There are rare moments in the world of cinema where a film transcends mediocrity and becomes a classic. Director Scott Cooper’s newest flick, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is not one of those films. Lost in a slog of musician biopic after musician biopic like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “A Complete Unknown,” this film tells the same tired story of an up and coming rockstar making their master work.
The film follows Bruce Springsteen, played by Jeremy Allen White, as he writes and records his 1982 folk album, “Nebraska.” There are also two major subplots in the film, one being Springsteen’s romance with Faye Romano, played by Odessa Young and flashbacks to the musician’s childhood, where he was abused by his alcoholic father Douglas Springsteen, played by Stephen Graham.
This film is a valiant effort from Cooper. He attempts to transcend a tired genre by bringing in commentary about depression and its effects. However, the film tries to explore too much in too little time. Not enough time is delegated to the development of Springsteen’s relationship with both his father and with Romano.
The film begins with Springsteen moving into a rented home in a small town in New Jersey where, after playing at a local venue, he is introduced to Romano, a woman with whom he begins a situationship. Romano is a fictional character written in to represent a variety of Springsteen’s girlfriends during that time.
Jon Landau, played by Jeremy Strong, is Springsteen’s manager and spends his time throughout the film meeting with New York music industry executives and guiding “Nebraska” to completion. He helps Springsteen and advocates for him faithfully throughout the duration of the film, even as Springsteen encounters trouble perfecting his recordings in the studio.
Throughout the course of the film, there are flashbacks to a young Springsteen, played by Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr. and his tumultuous and abusive relationship with his father.
The film comes to its climax when Springsteen’s father goes missing in Los Angeles, where he and Springsteen’s mother had moved to after leaving New Jersey. Springsteen flies to California only to find his father drinking at the bar of a Chinese restaurant. He then leaves his father behind to fly back to New York and finish recording his album.
Soon after the record is completed, Springsteen moves to California after a sad goodbye to Romano. While on the road to California with friend Matt Delia, played by Harrison Sloan Gilbertson, it becomes apparent that Springsteen’s mental health is in poor shape. Upon reaching California, Springsteen enters therapy where the main plot of the film comes to an end.
The film then cuts to 10 months later, where Springsteen is performing a sold-out show in a more stable mental condition, and all is well.
In order to truly make lasting, thoughtful commentary on mental health, this film would have needed to be considerably longer, though Cooper’s hesitation is understandable since he most likely did not want to play deeper cuts from Springsteen’s catalog, which are certainly less efficient at selling tickets than “Born in the USA.”
That failure to fully explore the truly unique themes of this film makes it indistinguishable from other musician biopics. That shallowness, coupled with dull cinematography and poor pacing towards the end, all contribute to a film that almost feels interesting.
This film’s legacy, if any, will be because of White and Strong’s brilliant performances, which have already drawn buzz for major awards. This film is also certain to be an enjoyable watch for Springsteen fans. That being said, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is a film that will be forgotten over time. If Nebraska is a flyover state, then this is a flyover film
