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by Jeffery Rahming, Contributing Writer

At this point, every musician you’ve ever heard of will have a biopic. Despite these films becoming very cliché, a lot of them have given actors the chance to show off their range. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is quite clearly trying to ride the coattails of predecessors, with Jeremy Allen White going for an award-winning turn playing Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen. 

We find Springsteen on the precipice of superstardom. His hit double album, The River, is tearing up the charts, and his record label is ready for a breakthrough project to solidify his position as America’s next rock star. In an attempt to get away from the noise, he travels back to his hometown in New Jersey to work on the record. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, the songs he writes end up a lot darker than his radio-hungry label would like. What starts out as an attempt to write a hit album becomes a search for his own soul. 

There have been a lot of musical biopics, but what sets Deliver Me from Nowhere apart (unfortunately) is a lack of interest in the music. Director Scott Cooper is more interested in the pains of an artist trying to find himself. The inner conflict between Bruce the superstar and Bruce the artist could be interesting, but the way it’s portrayed here is unbearably dull. It feels like we’re hiding from the music rather than embracing it. Of course, it’s understandable given that this is a movie about Springsteen’s most intimate album, but considering he was simultaneously making his biggest hits, showing the contrast between these two worlds would make for a more entertaining journey. Cooper created a film that’s primarily moody shots of Springsteen looking forlornly into the distance, and that’s about it. If anybody really likes White’s face, they’re in luck, because this film is mostly carefully composed shots of his most depressing expressions. It doesn’t do enough to really get you into Springsteen as a character. If we saw more of the contrast between Bruce’s exciting celebrity lifestyle and his need to escape it, it would feel more like a compelling arc. Watching a man brood for two hours isn’t all that entertaining, especially when in the back of your mind you’re just waiting for “Born to Run” to finally play.

White gives a great dramatic performance, but unfortunately, you can tell he can’t nail Bruce’s iconic voice or performance style. He’s good in every other scene, but when it comes to portraying what makes Springsteen the legend he is, he never quite reaches that transcendent level you’re looking for. With that being said, it would’ve been nice to have more musical scenes in this at all. It’s what most people are here for, and it’s sorely lacking. It’s a little awkward when characters talk about songs as if they’re going to change the world, and we barely get to see any of them performed. What we are shown is that Springsteen has a weird relationship with his dad, and the songs in Nebraska have something to do with that. What that relationship is exactly is a question the movie has no interest in answering. We get vague flashbacks and a touching moment near the end, but we don’t explore Bruce’s relationship with his dad with nearly enough depth. Which is unfortunate, considering that’s all this movie wants to be about.

Deliver Me from Nowhere delivers on the drama, but leaves the music behind. It awkwardly comes off like a commercial for an album that came out 40 years ago. We mostly hear them talking about it rather than making it. As fascinating as I’m sure Springsteen’s story is, it doesn’t feel like the most interesting parts were highlighted here. If you’re not a Springsteen fan, all you really learn from this is that he has a complicated relationship with his family. If you’re playing celebrity bingo, I’m sure that’s something you could find on the card. This is as typical of a biopic as you can get, and doesn’t even use the great music it has at its disposal. White tries his best to fill big shoes, but coming after A Complete Unknown and Elvis, this just pales in comparison to many of the career-defining biopic portrayals we’ve seen in recent years.

Rating: Didn’t Like It

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is currently playing in theaters

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You can read more from Jeffery Rahming, and follow him on Letterboxd