BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska offered a very personal and painful glimpse into his creative soul. The haunting acoustic records were designed to reject norms and embrace a creation that would emerge from the standard den of music.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” chronicles the two years in the rock icon’s life when he was dancing the emotional edge between the rush of stardom and overwhelming feelings of guilt that originated during his childhood in an abusive environment. The film is based on the book of the same name by Warren Zane.
Had director/writer/producer Scott Cooper used Nebraska as a blueprint for the movie the examination of this period would have come across with the same emotional edge. That didn’t happen. Cooper opted to make a film that barely rises above a standard biopic in design and falls flat in substance.
Cooper makes two massive mistakes with the film – the flow of the film and the addition of the character played by Odessa Young. Both keep getting in the way of what should have been a deep dive into a creative soul.
Basing the movie on the book kept Cooper from telling a full story. Because the focus is on two specific years – with only a sprinkling of flashbacks – the audience is only allowed a tiny glimpse into Springsteen’s world. Instead of endless scenes of him musically brooding in a darkened bedroom writing the songs for the album, time should have been spent establishing the early years. The film makes a very serious point that Springsteen’s childhood scarred him deeply, but Cooper only picks at the emotional scabs and never lays open any deep wounds.
Cooper makes the same mistake with his story that the makers of “The Smashing Machine” made. That film about mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr (played by Dwayne Johnson) also dealt with a person dealing with psychological problems. In that film all the therapy sessions that would have provided insights were glossed over.
The case in “Deliver Me from Nowhere” is that Cooper doesn’t get to Springsteen’s emotional collapse and search for help until the last moments of the movie. Instead of being presented with substantive material, Cooper does a flash forward ahead 10 months to see all is generally well.
If the film was a musical recording, Cooper’s design would be like an album with only the last track. It is interesting but begs for a broader orchestra of insights.
Then there is the character of Faye Rmano. Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) meets her while performing at a local club. They agree that getting serious is not an option, but Springsteen takes the relationship to a higher level before realizing that he can’t have anyone in his life that would be a distraction from his music.
This emotional tug-of-war would have been strong had Faye been an actual person in Springsteen’s life. The decision was made to wad together a bunch of women from his past and present them in one imaginary character.
Making such dramatic moves is detrimental to a film biography because once it is obvious fabrications are acceptable, it is difficult to accept anything as fact. Either find an ex-girlfriend willing to be portrayed or ignore that thread completely.
What keeps propping up the film is White’s performance. He was wise only to go for the essence of Springsteen and avoid full impersonation. Biopics aren’t supposed to be the work of an impressionist but the impressions of an actor playing the role.
The only thing that will stop White from getting an Oscar nod – and the Academy loves biopics – is his work on “The Bear.” The TV series gives him more raw material to play, and he attacks it with such rage that it could easily overpower his film work.
If White’s performance hadn’t been so good, it would have been easy to dismiss this film into a bargain bin. A strong performance is needed but never enough when the writing and structure is so out of tune.
Do yourself a favor if you are a Springsteen fan. Listen to Nebraska instead of seeing the film. You won’t quality like the album on the big screen.
Movie review
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Grade: C
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young.
Director: Scott Cooper
Rated: PG-13 for strong language, smoking, some sexuality
Running time: 120 minutes.
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