost empathetic light that avoids depicting him as a villain to be hated. This dynamically complex relationship between father and son becomes the heart and soul of the movie with some tearjerking moments. Cooper does a great job capturing the visuals authentically, alternating between a hand-held camera that depicts the chaos during the live performances to a more intimate style of cinematography that reflects the mood of those personal moments.
While watching Hulu’s “The Bear,” Bruce Springsteen saw the potential and handpicked Jeremy Allen White to play him, which turns out to be the perfect choice. White not only locks in the appearance of Bruce, but also his sound and mannerisms. He even sings his own vocals and plays the harmonica to the point that even Bruce could not tell the difference between White’s singing and his own. Most importantly though, White superbly displays that inner turmoil and dark reflections that fed Bruce’s depression. This is certainly a worthy performance of Oscar’s attention.
Also at the top of his game is Jeremy Strong, coming off his Oscar nominated performance for last year’s “The Apprentice.” Once again, Strong provides a committed supporting performance that compliments Jeremy Allen White. He supplies genuine care and concern for the main character, and a complete unflappability when it comes to honoring the main character’s wishes, regardless of how problematic those wishes may be. Look for these two stellar actors to be reunited next year in a docudrama called “The Social Reckoning.”
Let’s not forget about Stephen Graham, who does an exceptional job as Bruce’s father. He very quietly portrays a man dealing with his own mental issues while trying to be the best father he can be but making poor choices along the way. He brilliantly presents this highly imperfect character that audiences can empathize with while also holding him accountable for his misguided decisions.
This may not be the flashiest musical biopic, and it may be too morose in tone for some to enjoy, but it is unapologetically honest and heartfelt. “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is an interesting look into the singer’s mental struggles that yielded possibly his most intimately artistic album. If you’re more interested in a film that celebrates all of Bruce’s music while delivering an emotional true story, then check out 2019’s “Blinded by the Light.”
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