von For fans, it’s not too often to get a more unflinching look at how an album is created. Oftentimes biopics are more about the drama of the life of a star. However, these creations have a life of their own. The time and drama and relationships around it all go into creating very special pieces of art. But, much like the creation itself, when telling these stories it is also important that all those aspects are balanced and blended in ways that make it enjoyable and matter. So when there is a movie, based on a book, about an album, well that is a lot of elements to try and combine. In this situation, while there are definitely some good things, the blending could have been better.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere follows Bruce Springsteen during the making of the album Nebraska, a departure from his previous album, The River, and recorded near his hometown of New Jersey. It is based on the book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making Of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and follows Bruce Springsteen as he navigates music demands of his career and the undertaking of this experimental new album while also handling his own personal demons and a burgeoning relationship.
As a fan of Bruce Springsteen’s music this was an interesting look at both how this album came to be and the machinations of his life at the time as he is on his rise to stardom. While I have not read the book it is based on, the movie was coherent without it. As a fan, the movie giving a glimpse into the life and process of Springsteen. However, for those who are not fans or know who Bruce Springsteen is may find themselves a bit lost and wanting for more.
This is because, as mentioned, the film is divided into the four main plot points of the making of Nebraska, the demands of the music industry, his battle with his personal demons, and the love story. It is a lot to handle in a two hour runtime and ultimately proves too much to truly be invested in. While the story does deliver a proper arc for all of those points with a beginning, middle and end, the plots are too lean with little room for characters to grow beyond tropes and to truly develop an attachment to them. While there are some moments where these plotlines intertwine, such as flashbacks to Springsteen’s childhood and the drunken roughness of his father (a plotline that jumps in at times marked by shifts to black and white) prompting him to shift the lyrics to a first person perspective, the plots generally stay in their own lane. This means that tonally it can be hard to follow as the film shifts its focus to be almost solely on each plot point at a time. This means that when it is focussed on the album creation or stress of the music industry, it completely neglects the relationship element until it comes back into play. This could be intentional, a reflection of Springsteen’s own admission in the film that he gets too into his work and relationships suffer due to it. Even if that is the case, there must have been better ways than to forgo that ignore that aspect entirely until it pops back up again letting you know there has been a large gap there that was otherwise unacknowledged. Even the album, the supposedly main focus of the film, falls into the background when the focus is on the relationship or Springsteen’s struggles with his past and his father’s alcoholism and the aftermath of it which, outside of the flashbacks, is generally more brushed off.
However, while the plotlines are ultimately disappointing, the movie is carried by all the facets around it.
Scott Cooper’s direction and cinematography is solid. Nothing fancy but nothing that takes away or distracts from what is important and always making sure you know where to look. Between closeups on characters‘ faces to help capture the emotion and wide screen showing off the landscapes of New Jersey and Texas, the camera never lingers too long without reason and keeps what is important centered. Most of the time though, the focus is on The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.
Jeremy Allen White does a great job as Bruce Springsteen. He generally nails the look of a younger Springsteen in his early 30s with both the visual style as well as demeanour, generally keeping his cool except for a few moments where the emotions break through. He also gives as good a vocal impression as possible. While it doesn’t match Springsteen’s original vocals, it’s generally good enough and only really noticeable in the opening concert and when it cuts between his singing and original recordings.
Along with Jeremy Allen White are, Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager and friend who helps to provide some exposition to what Bruce cannot express himself and helps to bring the plots together. And he does a good job portraying the balance between friend and businessman and the struggles of trying to help Bruce both get through his battles while also getting the music out. Stephen Graham plays Bruce’s Father and does a good job handling the various needs of the character, going from belligerent drunk and father trying his best when sober in the flashbacks to the old man with regrets and withering health in the present. The plot’s shallowness does squander the two main actresses though with Odessa Young as Faye, and Gaby Hoffmann as Bruce’s Mother, reducing them to tropes as the single mother falling in love and the protective mother protecting her son against her drunken belligerent husband respectively. However when they do get screen time they nail their roles. The best example of this is Odessa who, as Faye, gets a good portion of time in the early-to-middle part of the film as Bruce’s love interest. During this time she does her best with the plot and time she has playing with the deftness and maturation of a woman who has loved and lost and is holding together as best as she can as she falls in love knowing it may be a mistake.
Being a biopic about Bruce Springsteen and making of the album Nebraska, the soundtrack is naturally important. Between licensed songs and the soundtrack it nails the time and helps to carry the emotional weight of scenes, attempting to draw extra emotion where the plot cannot offer anymore. The licensed songs in particular are expertly chosen and placed, accentuating moments of change between characters. The clearest example of this is when a particularly depressed and angry Springsteen is listening to the self-titled album, Suicide.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere delivers, even if it just gets to the front door and never gives a real peak inside. However, if you are looking for an enjoyable bit of biopic with solid acting and score then this nails the bells and whistles even if the actual substance is a bit shallow.
Thank you to SCALA for providing a ticket to the showing of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere on 10.26.2025. Booking and information of showings can be found here
Photo by Vishnu R Nair from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-at-concert-1105666/
