Jeremy Allen White trades one moody, introspective persona for another as he embodies the titular anguished rocker in Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic, “Deliver Me From Nowhere.” The film, based on Warren Zanes’ 2023 book of the same name, is by no means the typical, life-spanning account we’ve come to expect from most musician portraits on the big screen.
Instead, Cooper’s movie homes in on a pivotal period for Springsteen in the early 1980s, when the singer-songwriter was on the brink of global stardom and battled depression as he recorded his famously dark album “Nebraska.” Over its two-hour runtime, we see a then-young Springsteen wrestle with the demons of his past and the crushing pressures of his success.
In some respects, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” follows the biopic clichés of black-and-white flashbacks and the tormented musician who can’t sustain a healthy relationship. But in others, once it moves beyond those aspects and the “Nebraska” recordings, it breaks from tradition to probe Springsteen’s life on a much deeper level, aided by White’s restrained performance.
White, best known for his intense turn in “The Bear,” is much more subdued playing a burdened Springsteen. But his quiet intensity serves Cooper’s story well in moments where the director lets us inside the singer’s head. While I can’t say White completely disappears into his role — his Jersey accent comes off grating at times — he does a fairly decent job embodying Springsteen both onstage and in solitude.
Now, I’m admittedly not the biggest Springsteen fan, nor was I that familiar with his story before screening the film. Still, I found myself surprisingly absorbed by “Deliver Me From Nowhere” in the moments that didn’t harp on Springsteen recording one of his most personal works in his New Jersey bedroom.
Jeremy Strong gives a tender performance as Springsteen’s manager and friend, Jon Landau, although Cooper annoyingly uses the actor’s character to over-explain Springsteen’s inner turmoil through parts of the movie. On the other hand, Odessa Young, as the single mother with whom Springsteen has a failed romance, adds some depth to the film that allows Cooper to explore the most intimate aspects of the singer’s life — such as one affecting scene in which Springsteen bursts into tears during a therapy session as he finally confronts years of trauma.
“Deliver Me From Nowhere” tends to veer toward melodrama in depicting this chapter of Springsteen’s life, but that’s when the film feels most alive. At times, the movie comes off as an overextended homage to “Nebraska” rather than an examination of the man behind it. Yet the parts that look at Springsteen on a more emotional level manage to balance it all out.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
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