The musician biopic is a familiar genre, and Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” starring Jeremy Allen White of FX’s “The Bear,” is no exception.
The music biopic, once considered a staple of Oscar bait, has been making a resurgence in recent years. The formula is well-worn. A famous musician is beset with tragedy early in life that compels them to make music and then fame and fortune follow. They are tempted by vices and must redeem themselves in some way, either through romance or a career comeback.
Some films like “Bohemian Rhapsody” read like Wikipedia pages of our favorite musicians’ lives. Others, like “Rocketman,” throw out the rulebook completely and incorporate elements of genre films. More recent films have strived to depict softer versions of beloved rock gods while avoiding the cradle-to-grave reenactments of their predecessors. “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” falls squarely into this category. Its attempts to rise above the biopic formula succeed in some ways, while falling short in others.
After a standout supporting role in wrestling drama “The Iron Claw,” White takes on his first leading man role as iconic American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Viewers meet him shortly after the grueling tour for his 1980 double album “The River,” which channeled the rock and soul of his youth and featured his first top ten single, “Hungry Heart.”
Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, suggests his brooding client head back home to New Jersey to work on what the label hopes will be the singer’s most commercially successful album yet. But Springsteen has no interest in another hit. Haunted by memories of his childhood and his abusive father, Springsteen begins recording demos with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a cheap tape machine, the echo and static making his haunting lyrics even more chilling.
Springsteen jams with a local cover band and strikes up a romance with a woman interested in the budding punk rock movement. Yet he continues to return to the darkness of these new songs, drawing inspiration from both real-world tragedy and the isolation of his youth.
If you’re a fan of Springsteen, you may already be familiar with this tale. 1982’s “Nebraska” was one of his most critically praised releases. If you’re a more casual listener, the story is harder to follow.
To those who associate Springsteen with the fist-pumping anthems of “Born in the USA” and “Born to Run,” White’s performance of him as a quiet, sullen man may seem jarring and disjointed. In an era where lo-fi artists received major label record deals, it may be harder for younger audiences to understand why “Nebraska” was so controversial. The film is not interested in this context. We are instantly immersed in this world, but without much time for world-building, the film leaves some questions unanswered.
The film’s strengths are in its simple yet powerful performances. White does not bear much resemblance to Springsteen, but he captures the heart of his music. The movie is less interested in the idea of Springsteen as “The Boss” and more compelled to follow the man behind the myth. His love of music serves as his sword against the world and a shield he hides behind when emotional intimacy is expected of him.
Jeremy Strong’s role as Springsteen’s manager, Landau, also thrives in its subtlety. His role in the story as Springsteen’s hype man may seem performative, but Strong’s mix of earnestness and toughness proves him worthy of being Springsteen’s equal and frequent sparring partner, making him feel less like a yes man.
Stephen Graham plays Springsteen’s father, Douglas, mostly in black and white flashbacks. He makes the most of his screen time, combining foreboding silence with violence to create a ghost that continues to haunt Bruce’s trail.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” is an admirable effort and a welcome addition to the music biopic genre. How much enjoyment you get from the film will be rooted in how much you’re already familiar with Springsteen’s career.
Whether making movies about the lives of famous musicians serves any actual purpose can be debated. Why do we find ourselves so compelled to watch our idols self-destruct to create something beautiful? The movie doesn’t try to answer these dilemmas. Rather, in all its flaws, it tries to give us what the best Springsteen songs do: a reason to believe in the power of rock and roll.