Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere info:
Director: Scott Cooper
Writer: Scott Cooper and Warren Zanes
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, and Stephen Graham
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. We are back with another mindless movie review this week. As the weather gradually gets colder and the sky gets darker, we have even more excuses to stay in and watch movies. Even if part of that staying in means driving to the movie theater and staying inside there. Either way, you get some entertainment and some warm inside time.
This week’s pick is “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere”. It’s sort of a biography about Bruce Springsteen, directed by Scott Cooper. I’ll explain what I mean about it being sort of a biography in a minute—first, the spoiler warning. If you haven’t seen “Deliver Me from Nowhere” yet, then you will want to go back to my reviews page and check out something else before you head back here to read the rest of this one.
Alright, well, starting from the top, I have to say this was quite different from what I expected. Most of the recent music biopics that have been released cover the entire journey of the musician’s life and how they rose to fame. Aside from childhood flashbacks, this one jumps straight into Bruce’s early heyday after he’s already released several albums.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” traces Springsteen’s emotional and creative journey while making his 1982 album Nebraska. White (who does a great job playing the titular role) channels his best Boss as he wraps up touring from the previous album and moves into a secluded bungalow in New Jersey.
Joining White in the cast is Strong, who portrays his longtime friend/manager/producer, Jon Landau. Again, not much is said about their past and how they met. But you get the feeling that they’ve been in this together for a long time. Jon is consistently trying to assist Bruce and his many quarks as he works on a new album. Even agrees to shelf the surefire hit, Born in the U.S.A., in favor of the raw sounds he prefers this time around. His guitar tech, Mike Batlan (Hauser), consistently comes by his new house to assist him in all aspects of his journey.
During this time, he strikes up a relationship with Faye (Odessa Young), a local waitress with a young daughter. The two hit it off, and they have quite a bit of fun for a short while. That is, until his mind starts to pull up some dark memories of his past. I was surprised to learn that Faye was actually a made-up character and that Bruce never dated anyone by that name. Not sure if it was put in just to show a different side of him, or if it was to balance the emotional undertones that were going on.
But, where “Deliver Me from Nowhere” really shows its true self is the gritty childhood trauma that he had to endure by his father. Graham, who has been around for a while and is really starting to make a bigger name for himself, and this is why, right here. I’m not sure if he was in the movie long enough to get an award nomination for best supporting actor, but in my mind(less), he should at least be considered. We didn’t see as much from his mom, Adele (Gaby Hoffman), but she was still good nonetheless.
Bruce finishes up the album, but when they go into the studio to record it, he can’t get past the original sound and demands that his original recordings be copied over to the masters as the main cut for the record. Jon and the record label do indeed jump through the hoops for him, but clearly aren’t happy about it. He also demands that it get released with no tour, no marketing, and his face not on the cover.
In the end, he gets his way, but his mind continues to struggle with fame and recognition. He tells Faye he can’t be with her and moves to California. Along the way, he has a panic attack. The movie sort of ends here, but we get a glimpse of him touring in the future and an onscreen comment about his struggles with depression. It’s sort of an abrupt end to an unfortunately stunted story.
Overall, “Deliver Me from Nowhere” has some good acting here, and that goes a long way, but I just wasn’t a fan of the story. I feel like there is so much more they could have told us about that didn’t include a fake romantic relationship. We could have explored way more with his parents, some backstory of why he became an artist, or anything really. White was a good Bruce, but I can’t give this more than a 6 out of 10.
Watch or Wait?
Honestly, unless you are a big Springsteen fan, this can wait. In fact, I’m sure you’ve already seen it if you are a fan of his. Otherwise, it’s not really worth the big-screen ticket price, in my opinion. There aren’t even a lot of on-stage performances that would enhance the experience.
Well, that’s it for me this week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. But now I want to hear from you. Have you seen “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” yet? If so, what are your thoughts on how they handled the on-screen story? Did you enjoy the acting as much as me? Let me know in the comments below, and I will be back next week with another mindless movie review of some sort.
