There’s a point in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere where Bruce’s manager, Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong), plays the tape for his latest record, Nebraska. The Columbia Records executive (David Krumholtz) doesn’t understand what Springsteen is going for. It’s a more experimental and personal work than expected. Something similar can be said about Scott Cooper’s film. That doesn’t mean it’s without the clichés we’ve come to expect from music biopics. While it falls short of greatness, Deliver Me from Nowhere is a more meditative exploration of Springsteen’s craft and mental health than one might assume.
The film opens with a black-and-white flashback to Springsteen’s childhood, as his mother (Gaby Hoffmann) sends him into a bar to collect his father (Stephen Graham). This gives the impression that Deliver Me from Nowhere is going to cover Springsteen’s entire life, Dewey Cox style. Instead, it jumps ahead as the 70s turn into the 80s, with Jeremy Allen White now playing the Boss. Springsteen is fresh off a tour while Born in the U.S.A. is waiting in the wings. Before Springsteen releases his biggest commercial hit, he becomes fixated on the album that’ll become Nebraska. Although Nebraska would be another hit, its bleak nature didn’t scream chart-topper.
Unlike some other biopics that are more interested in recapping Wikipedia articles, Deliver Me from Nowhere aims to analyze who Springsteen is as a person and artist. It makes an effort to show the artistic process, both in terms of songwriting and what goes on in the recording studio. Through Nebraska, Springsteen tries to confront the unresolved trauma rooted in his past. Matthew Anthony Pellicano plays the younger Bruce, who strikes his father with a bat when he gets aggressive with his mom. Bruce’s father doesn’t hit his son back. Rather, he commends him for protecting his mother. Nevertheless, his father’s alcoholism, emotional distance, and unaddressed mental illness have followed Springsteen into adulthood.
Springsteen isn’t just afraid of success, but also true happiness. Odessa Young plays Faye Romano, a composite character who strikes up a romance with Bruce. As charming as Young is here, Faye never quite becomes more than a love interest archetype. I couldn’t help but think back to A Complete Unknown, which had two great female roles in Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo. Bob Dylan might’ve seen Joan and Sylvie as supporting players in his life, but both were well-rounded enough to steal scenes from him. Springsteen has a more intriguing dynamic with Jon Landau, who, unlike most movie managers, genuinely cares about his client and always looks out for him.
With Landau’s help, Springsteen completes Nebraska just as he envisioned it. The album doesn’t solve the depression that Springsteen has been running from, however. Even if it doesn’t reach the heights of A Complete Unknown, Deliver Me from Nowhere is a thoughtful examination of a crucial turning point in Springsteen’s career and mental state. At the center is a strong performance from Jeremy Allen White, who embodies Springsteen in body, soul, and voice, providing his own singing chops. It may lack blood, but White’s portrayal is draped in sweat and tears… especially sweat.