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Credit: 20th Century Studios
Of all of the upcoming music biopics in the works right now, Deliver Me from Nowhere is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated. Jeremy Allen White is portraying “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen in an exploration of the lead-up to and creation of 1982’s Nebraska, one of the most influential rock albums of all time. Critics have seen early showings ahead of its release on the 2025 movie calendar, and they’re saying White is “remarkable,” despite falling victim to clichés.
In addition to Jeremy Allen White, the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere stars Jeremy Strong and Paul Walter Hauser in what Mark Kennedy of the AP calls a “humbling portrait of an icon.” The movie dives deep into the musician’s turmoil, and White’s portrayal is “soulful.” The critic rates it 3.5 out of 4 stars, musing:
The film rather courageously culminates with a call for Springsteen to get mental health help, which he does. We soon realize that what we’ve been watching for two hours is a man’s gradual breakdown, not what most biopics of superstars would pull the curtain back on. In many ways, this movie is, then, a mirror of ‘Nebraska’ itself — unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.
Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com also gives it a high 3 stars out of 4, writing that while director Scott Cooper’s film is full of clichés at the start, it soon becomes “a soulful and meditative character study” of a superstar who is flawed and damaged, but in a way that is relatable and inspires hope. In Daniels’ words:
While the first third of the film relies on tired images of the magically inspired artist mixed with vibrant, neon-soaked date nights between Bruce and Faye, the mid-section centers Springsteen’s search for authenticity. Suddenly, as Springsteen attempts to replicate his bedroom demos in the studio, White doesn’t feel like a caricature of a gruff-voiced Jersey kid. He’s pained, tortured and fearful, emotions that are translated through his bulging facial features and his stammering delivery. He does less emulation and more acting, listening and reacting, thinking about his character’s emotions.
Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence gives it a B, admitting to getting distracted over physical dissimilarities between The Boss and Jeremy Allen White. Miller also notes the music biopic clichés but says overall, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a win. The critic writes:
Deliver Me from Nowhere doesn’t aim to be the definitive tale of Bruce Springsteen’s life, but it does make smart choices in trying to subtly showcase the reasons why his legacy extends beyond some great rock songs. It’s a committed portrait of an artist, with White’s devotion to capturing Bruce’s soul almost overcoming the lack of physical resemblance… And you do eventually get used to that. For he’s not trying to be the definitive Bruce Springsteen, either — just a ghost of a man who was lost, and found what he was looking for in his music.
Ross Bonaime of Collider gives the movie 6 out of 10, saying it was smart of Scott Cooper to focus on one essential period in Bruce Springsteen’s life, but the result is a movie that’s too rote to do the musician’s life justice. However, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong’s performances make up for its weaknesses to some degree, Bonaime says, writing:
Throughout Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Springsteen says he’s attempting to ‘find something real’ in his music, and similarly, as the audience, we’re trying to find something real in Cooper’s film that stands out above the noise of other formulaic musical biopics. Cooper eventually succeeds, but barely, as White and Strong stand out amongst the cookie-cutter storytelling being done here. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere can’t shake what we know about the biopic, but it does at least create some moments and provide some decent performances that make the audience forget about those clichés, at least temporarily.
Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm also rates it 6 out of 10, echoing the sentiment that The Bear star’s “incredible, haunted” portrayal of the music icon elevates an otherwise formulaic biopic. Evangelista says:
Cooper is wisely not trying to tell the full life story of the Boss with Deliver Me from Nowhere, but the film still suffers from a formulaic approach. Thankfully, the filmmaker has Jeremy Allen White on hand to play Springsteen, and the results are stunning. Whatever flaws Cooper’s script suffers from, White’s take on Bruce is so remarkable that it almost tricks you into thinking this is a great movie. It’s not, but it’s worth seeing to watch White lay himself bare up on the screen.
The critics seem to be in agreement that the performances of Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, in particular, are worth the price of admission for a biopic that doesn’t quite avoid the clichés that so often accompany the genre. The movie has compiled a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62% from critics.
If you’re a fan of Nebraska or The Boss in general, you’ll likely want to give this one a go, which you can do now, as Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is in theaters now.
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