"Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" Tamps the Boss Down

"Bio-pics come with a built-in tension concerning point of view. Filmmakers generally undertake such projects out of admiration, and, as a result, many veer quickly from enthusiasm to hagiography and from drama to fan service. This is especially a problem in bio-pics centered upon a living and still active public figure, whose approval filmmakers may seek, as much psychologically as contractually. Scott Cooper's biopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere," starring Jeremy Allen White, is a prime example."

"No one expects a bio-pixposé of the Boss, but this movie is so respectful and dignified as to seem like puff. In its premise, it resembles another new bio-pic of a famous artist, Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague." Each is centered on its protagonist's creation of a single work-Springsteen's 1982 album, "Nebraska," and Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film, "Breathless," respectively-in the face of opposition to his unorthodox methods and results."

"This is all the more dismaying because the elements of the story-mental illness, romance, artistic exploration, deep-rooted familial trauma, professional pressures-are serious, complex, and dramatic. The movie begins at the end of a concert tour in 1981. Bruce (White) returns home to Colts Neck, New Jersey, where he lives alone, and is unsure what he wants to do for his next album. He finds himself in a painfully reminiscent mode, reliving"

Scott Cooper's biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere concentrates narrowly on Bruce Springsteen's making of the 1982 album Nebraska, favoring intimacy and dignity over critical distance. The film stars Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and frames the album's creation as a solitary, emotionally restrained process. It resembles Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague in centering on a single work, but lacks the tougher perspective on artistic obstinacy. The movie downplays the wide-ranging passions behind the music—mental illness, romance, artistic exploration, familial trauma, and professional pressures—by remaining on the surface of those elements. The narrative opens at the end of a 1981 tour as Springsteen returns to Colts Neck, New Jersey, uncertain about his next album.

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